Del. Mark L. Keam

Certain public elementary and secondary school students; excused absences; attendance at pow wow. Provides that, subject to guidelines established by the Department of Education, any student who is a member of a state-recognized or federally recognized tribal nation that is headquartered in the Commonwealth and who is absent from school to attend such tribal nation's pow wow gathering shall be granted one excused absence per academic year, provided that the parent of such student provides to the student's school advance notice of such absence in the manner required by the school.

Vehicle registration; personal property taxrelief. Requires the application for vehicle registration toinclude any additional information necessary to determine if a vehicleis a qualifying vehicle for the purpose of personal property taxrelief. The bill requires vehicles held in a trust to be evaluated in the same manner as vehicles owned by a natural person.

Dissemination of consumer information about noxious weeds and invasive plants. Requires the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to develop model signs for retail establishments that sell plants that may be used to explain the benefits of native plants and the harm of noxious weeds and other invasive plants. The bill also directs the Commissioner to develop model labels that may be used for the wholesale and retail sale of plants that indicate the common and scientific name of the plant, as well as whether it is native or invasive.

Virginia Black, Indigenous, and People of ColorHistoric Preservation Fund established. Establishes the VirginiaBlack, Indigenous, and People of Color Historic Preservation Fundfor the purpose of awarding grants to eligible state-recognized andfederally recognized Indian tribes, private nonprofit organizations,and localities for the eligible costs of acquiring land or permanentprotective interest therein, and of undertaking preservation activitieson such land, that is of cultural or historic significance to Black,indigenous, or people of color communities. The bill provides thatland or interests acquired with grant funds shall grant the Boardof Historic Resources or other holder a perpetual preservation interestin the property. This bill is identical to SB 158.

Public schools; instruction concerning gambling. Requires instruction concerning gambling and the addictive potential thereof to be provided by the public schools as prescribed by the Board of Education. The bill requires the Board of Education to report to the Chairmen of House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health a description of such instruction.

Department of Labor and Industry; seizure firstaid information. Directs the Department of Labor and Industry(the Department) to disseminate information regarding seizure firstaid, defined in the bill, to all employers and employees in the Commonwealthand requires all employers in the Commonwealth to physically postthis information in a prominent location in the workplace. The billincorporates the "Good Samaritan" provision of the Code of Virginiathat shields a person from liability when rendering emergency carein good faith under certain circumstances.

Business entities; conversion and domestication.Provides that, for the purposes of the Virginia Nonstock CorporationAct, the Virginia Limited Liability Act, and the Virginia BusinessTrust Act, "entity conversion" has the same meaning as "conversion"as defined in each respective act and that a certificate of entityconversion is the same as a certificate of conversion. Additionally,the bill provides that "incorporation surrender," "organizationsurrender," and "trust surrender" have the same meaning as "domestication"as defined in each such respective act and that a certificate ofincorporation surrender, certificate of organization surrender, anda certificate of trust surrender are the same as a certificate ofdomestication.

Safe haven protections; newborn safety device. Provides an affirmative defense in certain criminal prosecutions and civil proceedings regarding child abuse or neglect to a parent who safely delivers his child within the first 30 days of the child's life to a newborn safety device located at a hospital that provides 24-hour emergency services or at an attended emergency medical services agency that employs emergency medical services personnel. The bill also provides civil and criminal immunity to such hospitals and emergency medical services agencies for injuries to children received through such newborn safety devices, provided that (i) the injuries are not the result of gross negligence or willful misconduct and (ii) the hospital or emergency medical services agency meets certain requirements regarding the establishment, functioning, and testing of the device. Current law requires the child to be delivered within the first 14 days of the child's life at such hospital or emergency medical services agency. This bill is identical to SB 63.

Special license plates; localities. Authorizes localities to pay the initial issuance fee costs for the developmentand issuance of special license plates displaying the seal, symbol,emblem, or logotype of the locality in lieu of collecting 350 paidapplications for such license plates.

Health workforce development; Special Advisor to the Governor for Health Workforce Development; Virginia Health Workforce Development Fund. Creates the position of Special Advisor to the Governor for Health Workforce Development (the Special Advisor) in the Office of the Governor and creates the Virginia Health Workforce Development Fund to (i) provide incentives for the removal of barriers to educating and training health workforce professionals that include increasing eligible faculty, clinical placements, and residencies; (ii) incentivize the production of health workforce credentials, degrees, and licensures based on a rigorous analysis of the need by the Office of Education and Labor Market Alignment; (iii) address regulatory barriers to entering into and staying in health professions; and (iv) provide education and training for health and health science professionals to align education and training initiatives with existing and evolving health workforce needs. The bill also requires the Special Advisor to review and evaluate the structure and organization of the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (the Authority) and make recommendations regarding the long-term administrative structure and funding of the Authority to the Governor and the General Assembly by November 1, 2022. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2026.