This was
it! The final day of the regular
session, and the General Assembly decided on the final fate of five bills of
interest to VEA.
Del.
Greason's HB 930 and Sen. Deeds' SB 306, now identical, are the SOL reform
bills. Final action came down to the
final day, not over policy issues, but over how many Senator and Delegates will
sit on the SOL Innovation Committee. The
conference committee reports were approved by both chambers, and the bills now
head to the Governor's desk.
Del. Hope's
HB 1106, which calls for a review and report on the use of seclusion and
restraint in public and private schools. The final controversy was over which agency
would take on this charge: The Joint
Commission on Health Care, the Department of Education, or the Commission on
Youth. The Commission on Youth will
conduct the review and issue the report.
Both chambers adopted the conference report, and the bill awaits the
Governor's signature.
Landes' HB1229 and Miller's SB 324 address the delay of A-F school grading implementation. The conference reports, adopted by both
chambers, call for a two year delay.
These bills await the Governor's action.
Del.
O'Quinn's HB 1242 addresses how school boards with "tie breaker"
provisions select the tie breaker. This
is obscure to most of us, but some Southwest Virginia school boards have an
even number of members, and they appoint a tie breaker to resolve tie
votes. This individual has sometimes
been the crony of the power structure, and this bill requires that the tie
breakers be elected rather than hand-picked.
The conference committee report was adopted by both chambers, and this
bill is headed for the Governor's desk.
