Troublesome FOIA bill reintroduced
VACo opposes SB 1554 (Surovell), which is the reboot of last year’s SB 630 (Surovell). This bill provides civil penalties against public officials in their individual capacity in addition to any penalties currently imposed under the Freedom of Information Act. Specifically the bill provides that if a court finds that any officer, employee, or member […]
Oppose bill mandating training of School Resource Officers by the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety
VACo opposes SB 1130 (Locke) that seeks to mandate that all School Resource Officers (SROs) receive job-entry and in-service training administered by the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety (VCSCS) in addition to any existing law-enforcement training and broadens the type of training required for both SROs and School Security Officers (SSOs). Action Required […]
Oppose bills allowing School Boards to keep unexpended funds
VACo opposes HB 1969 (Delaney) and HB 1921 (Bourne) that seek to allow school boards to retain unexpended funds appropriated to them by localities. The former bill has no other stipulations, while the latter mandates that such funding be dedicated to finance capital projects. Action Required – Contact your Delegates and express opposition to HB […]
Several bills related to Children’s Services Act introduced
VACo has historically supported efforts to enhance the capacity of local school divisions to serve children with higher-level needs within the local school division when possible, recognizing that private day placements may be the best option for some students. VACo supports several helpful bills that allow access to state pool funds provided through the Children’s […]
School Behavior Analyst staffing requirement advances
The Senate Education and Health Committee reported and referred to the Senate Finance Committee legislation requiring local school boards to employ one full-time equivalent licensed behavior analyst or licensed assistant behavior analyst per five schools within a local school division. Licensed Behavior Analysts try to teach students more effective ways of behaving and making changes […]
Bill to increase minimum wage advances
On January 14, the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee voted 6-4 to report SB 1200 (Dance), which incrementally increases the minimum wage from current federally mandated level of $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour effective July 1, 2021. The first increase would raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour effective July 1, 2019. […]
VACo opposes diversion of resources from public education for non-public use
On January 10, the Senate Education and Health Committee’s Public Education Subcommittee discussed two pieces of legislation impacting local school divisions and students receiving home instruction. SB 1021 (Black) requires any local school board that offers a driver education program to make said program available to any student receiving home instruction residing within the school […]
Virginia General Assembly Convenes
The General Assembly convened on Wednesday, January 9, marking the start of the 46-day session with reflections on the longstanding tradition of representative government in Virginia. This year represents the 400th anniversary of the establishment of the House of Burgesses, the predecessor of the modern House of Delegates. The moments of reflection were a brief […]
Speaker Cox Announces Changes to Standing Committees of the Virginia House of Delegates
PRESS RELEASE FROM SPEAKER KIRK COX Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Kirk Cox on Wednesday announced changes to the standing committees of the Virginia House of Delegates for the 2019 General Assembly Session. Pursuant to House Rule 15, all committee members are appointed by the Speaker, who also designates the Chairman and Vice Chairman of […]
Visit Henry County and the Water Tower at the Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre
The million-gallon Water Tank that will serve tenants at the Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre, a 726-acre business park in southern Henry County. The building pictured is a training center under construction, which will be exclusively for the tenants in the business park. While companies build their site, employees can train in Henry County’s facility. Employees […]
2019 GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONVENES TODAY
Look for Capitol Contact on Tuesdays and Thursdays The 2019 General Assembly session will span from January 9 to February 23 as legislators will deliberate on many issues critical to local government, including taxes, the state budget, education funding, economic development, public safety, and other policy matters. VACo will continually provide updates during the session […]
State Budget discussions dominate Finance Forum
State Budget discussions dominate Finance Forum With a keen interest in the state budget and Virginia’s fiscal future, local government officials traveled to Richmond to attend the VACo/VML Finance Forum on January 8. County leaders heard from experts about state spending, politics and the state budget, the Northam Administration’s spending proposals, and new budgeting issues […]
U.S. Navy plans to purchase two Aircraft Carriers from Huntington Ingalls Industries continuing Federal Defense Spending in Virginia
The announcement of a two-carrier block purchase at the Newport News shipyard means a boost to the Hampton Roads economy and continued federal defense spending in Virginia. The purchase is part of the Navy’s FY 2019 Shipbuilding Plan to expand the fleet to 355 battle force ships over the next 30 years. Making the block […]
Key Dates for 2019 General Assembly Session
In accordance with the procedural resolution adopted by the House and Senate on January 9, key dates for the 2019 General Assembly Session are as follows: January 9: General Assembly convenes at noon. Bills that are “prefiled” must be submitted by 10 a.m. House bills affecting the Virginia Retirement System or creating or continuing a […]
Virginia House of Delegates Unveils First-of-its-Kind Searchable Website of its Members, 1619 to Present
In recognition of the 400th anniversary in 2019 of the first meeting of elected members of the House Burgesses in Jamestown, the House Clerk’s Office today unveiled the culmination of an ambitious, multi-year project – DOME (Database of House Members) – that offers online both biographical and legislative service information on every House member since […]
Additional Flexibility to School Divisions as USDA Publishes Final Rule on School Meals
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently published a final rule on school meal flexibilities for implementing nutrition standards for milk, whole grains, and sodium. The final rule was made in response to 2012 changes to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) meal requirements, which reflected updates to dietary guidelines. […]