We are pleased see some significant bills to improve early childhood education introduced by our bi-partisan early childhood champions. Our primary interests are in the bills that Delegate Tag Greason has filed to improve the early childhood workforce and promote mixed-delivery preschool, and the bills that continue the work to improve child care safety filed by Delegates Filler-Corn and Hester and Senators Hanger, Wexton and Vogel.
| House Bill | Description | Committee | Position/Outcome |
| HB46– (Update)School Readiness Council (Greason) | (Update) Establishes a Council under the Sec of Ed and Sec of HHR to establish an effective professional development & credentialing system and related innovations in early education | Sen Ed & Health | Support
REPORTED to full committee |
| HB47– Mixed Delivery Preschool Grant
(Greason) |
Award competitive grants to localities to field test innovative strategies to develop a mixed-delivery preschool system | Sen Ed & Health | Support
REPORTED to full Senate |
| HB242– VPI; eliminates local matching funds
(Lingamfelter) |
Eliminates the local match requirement for VPI funds | Approps- Ed Subc | Support
TABLED |
| HB474– (wrong title)
Task force to study licensing exemptions (Filler-Corn) |
Establishes a task force to review requirements for license-exempt care and make recommendations | HWI- Sub #3 | Support
REQUEST A LETTER OF DSS |
| HB500– Fingerprint background checks
(Filler-Corn) |
Requires fingerprint background checks for all licensed and registered child care providers | HWI- Sub #3 | Support
CONTINUED |
| HB532– LCI, additional factors
(Murphy) |
Requires additional risk factors to be calculated in LCI, would help low-income communities with local match requirements for VPI | Ed- Elem & Secondary | Support
TABLED |
| HB896– Background checks, private schools
(Greason) |
Noadditional background checks from what is already required by state accreditation | Sen Ed & Health | Monitor
REPORTED to Full Senate |
| HB925– VPI student eligibility
(Mason) |
Would add additional categories to VPI eligibility criteria | Education- Ed Innovation | Monitor
TABLED |
| HB1019– Ed improvement scholarship tax credit, preschool
(Massie) |
Extends the tax credit to preschool age children attending a state accredited or level 3 rated private preschool | Finance, Sub #3 | Monitor
CONTINUED |
| HB1189– Operation w/o license result in negligence/death
(Hester) |
Establishes a felony penalty if a child is harmed in the care of a provider operating without a license | Senate FINANCE | Support
REPORTED & REFERRED TO FINANCE |
| HB1306– Voluntary listing of certain family-day homes
(Orrock) |
Would allow unlicensed providers to be listed rather than voluntarily registered | HWI | Oppose
CONTINUED |
| HJ151– ECE JLARC Study
(Jones) |
Directs JLARC to study ECE programs | Rules | Monitor
TABLED |
| Senate Bill | Description | Committee | Position/Outcome |
| SB238- VA Property Owners Assoc, home-based businesses
(Petersen) |
Provides that a HOA may not prohibit a home-based business | General Laws | Monitor
STUDY- VA HOUSING COMM |
| SB269– Board of Social Services, child care reps
(Chafin) |
Changes to composition of the Board of Social Services to 2 general members to represent rather than specific reps | Rehab & Soc Ser | Monitor
STRICKEN |
| SB279– Background check, current subject of CPS compliant
(Wexton) |
Would add that child care background checks include if individual is under investigation of CPS claim | HWI | Support
REPORTED TO HOUSE |
| SB419– Operation w/o license result in negligence/death
(Vogel) |
Establishes a felony penalty if a child is harmed in the care of a provider operating without a license | FINANCE | Support
LEFT IN FINANCE |
| SB467– Public school licensing exemption
(Wagner) |
Exempts some preschool programs from licensure | HWI | Monitor
REPORTED to HOUSE |
| SB540- early childhood programs
(Edwards) |
Expands access to early childhood education for 3 & 4 year olds | Ed & Health | Support
PASSED BY |
| SB601– fingerprint background check
(Wexton) |
Requires a fingerprint background check of all licensed and registered providers | HWI | Support
CONTINUED TO 2017
|
| SJ188– ECE JLARC study
(Norment) |
Asks JLARC to study ECE programs | House Rules | Monitor
REPORTED by the Studies subcommittee |
| SJ63– DSS to review licensing exemptions & report
(Hanger) |
Asks DSS to review exemptions from child care licensure and make recommendations | House Rules | Support
REPORTED by the Studies subcommittee |
