Summary: Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; eligibility. Extends the benefits of the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program to the spouse or child of a veteran with at least a 90 percent permanent, service-related disability. Under current law, the spouse or child would be eligible for benefits only if the veteran's disability was incurred during military operations against terrorism, on a peacekeeping mission, as a result of a terrorist act, or in any armed conflict. Under the provisions of the bill, eligibility for stipends from the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Fund is unchanged. This bill is identical to HB 2685.

Summary: Virginia College Savings Plan. Makes several changes to the provisions that establish the Virginia College Savings Plan (the Plan), including (i) permitting the Plan to maintain an independent disbursement system for the disbursement of prepaid tuition contract benefits and (ii) requiring each prepaid tuition contract entered into on or after July 1, 2019, to include provisions for the application of tuition prepayments, at a rate equal to the percentage of enrollment-weighted average tuition at public institutions of higher education to be determined by the board, at (a) public institutions of higher education, (b) accredited nonprofit independent or private institutions of higher education, and (c) non-Virginia public and accredited nonprofit independent or private institutions of higher education, provided that no such payment is less than the sum of tuition prepayments made, less any fees as determined by the board. This bill is identical to HB 1972.

Summary: Virginia College Savings Plan; prepaid tuition contracts; pricing reserves. Provides that in the event that the ratio of the assets of the Virginia College Savings Plan (the Plan) to the obligations of the Plan exceeds 105 percent, the pricing reserve, which the bill defines as the percentage by which the sum of advanced payments to be made pursuant to each prepaid tuition contract of the Plan exceeds the amount estimated to be required to provide tuition at the fixed, guaranteed level that is specified in such prepaid tuition contract, shall not exceed five percent. The bill provides that in the event that the ratio of the assets of the Plan to the obligations of the Plan does not meet or exceed 105 percent, the pricing reserve may exceed five percent but shall not exceed 10 percent. The bill also requires the governing board of the Plan to provide to the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Finance, and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission written notification and a detailed explanation of any change to the pricing reserve within 30 days of such change.

Summary: James Madison University; management agreement. Provides a management agreement between the Commonwealth and James Madison University pursuant to the Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act (§ 23.1-1000 et seq.). This bill is identical to HB 2290. 

Summary: Virginia Rural Information Technology Apprenticeship Grant Fund and Program. Establishes the Virginia Rural Information Technology Apprenticeship Grant Fund and Program, to be administered by the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, for the purpose of awarding grants to small, rural information technology businesses in certain localities in the Southwest and Southside regions of Virginia to establish 18-month apprenticeship programs for full-time employees that combine mentorship and on-the-job training to enhance the experience and skills of such employees.

Summary: Governor's required submission of bond bills. Changes the requirement that the Governor submit certain bond bills concurrently with the submission of his Budget Bill, or his gubernatorial amendments to the Budget Bill, to require that the Governor ensure that prefiled bond bills are submitted to the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance for such bond legislation. Currently, the Governor is required to submit on the same day his Budget Bill or his proposed amendments thereto are submitted any bond bills authorizing additional indebtedness if the bonds are authorized under or are to be repaid from revenues or appropriations contained in his Budget Bill or his proposed amendments thereto. This bill is identical to HB 2360.

Summary: Bonds for institutions of higher education. Authorizes issuance of bonds in an amount up to $17,500,000 for revenue-producing capital projects at institutions of higher education. The bill contains an emergency clause and is identical to HB 2357.

Summary: Sales and use tax; reduced rate on essential personal hygiene products. Applies the reduced state sales and use tax rate of 1.5%, which under current law applies only to food purchased for human consumption, to essential personal hygiene products, defined in the bill as (i) nondurable incontinence products such as diapers, disposable undergarments, pads, and bed sheets; and (ii) menstrual cups and pads, pantyliners, sanitary napkins, tampons, and other products used to absorb or contain menstrual flow. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2020. This bill is identical to HB 2540.

Summary: Semiconductor Manufacturing Grant Fund; creation. Creates the Semiconductor Manufacturing Grant Fund for the award of grants to a qualified semiconductor manufacturing company that makes a capital investment of at least $2.98 billion in a qualified locality and creates and maintains at least 1,106 new jobs with an average annual wage of at least $92,000. Such a qualified company would be eligible to receive a grant of $50 million in fiscal year 2020 and a grant of $20 million in fiscal year 2021, subject to total or partial recapture if the qualified company does not meet the performance metrics agreed to in a memorandum of understanding with the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to HB 2180.

Summary: Advanced Shipbuilding Production Facility Grants; grant availability dates. Advances the period during which grants shall be available under the Advanced Shipbuilding Production Facility Grant Program to fiscal years 2021 to 2025. Under current law, such grants shall be available during fiscal years 2023 to 2027. The grants provided may not exceed $40 million in the aggregate and are subject to appropriation by the General Assembly. This bill is identical to HB 2362.

Summary: Potomac Aquifer recharge monitoring; advisory board; laboratory established; SWIFT Project. Creates an advisory board and a laboratory to monitor the effects of the Sustainable Water Infrastructure for Tomorrow (SWIFT) Project being undertaken by the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD).The bill establishes a 10-member advisory board called the Potomac Aquifer Recharge Oversight Committee (the Committee), directing it to ensure that the SWIFT Project is monitored independently. The bill provides that the Committee shall consist of the State Health Commissioner, the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality, the Executive Director of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, the two Co-Directors of the Laboratory, the Director of the Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, two Virginia citizens appointed by the Governor, and two nonvoting members. The Committee is required by the bill to meet at least quarterly during the initial three years of its existence. The bill also authorizes the Committee to appoint a science and technical advisory council and directs the Committee to request funding from HRSD for the first three years of monitoring of the recharge of the aquifer.The bill also creates the Potomac Aquifer Recharge Monitoring Laboratory (the Laboratory) at a location to be selected in the Hampton Roads region, placing it under the co-direction of one Old Dominion University faculty member and one Virginia Tech faculty member. The bill provides that the Laboratory shall monitor the impact of the SWIFT Project on the Potomac Aquifer, manage testing data, and conduct water sampling and analysis.The bill authorizes both the Commissioner of the Department of Health and the State Water Control Board to issue emergency orders to halt injection or make any change to any facility of the SWIFT Project. This bill is identical to HB 2358.

Summary: Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety; threat assessment; case management tool. Requires the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety to develop a case management tool for use by public elementary and secondary school threat assessment teams and requires such threat assessment teams to use such tool to collect and report to the Center quantitative data on its activities. HB 1734 is identical.