By Del. Carrie Coyner
Greetings from the General Assembly as we are in the midst of the 2021 session. This is a short session so bills are moving quickly through the legislative process and I am happy to report that my bills have received full bipartisan support and are out of House committees and awaiting action on the House floor or to be heard by the Senate except for HB 2027 awaiting appropriations action.
EDUCATION
HB2027: Requires no later than the 2024-2025 school year, each reading and mathematics SOL test in grades 3-8 no longer be a high-stakes end of year test and shifts our accountability system to a through-year growth diagnostic tool. Why do we want to replace the current SOLS with a through year growth model?
- High-Quality Growth Assessments for All: Will make sure that every school district has high-quality growth assessments. Currently, wealthier districts purchase high-quality growth assessment tools, while lower-income districts work with lower-quality tools or none at all.
- Cost Saving: Will save money for districts that currently purchase these assessment tools, money that can be used for other urgent needs.
- Better Data: Will expand the scope of current testing to test how far below or above grade level a student stands, not merely whether a student is at or below grade level. This improved data will allow teachers to shape individualized instruction for students who are struggling far below grade level and students who are soaring far past it.
School officials and lawmakers will also be better informed to channel resources where they are most needed. - Reduced Testing: Many school districts currently give growth assessments purchased on their own in addition to the high-stakes, end-of-year SOL exam. By lowering the stakes and streamlining growth and proficiency tests into one “Through Year” growth assessment model provided by the state, HB 2027 will allow districts to reduce overall testing.
- includes a cap on state testing that limits overall testing to 150% of the current time allotted to end-of-year SOLs. With this cap and the replacement of the current local growth assessments, time lost to testing will decrease.
- Recognizing Growth: Will make sure that the state recognizes and credits the hard work of students and teachers when measurable student growth occurs.
- Currently, a 5th-grade student who moves from a 1st-grade reading level to a 3rd-grade reading level—an incredible achievement for teacher and student—goes unrecognized by an end-of-the-year proficiency exam which would label such a student as failing.
- This shortcoming of the current test disproportionately affects low-income and minority schools, making teacher retention particularly difficult.
HEALTH
HB 1873: Eliminates the requirement that an injury occur before the age of 65 to constitute a brain injury. This expands health services to the elderly which is critical as those over 65 are most at risk for falls leading to traumatic brain injury.
HB1874: Requires that if a behavioral health screening of a person in a local or regional jail indicates that the person may have a mental illness, an assessment of his/her need for mental health services shall be conducted within 72 hours of the time of the screening if the person is in acute crisis or at risk of suicide. The bill also requires the State Board to review how to achieve a 72 hour assessment for all inmates not just those in acute crisis.
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
HB2059: Limits the Department of Taxation to requesting six-years of tax returns from taxpayers who have failed to file tax returns except where there is an indication that the taxpayer willfully failed to file or an indication of fraud. Today the Department can request returns as far back as 20 years and many taxpayers are unable to find aged records resulting in substantial fines and fees to the taxpayer. My bill limits the Department of Taxation to requesting six-years of tax returns which aligns with the Internal Revenue Service.
HB 2060: Directs the Department of Taxation to establish an online portal allowing tax practitioners holding a valid Power of Attorney for a taxpayer to access the taxpayer information. Covid revealed the necessity of additional online capabilities as many tax practitioners were trying to assist small businesses with PPP loans and were unable to quickly obtain state tax records because state employees were not in the office to provide assistance.
HB 2099: Protects individuals from deadbeat creditors and allows a debtor’s attorney or settlement agent to release a lien upon payment if the creditor fails to release it from the court records. Virginia gives creditors 20 years to hold a lien against an individual and many creditors stop doing business in Virginia or unable to be located after 10 years. This bill reduces the lien period to10 years and then allows the creditor to renew for 10 years.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM, CLEAN ENERGY AND ENERGY COSTS
With the bill limit, I am supporting bills from my colleagues on criminal justice reform legislation focused on automatic expungements, youth diversion programs to avoid the criminal justice system, and probation reform. I am also part of a bipartisan coalition bringing forth a package of clean energy bills and bills to reduce energy costs/ power bills for rate payers.
All of my legislation can be found by visiting lis.virginia.gov, selecting “General Assembly Members” and then finding my name. Contact me at [email protected] or via phone at (804) 698-1062.
