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Subcommittee clarifies Virginia law to allow trained parents on three‑unit service‑dog teams; schools express concerns
Summary
House Bill 13 36 would clarify that a "three‑unit" service‑dog team may include a trained parent as the third unit; subcommittee accepted a friendly amendment to remove a contested school‑provision and reported the bill 10‑0 after testimony from families and opposition from school officials.
House Bill 13 36 was presented as a remedial clarification to Virginia code to specify that the third member of a three‑unit service‑dog team may be a parent who has completed required training and serves as handler for an adult with disabilities.
Sponsor Delegate Fowler told the subcommittee the bill does not change service‑dog requirements but aligns state code with federal practice to allow parents to serve as trained handlers where localities permit. Family testimony (including a parent and a child with a service dog) described the practical benefits and urged passage to reduce confusion for businesses and public agencies.
Opponents — primarily school administrators — raised concerns that one subsection (f) would limit local school administrators’ ability to remove an adult who posed a problem, because the bill required a court order for removal in the version they opposed. Mike Asip and representatives from multiple school systems urged either keeping local administrative remedies or clarifying the school exception.
The subcommittee discussed a friendly amendment to strike subsection f to address school concerns. The amendment was adopted and the committee reported HB 13 36 as amended by a unanimous 10‑0 vote.
