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Virginia House adopts conference reports on package of bills including paid‑sick‑leave compromise and parole changes
Summary
The House adopted conference reports for multiple bills during brief floor presentations and recorded votes, advancing measures on paid sick benefits implementation, parole board and juvenile parole rules, charitable gaming, water‑safety curriculum, school nondiscrimination, and other items.
The Virginia House of Delegates on March 13 adopted a package of conference reports that advances several bills to finalize differences with the Senate, including a compromise on paid sick leave, changes to parole procedures for young offenders, and a provision requiring water‑safety instruction in school health standards.
Delegate Converse Fowler, the patron listed for House Bill 5, told the chamber the conference report for HB 5 "takes a huge step towards securing paid sick ... benefits for Virginia's workers" while accommodating implementation needs for small businesses and a standing collective bargaining agreement at the Port of Virginia. The House adopted the conference report by recorded vote, 61 yes to 35 no.
Other conference reports the House agreed to included: - HB 77 (patron: Delegate Kzik): authorizes local and state police to enforce federal traffic laws on the George Washington Parkway; adopted 89–6. - HB 318 (patron noted in debate: Delegate Hope): changes to parole board powers and procedures to allow juvenile offenders earlier parole eligibility and delays enactment by two years under the conference compromise; adopted 65–29. - HB 396 (patron: Delegate Kzig): adjusts charitable gaming rules, including rules for Texas Hold 'em tournaments and limits on cash poker; adopted 88–8. - HB 476 (patron: Delegate Watts): requires at least two quarterly continuing‑care provider meetings to be open to all members, permits resident‑elected advisory attendance at board meetings, and clarifies meeting representation; adopted 85–10. - HB 667 (patron: Delegate Maldonado): aligns definitions and juvenile domestic relations jurisdiction so certain non‑citizen young adults (ages 18–21) receive protections consistent with federal law; adopted 61–34. - HB 775 (patron: Delegate Hayes): directs the Board of Education to include water‑safety instruction in its next scheduled health education standards revisions; adopted 77–17. - HB 836 (patron: Delegate Rousul): affirms students' right to a free public elementary and secondary education without discrimination based on immigration status and delegates guideline development to the Department of Education; adopted 62–34.
Floor presenters summarized the conference compromises and asked the House to adopt the reports; recorded tallies were taken for most measures. The conference reports were made available to members via iHod and to the public through the legislative information system, as noted on the floor.
The actions complete the conference‑report stage for those bills; each bill’s enrolled language and the conference report will be reflected in the official legislative record. Where presenters noted delayed enactments or clarified implementation details (for example, the two‑year delayed enactment in HB 318 and the Board of Education's role in HB 775), the House adopted the conference reports as presented. The House also adopted several Senate joint resolutions and a block of memorial and commending resolutions during the morning hour.
Next steps vary by bill: enrolled legislation proceeds to final enrollment and any specified delayed effective dates or implementation contingencies will govern when provisions take effect.
