Advocacy

Virginia Government: This state link allows you to track legislation online, providing you with up to date notices on up to five bills so you can be prepared to advocate.

Find Your Virginia State Legislators by visiting http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform

Virginia General Assembly - You can use this link to find your legislator as well as view legislation, contact legislators, file opinions, etc.

Virginia Legislation (searchable bills and resolutions) – allows you to search for legislative bills and resolutions

2008 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OUTCOMES FOR FAMILIES

HB 808 Special Education services: Parental consent
CONTINUED TO 2009
Patron: David Englin
Provides that parental consent must be obtained by a local school division in order to reevaluate a child receiving special education and related services in order to determine the child’s continued eligibility, unless the division can demonstrate that it has taken reasonable measures to obtain consent and the parent has failed to respond. Parental consent is also required to terminate services or find that the child is no longer eligible for special education and related services.

HB1131 Children’s Ombudsman Office
Patron: William Fralin Jr
PASSED; NO FUNDING
Office of the Children’s Ombudsman. Creates the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman to provide ombudsman services, including investigation of complaints, advocacy, and the provision of information for children, parents, and citizens involved with child-serving agencies.

SB315 Childrens Ombudsman Office
Patron: John S. Edwards
PASSED; NO FUNDING
Office of the Children’s Ombudsman. Creates the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman to provide ombudsman services, including investigation of complaints, advocacy, and the provision of information for children, parents, and citizens involved with child-serving agencies.

SB250 Independent Living Services requires inclusion of plan for persons until 21
Patron: Janet D. Howell
WITHDRAWN
Foster care; independent living services for persons between the ages of 18 and 21. Establishes that children who are in foster care when they reach 18 years of age shall receive independent living services from the appropriate local board of social services or licensed child-placing agency until they reach 21 years of age. Currently, the provision of such services to children between the ages of 18 and 21 is discretionary. The bill also defines the terms “independent living services” and “independent living arrangement.”

SB249 Independent Living Services require inclusion of plan for children 14 yrs & older
Patron: Janet D. Howell
PASSED
Foster care; independent living services for children 14 and older. Requires that every foster care plan for a child 14 years of age or older include an independent living services plan. The bill also defines the terms “independent living,” “independent living arrangement,” and “independent living services.

HB825 Foster and adoption workers minimum training requirements
Patron: Mamye E. BaCote
PASSED
Foster and adoption workers; minimum training requirements. Requires the Department of Social Services to establish minimum training requirements and to provide educational programs for foster and adoption workers and their supervisors.

HB503 Comprehensive Service Act
Patron: Phillip A. Hamilton
PASSED
Comprehensive Services Act Program; case management and residential care plan. Requires the State Executive Council to develop, and localities to implement, a program of case management for residential care to include a provision for residential care plans. Requires family assessment and planning teams to develop, and community policy and management teams to review, residential care plans that include goals for residential care treatment, a provision for monitoring and review of plans, evaluation of progress toward identified goals, and a plan for returning the youth to his home or community at the earliest appropriate time.

HB98 Medicaid;eligibility for young adults transitioning from foster care
Patron: Harry R. Purkey
HELD OVER
Medicaid eligibility; young adults transitioning from foster care. Requires the Department of Medical Assistance Services to amend the state plan to provide for the payment of medical assistance, pursuant to The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, for any individual who (i) was receiving foster care services on his eighteenth birthday, (ii) continues to receive independent living services pursuant to § 63.2-905.1, and (iii) has not yet reached his twenty-first birthday. Such individuals shall not be subject to Medicaid income limits.

HB138 Adoption;filing of petition
Patron: Christopher K. Peace
PASSED
Filing of petition for adoption. Provides that a petition filed while a child is under 18 years of age shall not become invalid because the child reaches 18 years of age prior to the entry of a final order of adoption and that any final order of adoption entered after a child reaches 18 years of age, where the petition was filed prior to the child turning 18 years of age, shall have the same effect as if the child was under 18 years of age at the time the order was entered by the circuit court.

HB812 Foster Care Scholarship Program
Patron: Jeion A. Ward
HELD OVER
Foster Care Scholarship Program. Creates the Foster Care Scholarship Program to provide scholarships for eligible students who are aging out of the foster care system. To be eligible, students must be (i) domiciled residents of Virginia, (ii) recipients of foster care services at the time of their graduation from high school, (iii) graduates from a public or private high school with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, and (iv) good citizens, as defined by regulation of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

HB813 Independent living Services
Patron: Jeion A. Ward
HELD OVER
Independent living services. Provides that a person who is otherwise eligible for independent living services from the Department of Social Services shall not become ineligible for services upon refusing services. This bill provides that a person who is otherwise eligible and who refuses services may, following such refusal, request and receive services.

Click here for Advocacy-related resources or to contact our Legislative Advocacy Chair, Patti Huber (phuber@facesofvirginia.org)