Bill Text: VA HB2317 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Sexual and Domestic Violence, Advisory Committee on; increases membership, duties.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-02-05 - Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Judiciary (14-Y 0-N) [HB2317 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2021-HB2317-Introduced.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§9.1-116.2 and 9.1-116.3 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§9.1-116.2. Advisory Committee on Sexual and Domestic Violence; membership; terms; compensation and expenses; duties.
A. The Advisory Committee on Sexual and Domestic Violence (the Advisory Committee) is established as an advisory committee in the executive branch of state government. The Advisory Committee shall have the responsibility for advising and assisting the Board, the Department, all agencies, departments, boards, and institutions of the Commonwealth, and units of local government, or combinations thereof, on matters related to the prevention and reduction of sexual and domestic violence in the Commonwealth, and to promote the efficient administration of grant funds to state and local programs that work in these areas.
The Advisory Committee shall have a total of 15 19
members consisting of the following, or their designees: the Commissioner of
Social Services; the Director of the Department of Criminal Justice Services;
the Commissioner of Health; the Director of the Department of Housing and
Community Development; the Executive Director of the Virginia sexual and
domestic violence coalition; the Executive Director of the
Virginia Victim Assistance Network; one member of the
Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; one member of the
House of Delegates to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; the Chairman of
the Virginia State Crime Commission; and the Attorney General. The membership
shall also consist of six nine
nonlegislative citizen members appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be
a representative of a crime victims' organization or a victim of sexual or
domestic violence, one of whom
shall be a member of the board of the Virginia Victim Assistance Network,
and four eight
of whom shall be directors
representatives of local sexual and domestic violence
programs, of whom one shall be a director of a program that
concentrates solely on domestic violence, one shall be a director of a program
that concentrates solely on sexual violence, and two shall be directors of
programs that work in both sexual and domestic violence.
The appointments of the four directors nonlegislative citizen members
shall include racial and ethnic diversity and shall
be representative of regional and geographic locations of the Commonwealth.
Legislative members and the agency directors shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. All other members shall be citizens of the Commonwealth and shall serve a term of four years. However, no member shall serve beyond the time when he holds the office or employment by reason of which he was initially eligible for appointment.
The Advisory Committee shall elect its chairman and vice-chairman from among its members.
B. No member of the Advisory Committee appointed by the
Governor shall be eligible to serve for more than two consecutive full terms. A term of three or more years within a four-year
period shall be deemed a full term. Any vacancy on the Advisory Committee shall
be filled in the same manner as the original appointment, but for the unexpired
term.
C. A majority of the members of the Advisory Committee shall constitute a quorum. The Advisory Committee shall hold no less than four regular meetings a year. Subject to the requirements of this subsection, the chairman shall fix the times and places of meetings, either on his own motion or upon written request of any five members of the Advisory Committee.
D. The Advisory Committee may adopt bylaws for its operation.
E. Members of the Advisory Committee shall not receive compensation, but shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §2.2-2825. Funding for the costs of the expenses shall be provided from federal or state funds received for such purposes by the Department.
F. The Advisory Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
1. Provide guidance on appropriate standards for the
accreditation of sexual and domestic violence programs; Promote appropriate and effective responses,
services, and prevention for sexual assault and domestic violence across the
Commonwealth; and
2. Review statewide plans, conduct studies, and make
recommendations on needs and priorities for the development and improvement of
local services to victims of sexual and domestic violence in the Commonwealth;
3. Advise on all matters related to federal funds
received by the Commonwealth for crime prevention and crime victim assistance
related to sexual and domestic violence and recommend such actions on behalf of
the Commonwealth as may seem desirable to secure benefits of these federal
programs;
4. Promote coordination among state agencies and
local service providers to improve the Commonwealth's identification of and
response to sexual and domestic violence, including the effective
implementation of trauma-informed services, evidence-based homicide reduction
strategies, and evidence-based prevention strategies;
5. Develop a comprehensive plan for data collection
on sexual and domestic violence;
6. Review statewide reports and conduct studies to
identify service demands and gaps and make funding recommendations that ensure
adequate funding and improve the administration of both state and federal funds
to local sexual and domestic violence programs; and
7. Make recommendations on improving efficiencies
in the administration of grants of both state and federal funds to local sexual
and domestic violence programs Promote strong
communication, coordination, and strategy at state, regional, and local levels.
G. The Department shall provide staff support to the Advisory Committee. Upon request, each administrative entity or collegial body within the executive branch of the state government shall cooperate with the Advisory Committee as it carries out its responsibilities.
§9.1-116.3. Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Program Professional Standards Committee.
A. The Virginia Sexual and
Domestic Violence Program Professional Standards Committee (the Committee)
shall establish voluntary accreditation standards and procedures measures by which local sexual
and domestic violence programs can be systematically measured and
evaluated with a peer-reviewed process. The Committee may adopt bylaws for its
operation, membership terms, fees, and
other items as necessary. Fees for accreditation shall be used to support any
administrative costs of the Department. Upon request of the Committee, the
Department and the Virginia sexual and domestic violence coalition may provide
accreditation assistance and training and resource material that will assist
the local programs in obtaining or retaining accreditation. The Department
shall provide staff support to the Committee.
The Committee shall consist of the following: six directors of local sexual and domestic
violence programs appointed by the Advisory Committee on Sexual and Domestic
Violence, six directors of local sexual and domestic violence programs
appointed by the Virginia sexual and domestic violence coalition, one nonvoting
member appointed by the Department, and one nonvoting member appointed by the
Virginia sexual and domestic violence coalition. The appointments made by the
Advisory Committee on Sexual and Domestic Violence and the Virginia sexual and
domestic violence coalition shall both adhere to the following requirements:
appointments shall be representative of regional and geographic locations and
types of local sexual and domestic violence programs and shall include a
director of a program concentrating solely on sexual violence, a director of a
program concentrating solely on domestic violence, and four directors of
programs concentrating on both sexual and domestic violence. A chairman and
vice-chairman, who shall be voting members, shall be elected annually, and each
position shall alternate between a director who is appointed by the Advisory
Committee and a director who is appointed by the coalition; if the chairman is
a director appointed by the Advisory Committee, the vice-chairman shall be a
person appointed by the coalition, and vice versa one nonvoting member representing the Department
of Criminal Justice Services; one nonvoting
member appointed by and representative of the Department
of Social Services; one nonvoting
member appointed by and representative of the Virginia
sexual and domestic violence coalition; and 12 nonlegislative
citizen members appointed by the Governor, who shall be
leadership staff of local sexual and domestic violence programs. The
nonlegislative citizen members appointed by the Governor shall
serve for terms of four years, provided that no voting member shall
serve beyond the time when he holds the office or employment by reason of which
he was initially eligible for appointment. Members appointed by the Governor
shall not be eligible to serve for more than two consecutive terms. The
appointment of members shall take into consideration racial and ethnic
diversity and shall be representative of regional and geographic locations
of the Commonwealth.
The Committee shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its members.
B. A majority of the voting members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum.
C. Members of the Committee shall not receive compensation but shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §2.2-2825.
D. The Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
1. Establish voluntary accreditation standards and measures by which local and domestic violence programs can be systematically evaluated with a peer-reviewed process;
2. Review and vote on accreditation status recommendations for applicant programs;
3. Establish a subcommittee as needed to address appeals from applicant programs; and
4. Periodically evaluate and revise accreditation standards and measures.
E. The Department shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
1. Establish accreditation procedures by which local sexual and domestic violence programs can be systematically evaluated with a peer-reviewed process;
2. Assist local programs in obtaining or retaining accreditation;
3. Review and evaluate applications for accreditation; and
4. Determine accreditation status recommendations for applicant programs and present such recommendations to the Committee.