2010 General Assembly Session

Senate Bill 208:  This would expand the availability for those in dating relationships to acquire a protective order.  Currently, Virginia is one of only 11 states that does not allow this.

Senate Bill 209:  In some colleges and universities in Virginia, students who earn International Baccalaureate Degrees in High School, are not awarded credit for their degree, while Advanced Placement students do.  This would make public universities and colleges set similar policies for IB and AP students.

Senate Bill 210:  One of the problems facing Virginia’s youth is childhood obesity.  SB210 would set nutritional guidelines for food sold in vending machines on school grounds.

Senate Bill 211:  A bill was introduced in the 2009 Session that allowed school divisions to out-of-school suspend a student up to ten days for an off-site offense while waiting to be placed in a long-term alternative placement center.   This bill would have allowed school divisions to immediately place that student in another alternative placement center.  Sen. Barker believes that suspending a student out of school, for any duration, is harmful to a students long term goals and achievements.

Senate Bill 212:  As many of you already realize, our state’s roads are crumbling.  Part of the reason for this is the large amount of heavy trucks that travel Interstate 95, 64 and 81.  This would require the Commonwealth Transportation Board to establish a new schedule of fees for overweight and overload vehicle permits and thus making those heavy trucks share more of the burden for fixing our roads.

Senate Bill 213:  The Prince William County School Board came to Sen. Barker and asked him to introduce this bill that would allow PWC Schools to hire retired police officers as security personnel.   Currently, retired state workers will have their retirement allowance interrupted if they take another job.

Senate Bill 223:  Replaces the current fuels tax on gas and diesel fuel with a tax that is a percentage of the wholesale price of a gallon of self-serve unleaded regular gasoline.

Senate Bill 224:  In 2009, there was a breach of the Virginia Department of Health Professions and an attempt to ransom the data.  Under state law, there isn’t a requirement to notify those who have had their health information stolen.  This bill would fix that problem.

Senate Bill 225:  Requires all public contractors and their subcontractors to register and participate in a federal Electronic Work Verification Program to determine that their employees and individual independent contractors are legally eligible for employment in the United States.

Senate Bill 226:  During the 2008 Presidential Primary, Northern Virginia was hit with a snow-storm that shut down NOVA’s highways.  Unfortunately, many people who would have liked to vote that day were unable to because they were stuck on those roads.  Senate Bill 226 would provide for a court-ordered extension of polling hours in emergency situations and situations that interfere with the ability of voters to travel to the polls.

Senate Bill 227:  On many rainy summer days, you’ll find sprinkler systems spraying even more water on soaked lawns across the Commonwealth.  Senate Bill 227 would require state buildings to install a device that would sense moisture in the air and would immediately shut off the sprinkler system.  This could potentially save thousands of gallons of water a year.

Senate Bill 228:  Every year pedestrians walking through intersections along clearly marked crosswalks are struck by vehicles.  This bill would require vehicles traveling in areas where the speed limit is 35MPH or less to stop in the presence of pedestrians.  This is an effort to education the public on the difference between yielding and stopping for pedestrians.

Senate Bill 229:  Too many lives are lost because passengers in cars choose not to wear their seat belt.  This would require all occupants in a vehicle to wear their safety belt.

Senate Bill 230:  The statistics have been clear that teenage drivers are more likely to get in car crashes than those older than them.  Combine a teenage driver with a cell phone and those percentages go even higher.  SB 230 would not allow those with a provisional drivers license to operate a cell phone while being behind the wheel of a car.

Senate Bill 360:  Allows a court to enter an order for mandatory outpatient treatment following involuntary inpatient treatment, which orders a person to involuntary inpatient treatment and authorizes the person’s treating physician to discharge the patient from inpatient treatment subject to mandatory outpatient treatment.

Senate Bill 361:  This would excuse a student’s absence because of a religious holiday.  There are many students who are negatively impacted because they stay home in order to honor their religious holidays.  Virginia has become a very diverse state and, as such, should allow students to practice their faith with their families without punishment.

Senate Bill 362:  When economic or natural disaster strikes Virginia, there has always been a Revenue Stabilization Fund (also known as the Rainy Day Fund) which helps alleviate the cost of disaster. This bill would increase the percentage of sales and tax revenue placed in the Fund by 50 percent to better prepare Virginia for future adversities.

Senate Bill 364:  Senator Barker has been working with Delegate Rust to create the Virginia School Construction Revolving Fund for financing elementary, secondary, or vocational education school projects.  They are both working with the new Administration and the Secretary of Education to shepherd this bill through.

Senate Bill 365:  As Northern Virginia gets more dense and crowded, the HOV lanes have become more clogged.  As a result, average speeds have decreased in rush hour traffic. Senator Barker, as a former chairman of Fairfax County’s Transportation Advisory Committee, is working to ensure that any vehicles on new or converted HOT lanes will move on average at the posted speed limit.

Senate Bill 547: While the economy may be improving for some, there are still many that are struggling — especially the elderly and the disabled. This bill would allow a referendum to be placed on the November 2010 election ballot to give localities the ability to exempt seniors and those with disabilities from the property tax.

Senate Bill 548: Known as “Ally’s Law” in four other states, this would provide that any retail establishment should provide restroom access to those with gastrointestinal illnesses upon request under reasonable circumstances.  After having an accident in a large retail store because of not being able to use that store’s restroom, Ally Bain and her mother decided that they didn’t want that to happen to anyone else, ever again.  Sen. Barker would like to make Virginia the fifth state to grant Ally her wish.

Senate Bill 549: Senator Barker has been working to create the Virginia Network for Geospatial Health Research to better compile and understand data that pertains to health care and provide analysis to determine cost-effectiveness and efficiency of state health programs and initiatives. Senator Barker believes that getting the most detailed data will help greatly in maintaining Virginia’s health system.

Senate Bill 550: Virginia needs to maintain and improve the transportation system that it is by working with both the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Virginia Department of Rail and Transportation to better coordinate local transportation.

Senate Bill 551: This bill provides for a more limited review by VDOT when a property being considered for rezoning has already been subject to a VDOT review in connection with development of a local comprehensive plan.

Senate Bill 552: Back when Hybrid vehicles were new, there was an environmentally friendly move to allow those Hybrid cars to drive on HOV lanes, regardless of how many passengers were in the vehicle.  However, average speeds on Virginia’s highways have dropped over the years and the amount of Hybrids driving on HOV lanes have increased yearly.  This bill would not allow Hybrid cars with new Virginia license plates to drive on Interstate Route 66. 

Senate Bill 553: A vital part of strengthening Virginia’s transportation system is sharing information and briefing lawmakers on where the issue stands so further improvements can be made. This legislation would require the Secretary of Transportation to annually report on transit use and traffic congestion.

Senate Bill 682: For the last two years, Senator Barker has asked the students of Centreville High School to come up with an idea for him to introduce as a bill to the General Assembly.  This year, those students asked him to sponsor a bill requiring public schools to recycle.  However, because of the current fiscal crisis Virginia is facing, he instead has changed the bill to require local school boards to update the Superintendent of Public Instruction regarding the recycling efforts of schools.  Senator Barker thinks this is a good first step to that larger goal.

Senate Bill 683: This bill would simplify the process for absentee voters by eliminating certain requirements and enabling Virginians to vote more swiftly.

Senate Bill 735: Senator Barker believes all students ought to get a fair shake, especially while they are serving our country. This bill came about because a Virginia student, and constituent, was denied in-state tuition because, while still being a Virginia resident, he joined the North Carolina National Guard.  This bill would ensure that any student in the National Guard that fits in-state tuition requirements before going on active duty should receive in-state rates when they come home.

Senate Joint Resolution 52: This bill requests the State Corporation Commission to study the management of continuing care retirement communities and the need for resident representation in management and governance.

Senate Joint Resolution 80: This bill requests the Department of Health Professions to study the advisability of permitting the use of medication aides in nursing homes.

Senate Joint Resolution 81: When economic or natural disaster strikes Virginia, there has always been a Revenue Stabilization Fund (also known as the Rainy Day Fund) which helps alleviate the cost of disaster. This would increase the percentage of sales and tax revenue placed in the Fund by 50 percent to better prepare Virginia for future adversities.  If successful, this will be placed on the ballot for a vote in November.  This is also known as Senate Bill 362.

Senate Joint Resolution 97: While the economy may be improving for some, there are still many that are struggling especially — the elderly and the disabled. This bill would allow a referendum to be placed on the November 2010 election ballot to give localities the ability to exempt seniors and those with disabilities from the property tax.  If successful, this bill will be placed on the ballot for a vote in November.  This is also known as Senate Bill 547.

Senate Joint Resolution 98: As Virginia grows and advances, connecting all parts of the commonwealth will be important. This joint resolution would continue the Joint Committee’s work on implementing incentives in transit and supporting coordination among local transit systems.