VACo supports HB 1815 (Campbell) / SB 1142 (Obenshain), which would provide employees of contributing nonprofit private institutions of higher education and contributing private police departments with the benefits granted to employees of participating employers under the Line of Duty Act. The bills require each contributing nonprofit private institution of higher education to pay its pro rata share of the initial costs to implement the bill, as determined by the Virginia Retirement System.
The bill was drafted in response to the death of a Wintergreen Police Officer in the line of duty. There are currently less than 10 private police departments in the Commonwealth, though they provide the same services and duties of public departments and work closely with their public department counterparts. They are currently excluded from protection in LODA. VACo supports changes to LODA that would allow state authorized and trained private law enforcement agencies to participate in and contribute to the LODA program in a manner that does not create an unfunded mandate to local government and testified in support of the legislation. As previously reported, legislation ultimately failed last year.
HB 1815 reported unanimously 21-0 from House Appropriations Committee and now heads to the House Floor. SB 1142 passed the Senate unanimously 38-0 and will now crossover to the House of Delegates.
VACo Contact: Jeremy R. Bennett