Virginia SB 286: State Government Internship Coordinator; Department of Human Resource Management to appoint.

Bill Text

2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26100203D

SENATE BILL NO. 286

Offered January 14, 2026

Prefiled January 13, 2026

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 2.2-1201, 2.2-1211, 2.2-1212, and 51.1-1101 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Department of Human Resource Management; State Government Internship Coordinator.

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Patrons—Aird and Hashmi

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Referred to Committee on Finance and Appropriations

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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§ 2.2-1201, 2.2-1211, 2.2-1212, and 51.1-1101 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 2.2-1201. Duties of Department; Director.

A. The Department shall have the following duties:

1. Make recommendations to the Governor regarding the establishment and maintenance of a classification plan for the service of the Commonwealth, and recommend necessary amendments thereto.

2. Make recommendations to the Governor regarding the establishment and administration of a compensation plan for all employees, and recommend necessary amendments thereto.

3. Design and maintain a personnel information system that shall support the operational needs of the Department and of state agencies, and that shall provide for the management information needs of the Governor, his secretaries, and the General Assembly. The system shall provide at a minimum a roster of all employees in the service of the Commonwealth, in which there shall be set forth as to each employee, the employing agency, the class title, pay, status, and such other data as may be deemed desirable to produce significant facts pertaining to personnel administration.

4. Establish and direct a program of employee-management relations designed to improve communications between employees and agencies of the Commonwealth.

5. Establish and administer a system of performance evaluation for all employees in the service of the Commonwealth, based on the quality of service rendered, related where practicable to specific standards of performance. In no event shall workers' compensation leave affect the total number of hours credited during a performance cycle for purposes of calculating incentive increases in salary based on such performance evaluations.

6. Establish and administer a system of recruitment designed to attract high quality high-quality employees to the service of the Commonwealth. In administering this system, applicants shall be rated on the basis of relative merit and classified in accordance with their suitability for the various classes of positions in the service of the Commonwealth, and a record thereof shall be maintained in the open register.

7. Appoint a State Government Internship Coordinator to attract high-quality interns to the service of the Commonwealth with the goal of developing such interns to serve the Commonwealth as employees upon the conclusion of the internship. The State Government Internship Coordinator shall consult with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to support such interns in competing for positions in agencies of the Commonwealth upon conclusion of their internships and completion of their educational programs.

8. Design and utilize an application form which shall include, but not be limited to, information on prior volunteer work performed by the applicant.

8. 9. Establish and administer a comprehensive and integrated program of employee training and management development.

9. 10. In coordination with the Governor or his designee, develop an online training module addressing diversity and cultural competency that shall be available for use by all employees and agencies of the Commonwealth. Such training module shall include (i) information related to race, ethnicity, disabilities, gender, religion, and other protected classes under state law; (ii) strategies to create an inclusive and equitable culture; (iii) strategies to ensure equity and inclusion in state employee recruitment and hiring; and (iv) strategies to ensure that state employees provide equitable, competent, and welcoming services to all persons.

10. 11. Establish and administer a program of evaluation of the effectiveness of performance of the personnel activities of the agencies of the Commonwealth.

11. 12. Establish and administer a program to ensure equal employment opportunity to applicants for state employment and to state employees in all incidents of employment.

12. 13. Establish and administer regulations relating to disciplinary actions; however, no disciplinary action shall include the suspension without pay for more than 10 days of any state employee who is under investigation without a hearing conducted either by a level of supervision above the employee's immediate supervisor or by his agency head.

13. 14. Adopt and implement a centralized program to provide awards to employees who propose procedures or ideas that are adopted and that will result in eliminating or reducing state expenditures or improving operations, provided such proposals are