Virginia HB 680: Human Resource Management, Department of; recruitment policy, direct work experience.

Bill Text

2024SESSION
INTRODUCED
24102586D
1 HOUSEBILLNO.680
2 OfferedJanuary10,2024
3 PrefiledJanuary9,2024
4 A BILL to amend and reenact § 2.2-1201 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by
5 adding in Chapter 12 of Title 2.2 a section numbered 2.2-1214, relating to Department of Human
6 Resource Management; recruitment policy; direct work experience.
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Patrons––Leftwich,Cole,Earley,LovejoyandPhillips
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9 ReferredtoCommitteeonGeneralLaws
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11 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
12 1. That § 2.2-1201 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted and that the Code of Virginia
13 is amended by adding in Chapter 12 of Title 2.2 a section numbered 2.2-1214 as follows:
14 §2.2-1201. Duties of Department; Director.
15 A. The Department shall have the following duties:
16 1. Make recommendations to the Governor regarding the establishment and maintenance of a
17 classification plan for the service of the Commonwealth, and recommend necessary amendments thereto.
18 2. Make recommendations to the Governor regarding the establishment and administration of a
19 compensation plan for all employees, and recommend necessary amendments thereto.
20 3. Design and maintain a personnel information system that shall support the operational needs of the
21 Department and of state agencies, and that shall provide for the management information needs of the
22 Governor, his secretaries, and the General Assembly. The system shall provide at a minimum a roster of
23 all employees in the service of the Commonwealth, in which there shall be set forth as to each
24 employee, the employing agency, the class title, pay, status and such other data as may be deemed
25 desirable to produce significant facts pertaining to personnel administration.
26 4. Establish and direct a program of employee-management relations designed to improve
27 communications between employees and agencies of the Commonwealth.
28 5. Establish and administer a system of performance evaluation for all employees in the service of
29 the Commonwealth, based on the quality of service rendered, related where practicable to specific
30 standards of performance. In no event shall workers' compensation leave affect the total number of hours
31 credited during a performance cycle for purposes of calculating incentive increases in salary based on
32 such performance evaluations.
33 6. a. Establish and administer a system of recruitment designed to attract high quality employees to
34 the service of the Commonwealth. In administering this system, applicants shall be rated on the basis of
35 relative merit and classified in accordance with their suitability for the various classes of positions in the
36 service of the Commonwealth, and a record thereof shall be maintained in the open register.
37 b. Develop a statewide recruitment policy designed to provide guidance to state agencies on how to
38 remove postsecondary degree requirements from hiring considerations and recruit qualified employees
39 utilizing appropriate baseline requirements in accordance with the provisions of § 2.2-1214.
40 7. Design and utilize an application form which shall include, but not be limited to, information on
41 prior volunteer work performed by the applicant.
42 8. Establish and administer a comprehensive and integrated program of employee training and
43 management development.
44 9. In coordination with the Governor or his designee, develop an online training module addressing
45 diversity and cultural competency that shall be available for use by all employees and agencies of the
46 Commonwealth. Such training module shall include (i) information related to race, ethnicity, disabilities,
47 gender, religion, and other protected classes under state law; (ii) strategies to create an inclusive and
48 equitable culture; (iii) strategies to ensure equity and inclusion in state employee recruitment and hiring;
49 and (iv) strategies to ensure that state employees provide equitable, competent, and welcoming services
50 to all persons.
51 10. Establish and administer a program of evaluation of the effectiveness of performance of the
52 personnel activities of the agencies of the Commonwealth.
53 11. Establish and administer a program to ensure equal employment opportunity to applicants for
54 state employment and to state employees in all incidents of employment.
55 12. Establish and administer regulations relating to disciplinary actions; however, no disciplinary
56 action shall include the suspension without pay for more than 10 days of any state employee who is
57 under investigation without a hearing conducted either by a level of supervision above the employee's
58 immediate supervisor or by his agency head.
INTRODUCED
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59 13. Adopt and implement a centralized program to provide awards to employees who propose
60 procedures or ideas that are adopted and that will result in eliminating or reducing state