Public institutions of higher education; contractingfirms; president of the institution; delegation. Allows a presidentof a public institution of higher education to delegate to an officeror administrator of the institution his obligation to determine andmake a written finding as a matter of public record that a contractis in the best interests of the institution when an officer or employeewhose personal interest in a contract with the institution is byreason of an ownership in the contracting firm in excess of threepercent of the contracting firm's equity or such ownership interestand income from the contracting firm is in excess of $5,000 per year.
Employment discrimination; prohibited againstelectoral board members and assistant general registrars for election day service; penalty. Prohibits discrimination in employmentagainst electoral board members and assistant general registrarson the basis of service on election day or at a meeting of the electoralboard following the election to ascertain the results of the election.Current law prohibits such employment discrimination only on thebasis of election day service and only against officers of election.A violation of the bill's provisions is a Class 3 misdemeanor.
Nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospice programs, and hospice facilities; possession and administration of cannabidiol or THC-A oil. Allows nursing home, assisted living facility, hospice program, and hospice facility employees and staff members who are authorized to possess, distribute, or administer medications to residents to store, dispense, or administer cannabidiol oil or THC-A oil to a resident who has been issued a valid written certification for such medication.
Secretary of Health and Human Resources; health care provider credentialing work group; report. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a work group of stakeholders to gather information and make recommendations on how the Commonwealth could develop or procure a statewide centralized primary source verification system that can be relied upon by the Commonwealth and its health carriers, health care providers, hospitals, and health systems for health care provider credentialing. The bill requires the work group to report its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 15, 2020.
Virginia Violence Intervention and Prevention Fund. Establishes the Virginia Violence Intervention and Prevention Fund to be administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services for the purpose of supporting violence intervention and prevention programs, including street outreach, hospital-based violence intervention, and group violence intervention programs. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.
Tetrahydrocannabinol concentration; definition.Clarifies that "tetrahydrocannabinol concentration" refers to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinoland is determined using post-decarboxylation testing or other equivalentmethod. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Public school buildings; testing for Legionellabacteria; review; report. Requires each school board to testeach public school building in the local school division for thepresence of Legionella bacteria at such regular intervals as theschool board deems necessary to maintain the health and decency ofsuch buildings. The bill requires the Department of Education tomake recommendations for the frequency of testing for the presence of Legionella bacteria in public school buildings and to notifyeach local school board of its recommendations no later than September1, 2020. The bill also requires each public elementary and secondaryschool to maintain files of its Legionella bacteria test resultsand make such files available for review and the division superintendentto report such results to the Department of Health.
Virginia Public Records Act; availability of certain public records. Provides that upon a petition filed with the clerk, a judge may enter an order releasing any record in the custody of The Library of Virginia that was sealed prior to January 1, 1901. The bill also provides that notwithstanding any provisions of a previously executed contract with any department, agency, or institution of the Commonwealth or political subdivision, any individual or private entity lawfully in possession of public records created prior to January 1, 1901, or images of such records may display or publish such records in any format, including in an electronic database or on the Internet, without paying a fee to or requesting permission from the original custodian of such records.
Developmental Disabilities Mortality Review Committee; penalty. Creates the Developmental Disabilities Mortality Review Committee to review the death of any person with a developmental disability who was receiving services from a provider licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or in a training center or other state facility at the time of his death to ensure that the deaths of such persons are reviewed and analyzed in a systematic way.
Immunity of persons at public hearing; attorneyfees; costs. Allows for the award of reasonable attorney feesand costs to any person who has a subpoena against him quashed inan action for statements made at a public hearing before the governingbody of a locality or other local entity when he is immune from liabilityfor such statements. Current law provides for the award of attorneyfees and costs upon the dismissal of such an action.
Alcoholic beverage control; walking tour permit. Removes the requirement that food cooked or prepared on the premises be served at each retail on-premises licensee visited by a tour company guiding individuals for compensation pursuant to a walking tour permit. Under current law, food cooked or prepared on the premises is required to be served at each establishment visited by the tour. The bill adds requirements that the tour company ensure that (i) each tour includes no more than 15 guests per tour guide and no more than three tour guides, (ii) a tour guide is present with guests throughout the duration of the tour, and (iii) all participants are persons to whom alcoholic beverages may be lawfully sold. The bill contains technical amendments.
Clean Energy Advisory Board. Expands the membership of the Clean Energy Advisory Board (the Board) from 15 to 17 members. The measure specifies that one of the new members shall be an expert with experience implementing low-income and middle-income incentive and loan programs for distributed renewable energy resources and that the other new member shall be an attorney who maintains a legal practice dedicated to rural development, rural electrification, and energy policy. The measure also repeals the sunset provision for the Board, which is scheduled to expire on July 1, 2022, and directs the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, in consultation with the Board, to develop guidelines to administer any public power renewable grant program established by the general appropriation act.
