Condemned growing beds; electronic maps.Authorizes the Commissioner of Marine Resources to provide publicdesignation of condemned crustacea, finfish, or shellfish growingareas through the use of downloadable maps or digital interactiveonline maps. Current law requires that public notice be accomplishedonly with physical signs or markers.
Recounts; procedure for certain ballots.Requires recount officials to segregate all ballots for which thereis a question regarding the ballot's validity prior to the conclusionof the recount of each precinct. The bill provides that the recountcourt may not consider the validity of any ballots not set asideprior to the conclusion of the recount of each precinct.
Voting systems; voter-verifiable paper record. Requires any electronic voting system approved by the State Board of Elections to retain each printed ballot cast. Printed ballots are currently defined to include machine-readable ballots, and the bill amends the definition of a machine-readable ballot to mean a tangible ballot that is marked by a voter or by a system or device operated by voter, is available for verification by the voter at the time the ballot is cast, and is then fed into and scanned by a separate counting machine. The bill amends the requirements for sealing and delivering ballots after an election to include printed ballots; current law only addresses paper ballots.
Absentee voting; deadline for applying for an absentee ballot to cast other than in person. Adjusts the deadline for a voter to apply for an absentee ballot that is to be cast by mail from the seventh day prior to the election to the eleventh day prior to the election. The bill also adjusts the deadline for applications for multiple elections for uniformed and overseas voters and for emergency applications and absentee ballots for persons incapacitated or hospitalized.
Virginia sexual assault forensic examiner coordination program. Establishes the Virginia sexual assault forensic examinercoordination program within the Department of Criminal Justice Services.The bill provides that the program shall create and coordinate anannual statewide sexual assault forensic nurse examiner trainingprogram; coordinate the development and enhancement of sexual assaultforensic examiner programs across the Commonwealth; coordinate thedevelopment of hospital protocols and guidelines for treatment ofsurvivors of sexual assault; coordinate and strengthen communicationsamong sexual assault nurse examiner medical directors, sexual assaultresponse teams, and hospitals for existing and developing sexualassault nurse examiner programs; provide technical assistance forexisting and developing sexual assault forensic examiner programs;establish best practices for billing and reimbursement for medicalservices provided to survivors of sexual assault; create and maintaina statewide list, updated biannually, that includes pertinent informationregarding sexual assault forensic examiners and nurse examiners;create sexual assault nurse examiner recruitment materials for universitiesand colleges with nursing programs; and support and coordinate communityeducation and public outreach, when appropriate, relating to sexualassault nurse examiner issues for the Commonwealth.
Long-term care services and supports; preadmission screenings. Provides that every individual who applies for or requests community or institutional long-term services and supports, as defined in the state plan for medical assistance services, may choose to receive services in a community or institutional setting and may choose the setting and provider of long-term care services and supports from a list of approved providers. The bill also clarifies requirements related to the performance of such long-term care services and supports screenings. The bill removes the definition of and references to Pre-PACE. The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to consider alternative assessment tools for long-term services and supports screenings completed on or after July 1, 2021, and to report its findings and conclusions to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by December 1, 2020. The provisions of the bill shall not become effective if they conflict with any provision of federal law or regulations or guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This bill is identical to HB 902.
Pollbooks; requirement for printed copies ofpollbooks. Requires general registrars to produce and distributeprinted copies of pollbooks to each precinct for any primary andgeneral election. The bill also contains technical adjustments toreflect the current administrative responsibilities of the Departmentof Elections.
Health insurance; coverage for autism spectrum disorder. Requires health insurers, corporations providing health care subscription plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder under insurance policies, subscription contracts, or health care plans issued in the individual market or small group markets. The existing requirement that such coverage be provided for policies, contracts, or plans issued in the large group market is not affected. The provision applies with respect to insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on or after January 1, 2021. This bill is identical to HB 1503.
Polling place procedures; residence address of voter not announced. Removes the requirement that the officer of election audibly repeat the residence address of a voter offering to vote. The bill provides that the officer of the election is required to verify with the voter his full name and address and to audibly repeat the voter's full name.
Unrestorably incompetent defendant; competency report. Provides that in cases where a defendant is likely to remain incompetent for the foreseeable future due to an ongoing and irreversible medical condition and prior medical or educational records are available to support the diagnosis, a competency report may recommend that the court find the defendant unrestorably incompetent to stand trial, and the court may proceed with the disposition of the case based on such recommendation. Under current law, the defendant is required to undergo treatment to restore his competency before the court can find a defendant unrestorably incompetent to stand trial. The bill also provides that such person who is found unrestorably incompetent to stand trial shall be prohibited from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm. This bill is identical to HB 259.
State Board of Elections; activities relatedto the supervision of local electoral boards and general registrars.Requires that the State Board of Elections' supervision of the workof the local electoral boards and general registrars ensure thatmajor risks to election integrity are identified and assessed andaddressed as necessary to promote election uniformity, legality,and purity. The bill authorizes the State Board to develop and implementa certification program for general registrars to ensure that thegeneral registrars are sufficiently trained to effectively administerelections. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint LegislativeAudit and Review Commission.
Securities Act; crowdfunding exemption.Repeals the sunset provision on the existing measure that authorizesthe State Corporation Commission (the Commission) to adopt an exemption for limited offerings of securities by small and startup companies,known as equity crowdfunding, from the registration provisions ofthe Securities Act. These crowdfunding provisions, which were enactedin 2015, are currently scheduled to expire on July 1, 2020. The measurealso broadens the existing exemption to apply to offerings conductedin accordance with Rule 147A adopted by the U.S. Securities ExchangeCommission (SEC). Because Rule 147A does not require the issuer ofthe securities to be incorporated or organized in the same state where the offering occurs, the measure creates a carve-out for offeringsunder Rule 147A from the existing requirement that the issuer beformed, organized, or existing under the laws of the Commonwealth. Additionally, the measure provides that the crowdfunding exemptionis available for both equity securities and debt offerings, includingsubordinated debt. Current Commission regulations prohibit the useof the exemption for debt offerings.
