Prescriptions; off-label use. Provides that a prescriber may prescribe, administer, or dispense and a pharmacist may dispense a drug that has been approved for a specific use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an off-label use when the prescriber or pharmacist determines, in his professional judgment, that such off-label use is appropriate for the standard of care and such prescribing, administering, or dispensing is to improve health care outcomes. The bill also prohibits a hospital from denying, revoking, terminating, diminishing, or curtailing in any way any professional or clinical privilege of any licensed health care provider with prescriptive authority or authority to dispense drugs solely on the grounds that such health care provider prescribes, administers, or dispenses a drug that has been approved for a specific use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an off-label use, provided that such prescribing, administering, or dispensing is in accordance with laws of the Commonwealth and is to improve health care outcomes.
Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; contractors; voluntary certification of boiler operators; penalty. Establishes a regulatory program, to be administered by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation's Board for Contractors, for the voluntary certification of any person who has primary responsibility for operating, repairing, maintaining, or adjusting boilers rated between 30 and 499 horsepower, regardless of use.
Licensure of professional counselors; CounselingCompact. Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the CounselingCompact. The Compact permits eligible licensed professional counselorsto practice in Compact member states, provided that they are licensedin at least one member state. The bill has a delayed effective dateof January 1, 2023, and directs the Board of Counseling to adoptemergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. TheCompact takes effect when it is enacted by a tenth member state.
Celebrating the life of Bertram Donald Aaron.
Commending the Williamsburg Farmers Market.
Commending the Henrico Citizen.
Celebrating the life of John Richard Gonzales.
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; Department of State Police; mobile applications; mental health and public safety. Requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) to develop or obtain a mental health mobile application for suicide prevention and the provision of educational materials related to suicide prevention. The bill requires the mobile application to provide a means to directly connect to the 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources and the Secretary of Education to promote, market, and advertise the use of such application using existing resources. The bill also requires the Department of State Police to (i) develop or obtain a public safety mobile application to enable individuals in the Commonwealth to furnish confidential tips to the Department of State Police through text, audio, images, or video concerning a suspected, anticipated, or completed criminal violation or a school-related safety concern and (ii) develop a referral system to ensure that such confidential tips are referred to the chief law-enforcement officer of the relevant jurisdiction for proper coordination of response and investigation. The bill directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to promote, market, and advertise the use of such application using existing resources. The provisions of the bill related to an application developed by DBHDS have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2023. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.
Prohibit certain local government practicesthat would require contractors to provide certain compensation orbenefits. Prohibits local governing bodies from establishingprovisions related to procurement of goods, professional services,or construction that would require a wage floor or any other employeebenefit or compensation above what is otherwise required by stateor federal law to be provided by a contractor to one or more of the contractor's employees as part of a contract with the locality. Thebill provides that the prohibition shall not affect contracts betweena locality and another party that were executed prior to January1, 2023, or the renewal or future rebids of services thereof. Thebill provides that localities shall not be prohibited from enteringinto contracts for economic development incentives in which the companyreceiving the incentives is required to maintain a certain statedwage level for its employees.
Renaming Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as Director of Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion. Renames the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to the Director of Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion. The Director shall (i) develop a sustainable framework to promote inclusive practices across state government; (ii) implement a measurable, strategic plan to increase opportunities for all Virginians; (iii) facilitate methods to turn feedback and suggestions from state employees, external stakeholders, and community leaders into actionable opportunities; (iv) promote ideas, policies, and practices in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to expand entrepreneurship and economic opportunities for disadvantaged Virginians, including Virginians living with disabilities; (v) facilitate bringing Virginians of different faiths together in service to their communities and the Commonwealth; (vi) promote free speech and civil discourse in civic life, including viewpoint diversity in higher education in coordination with the Secretary of Education; (vii) promote ideas, policies, and practices to eliminate disparities in prenatal care and to be an ambassador for unborn children; (viii) coordinate with the Secretary of Education to ensure the history of the United States is taught in Virginia honestly, objectively, and completely and to respond to the rights of parents in educational and curricular decision making; and (ix) perform any other responsibilities as assigned by the Governor. The bill makes similar renaming changes for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer.
Human rights and fair housing; religious organizations; promotion of religious principles. Provides that nothing in the Virginia Human Rights Act prohibits a religious corporation, association, or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association, or society, from taking any action to promote the religious principles for which it is established or maintained. The bill exempts any place of accommodation owned by or operated on behalf of a religious corporation, association, or society from the nondiscrimination in public places of accommodation provisions of the Virginia Human Rights Act. Under current law, such places of accommodation are exempt only when not open to the public. The bill adds preschools to the list of educational institutions that are exempt from discriminatory hiring practices with respect to the hiring and employment of employees of a particular religion when such institutions are owned, supported, controlled, or managed by a particular religion or religious corporation, association, or society. The bill clarifies that the term "religion" includes all aspects of religious observance and practice as well as belief for the purposes of the exemption from discrimination in employment of individuals employed to perform work associated with the activities of a particular religion by a religious corporation, association, educational institution, or society. The bill removes provisions allowing (i) a court or jury in a civil action that finds unlawful discrimination has occurred to order such affirmative action as may be appropriate and (ii) the Attorney General to seek to obtain such relief as would be available to a private party when he intervenes in a civil action for unlawful discrimination. The bill also removes the provision of the exemption for religious organizations under the Virginia Fair Housing Law that denies such exemption where the membership in such religion is restricted on account of race, color, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, or disability.
Voter identification; optional restrictive identification requirement. Allows a voter to opt into being required to showa valid photo identification issued by the Commonwealth, one of itspolitical subdivisions, or the United States when voting in person.When a voter offers to vote and the pollbook indicates he has optedinto such requirement, he shall be required to show a valid photoidentification issued by the Commonwealth, one of its political subdivisions,or the United States in order to vote a regular ballot. The billrequires the voter registration application to permit an applicantto opt into this requirement and the Department of Elections to providethe means for currently registered voters to opt in as well.
