Guardianship and conservatorship; supported decision-making alternative. Requires a guardian ad litem in a proceeding for the appointment of a guardian or conservator to include in his report to the court information as to whether a supported decision-making agreement, as defined in the bill, is a viable option in lieu of guardianship or conservatorship.
State, regional, and local planning; climatechange. Establishes a policy of the Commonwealth to prevent andto minimize actions that contribute to the detrimental effects ofanthropogenic climate change in the Commonwealth. The bill requiresany state agency to examine any new regulation or policy involvingstate action or funds in relation to its impact on climate changeand its effects thereof prior to adopting or implementing such regulationor policy. The bill requires local and regional planning commissionsto consider the impacts from and causes of climate change in adoptinga comprehensive plan, regional strategic plan, or zoning ordinance.
Chesapeake Bay; Resource Protection Areas; treeremoval. Directs the State Water Control Board, when developingcriteria for use by localities in addressing Resource ProtectionAreas (RPAs) under the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, to requirethat any local ordinance addressing permitted modifications of thebuffer area include specific penalties for the removal of trees froman RPA without the prior approval of the locality.
Presidential electors; National Popular Vote Compact. Enters Virginia into an interstate compact known as the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote. Article II of the Constitution of the United States gives the states exclusive and plenary authority to decide the manner of awarding their electoral votes. Under the compact, Virginia agrees to award its electoral votes to the presidential ticket that receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The compact goes into effect when states cumulatively possessing a majority of the electoral votes have joined the compact. A state may withdraw from the compact; however, a withdrawal occurring within six months of the end of a President's term shall not become effective until a President or Vice President has qualified to serve the next term. This bill incorporates HB 199.
Virginia Urban Agriculture Advisory Councilcreated; report. Creates the Virginia Urban Agriculture AdvisoryCouncil as an advisory council in the legislative branch of stategovernment to encourage urban agriculture and contribute to buildinga local food economy. The bill has an expiration date of July 1,2023.
State Health Commissioner; local health director; additional degrees; variance. Requires that, in addition toexisting qualifications, the State Health Commissioner possess aDoctor of Public Health degree, a Master of Public Health degree,or a doctorate in the area of public health. The bill allows localhealth directors to possess a Doctor of Public Health degree, a Masterof Public Health degree, or a doctorate in the area of public healthas an alternative to the current requirement that each local health director be a physician licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth. The bill states that the Commissioner may grant a variance to a statelaw or regulation of the State Board of Health when the Commissionerdetermines that, upon review of an application from a county, cityor town, the applicant for such variance has demonstrated that theimplementation of a regulation would impose a substantial financialor programmatic hardship and the variance would not adversely affectthe safety and well-being of residents of the county, city, or townor the Commonwealth.
Dairy Producer Margin Coverage Premium AssistanceProgram. Directs the Commissioner of Agriculture and ConsumerServices to establish and administer the Dairy Producer Margin CoveragePremium Assistance Program (the Program). The bill provides that anydairy farmer that has a resource management plan or nutrient managementplan and participates in the federal margin coverage program fordairy producers at the Tier 1 level as contained in the federal Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 is eligible to participate in the Program.Under the bill, each year a Program participant will receive a refundof its annual premium payment paid into the federal program.
Pharmacists; initiating treatment, dispensing, and administering of controlled substances. Includes in the practice of pharmacy initiating treatment, dispensing, and administering of certain drugs and devices by a pharmacist, provided that such pharmacist initiates treatment with, dispenses, or administers such drugs and devices in accordance with a statewide protocol developed by the Board of Pharmacy in collaboration with the Board of Medicine and Department of Health and set forth in regulations of the Board of Pharmacy. The bill clarifies that an accident and sickness insurance policy that provides reimbursement for a service that may be legally performed by a licensed pharmacist shall provide reimbursement for initiating treatment with, dispensing, or administering drugs and devices by a pharmacist when such initiation of treatment, dispensation, or administration is in accordance with regulations of the Board of Pharmacy. The bill directs the Board of Pharmacy to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of the bill within 280 days of its effective date. The Board shall report to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions by November 1, 2020, on the status of the regulations. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2021.
Prisoners; medical care. Eliminates theDepartment of Corrections prisoner co-payment program for nonemergencyhealth care services.
Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area; provisional surface water withdrawal permit. Authorizes the State Water Control Board to issue a provisional surface water withdrawal permit within the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area to an applicant that has not identified an end user for the water. Such permit shall not allow the withdrawal of water until an end user has been identified and the permittee has provided a report containing information on the need for and proposed use of the surface water, a description of the raw water intake, and other information. The bill provides that once the Department of Environmental Quality approves the report, the permittee shall request a permit modification. Finally, the bill provides that no potential withdrawal amount of any provisional permit shall be used in the calculation of available water when assessing a subsequent surface water withdrawal application in the affected stream reach if the provisional permit has not been modified to reflect an end user, the Department and the subsequent applicant have found the provisional withdrawal to be inappropriate, and the provisional permit holder has failed to state that an end user will be secured within 12 months.
Involuntary commitment; notice and participation;family members. Clarifies the role of family members and otherindividuals authorized to receive medical records and informationabout a person who is involved in the involuntary commitment process,including the family member or other person's right to receive medicalrecords, notice of hearings, and copies of orders and to participatein hearings and the discharge planning process.
TANF; feminine hygiene products. Requires the Board of Social Services to provide monthly payments for menstrual supplies in the amount of $10 to each female who is at least 10 years of age but not older than 55 years of age and is considered part of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) public assistance unit. The bill also allows such payments to be made to females who are younger than 10 years of age or older than 55 years of age upon written certification by a licensed physician that the female has a need for menstrual supplies. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.
