Abolition of the death penalty. Abolishes the death penalty, including for those persons currently under a death sentence. The bill provides that no person may be sentenced to death or put to death on or after its effective date for any violation of law.
Local government authority; reduction of speedlimits. Authorizes local governing bodies to reduce the speedlimit to less than 25 miles per hour, but not less than 15 milesper hour, in a business district or residence district.
Rare Disease Council and Rare Disease Council Fund; report. Creates the Rare Disease Council for the purpose of (i) advising the Governor and the General Assembly on the needs of individuals with rare diseases in the Commonwealth; (ii) identifying challenges that such individuals face, including delays in obtaining a diagnosis or the receipt of a misdiagnosis, shortages of medical specialists who can provide treatment, and lack of access to therapies and medication used to treat rare diseases; (iii) funding research related to rare diseases and the development of new treatments for rare diseases; and (iv) funding for supports for persons with rare diseases in the Commonwealth. The bill also creates the Rare Disease Council Fund to be used for the purpose of (a) funding research related to rare diseases and the development of new treatments for rare diseases and supports for persons with rare diseases in the Commonwealth and (b) supporting the work of the Rare Disease Council.
Abolition of the death penalty. Abolishes the death penalty, including for those persons currently under a death sentence. The bill incorporates HB 1779.
Lawyers; client accounts. Repeals the provision prohibiting the Supreme Court of Virginia from adopting a disciplinaryrule requiring that lawyers deposit client funds in an interest-bearingaccount.
Joint Commission on Health Care; sunset. Repeals the sunset provision for the Joint Commission on Health Care.
Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Programand Fund; established. Requires the Commissioner of Agricultureand Consumer Services (the Commissioner) to establish the VirginiaAgriculture Food Assistance Program (VAFA Program) for Virginia farmersand food producers to donate, sell, or otherwise provide agricultureproducts to charitable food assistance organizations. The bill also creates the Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Fund to disbursemoneys to such charitable food assistance organizations to reimbursefarmers or food producers for any costs associated with harvesting,processing, packaging, or transporting agriculture products donatedto such charitable food assistance organizations. The bill authorizesthe Commissioner to adopt guidelines and regulations to carry outthe VAFA Program.
Aging services; economic and social need. Provides that, in providing aging services, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services shall prioritize providing services to older persons with the greatest economic or social need. The bill defines "economic need" as need resulting from an income level at or below the poverty line and "social need" as need caused by noneconomic factors, including (i) physical and mental disabilities, which may include developmental disabilities and human immunodeficiency virus; (ii) language barriers; and (iii) cultural, social, or geographic isolation, including that caused by racial or ethnic status, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation that restricts an individual's ability to perform normal daily tasks or threatens such individual's capacity to live independently.
Behavioral Health Commission created. Createsthe Behavioral Health Commission in the legislative branch of stategovernment for the purpose of (i) studying and making recommendationsfor the improvement of behavioral health services and the behavioralhealth service system in the Commonwealth to encourage the adoptionof policies to increase the quality and availability of and ensureaccess to the full continuum of high-quality, effective, and efficientbehavioral health services for all persons in the Commonwealth and(ii) providing ongoing oversight of behavioral health services andthe behavioral health service system in the Commonwealth, includingmonitoring and evaluation of established programs, services, anddelivery and payment structures and implementation of new servicesand initiatives in the Commonwealth and development of recommendations for improving such programs, services, structures, and implementation.
Local Food and Farming Infrastructure Grant Program. Establishes the Local Food and Farming Infrastructure Grant Program and authorizes the Governor to award grants to political subdivisions from the Governor's Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund as part of the Program. Such grants, in amounts up to $25,000, shall be awarded on a competitive basis to support infrastructure development projects that support local food production and sustainable farming. The bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry to develop guidelines for the Program that favor projects that establish or maintain farmers markets; businesses or organizations that manage the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of food products primarily from local and regional producers; and primarily locally owned processing facilities.
