Del. Patrick Hope

Health insurance; tobacco surcharge. Eliminates the authority of a health carrier to vary its premium rates based on tobacco use. Under current law, a health carrier may charge premium rates up to 1.5 times higher for a tobacco user than for a nonuser. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care, and the provisions of the bill shall apply to health benefit plans providing individual or small group health insurance coverage beginning on January 1, 2023. This bill is identical to SB 422.

Correctional facilities; use of restorative housing; report. Directs the Department of Corrections to convene a work group to study the use of restorative housing within state correctional facilities and juvenile correctional centers. The bill directs the Department to facilitate confidential interviews between work group members and at least 25 persons currently incarcerated in a state correctional facility who are currently or who have within the past 12 months been placed in restorative housing, provided that such persons are not the subject of or involved in pending litigation with the Department, and confidential interviews with existing staff and facility officials as requested by the work group. The bill requires the work group to submit its findings and recommendations, including how to safely reduce or end the use of restorative housing that lasts longer than 14 days, to the General Assembly by December 1, 2022.

County manager plan of government; independent policing auditor. Allows the governing body of any county with the county manager plan of government (Arlington County) to appoint an independent policing auditor. The independent policing auditor shall support any law-enforcement civilian oversight body created by the governing body and shall have all the powers of the law-enforcement civilian oversight body, to the extent that such powers are delegated to the independent policing auditor by the oversight body. The independent policing auditor shall serve at the pleasure of the governing body.

Certain student-athletes; compensation forname, image, or likeness. The bill prohibits any (i) high school student-athlete who participates in interscholastic athletic competitionfrom entering into any contract to receive compensation in exchangefor the use of such student's name, image, or likeness and (ii) student-athleteenrolled at an institution of higher education in the Commonwealthwho participates in intercollegiate athletic competition from enteringinto any contract to receive compensation in exchange for the useof such student's name, image, or likeness, the duration of whichextends beyond the student's enrollment at such institution.

Public pools; regulations. Directs the Board of Health to adopt regulations governing swimming pools and other water recreational facilities operated in conjunction with a tourist facility or health spa and provides that localities may adopt ordinances governing swimming pools that are more stringent than regulations adopted by the Board. The bill directs the Board to convene a stakeholder work group to provide recommendations related to regulations required to be adopted pursuant to the bill and requires the work group to report its findings and recommendations to the Board by November 1, 2023.

SNAP benefits program; inmates of state or local correctional facilities. Requires the Department of Social Services(the Department) to establish a process that (i) allows inmatesof state or local correctional facilities to submit within 45 daysof the inmate's expected release date an application to participatein the SNAP benefits program and (ii) enables eligible inmates toreceive SNAP benefits immediately upon release. The bill requiresthe Department to distribute to the Department of Corrections andthe Board of Local and Regional Jails information regarding suchprocess and certain other information described in the bill. Thebill has a delayed effective date of October 1, 2023.

Mandatory outpatient treatment. Reorganizes and clarifies provisions governing mandatory outpatient treatment. The bill also eliminates provisions allowing for a single order for a period of involuntary inpatient treatment followed by a period of mandatory outpatient treatment and instead requires entry of separate orders for involuntary inpatient and mandatory outpatient treatment in all cases. The bill has a delayed effective date of October 1, 2022.

Selective Service; Two-Year College TransferGrant; Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Program. Removes therequirement that individuals register for the Selective Service incompliance with federal law in order to be eligible for the Two-YearCollege Transfer Grant and the Virginia Tuition Assistance GrantProgram.

Transit Ridership Incentive Program. Changes from a maximum of 25 percent to a minimum of 25 percent the percentage of Transit Ridership Incentive Program (TRIP) funds required to be used to support the establishment of programs to reduce the impact of fares on low-income individuals. This change expires on July 1, 2024. The bill also requires at least 25 percent of TRIP funds to be used to support regional transit initiatives and provides that the Commonwealth Transportation Board has the discretion to allocate the remaining funds available as authorized by law and based on the programs and initiatives submitted during the application process.

Posting of notices; electronic posting. Requires any notice, summons, order, or other official document of any type that is required to be posted on or at the front door of a courthouse or on a public bulletin board at the courthouse to also be posted on the public government website of the locality served by the court or on the website of the circuit court clerk. Under current law, the website posting is sufficient when such official document is required to be posted at the courthouse. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2024.