Del. Patrick Hope

Department of Behavioral Health and DevelopmentalServices to establish a work group to study and make recommendationsregarding the cases in which the Office of the Chief Medical Examinershall conduct an investigation of the death of a person who dieswhile receiving services from a licensed program. Directs theDepartment of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Department)to establish a work group, which shall include representatives ofthe Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the disAbilty Law Centerof Virginia, providers of behavioral health services licensed by the Department, and other appropriate stakeholders, to study and make recommendations regarding the cases in which the Office of the ChiefMedical Examiner shall conduct an investigation of the death, includingan autopsy, of a person who dies while receiving services from aprogram licensed by the Department. The bill requires the work groupto report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and theChairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutionsand the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2022.

Historical African American cemeteries. Changes the date of establishment that qualifies historical African American cemeteries for appropriated funds to care for such cemeteries from prior to January 1, 1900, to prior to January 1, 1948, and provides that the total number of graves in a qualifying cemetery shall be the number of markers of African Americans who were interred in such cemetery prior to January 1, 1948. Under current law, the total number of graves is the number of markers of African Americans who lived at any time between January 1, 1800, and January 1, 1900. This bill is identical to SB 477.

Institutions of higher education; hazing; policies. Establishes mandates at nonprofit private institutions of higher education and public institutions of higher education relating to hazing and defines different types of organizations at such institutions to which the mandates apply. The bill requires student organizations officially recognized by an institution of higher education structured in such a way that upon invitation for membership, individuals do not automatically become members of such organization and have a period of time between invitation for membership and being initiated into membership, to have an advisor present at all official events where new members and members of the student organization hosting the event are invited or are instructed to attend, except that such advisors may be asked to leave the room during ceremonies, rituals, or other such events that are only permitted to be attended by the new members and members. Such advisors shall provide extensive, current, and in-person education and information on hazing to all members and new members of such organizations. The bill requires the governing board of each institution to include as part of its policy, code, rules, or set of standards governing sexual violence a provision for immunity from disciplinary action based on hazing or personal consumption of drugs or alcohol where such disclosure is made in conjunction with a good faith report of an act of hazing in advance of or during an incident of hazing that causes injury to a person. Beginning with the 2022–2023 academic year, the bill requires each institution to maintain and publicly report actual findings of violations of the institution's code of conduct or of federal or state laws pertaining to hazing that are reported to campus authorities or local law enforcement. This bill shall be known as Adam's Law.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; coordinated specialty care; work group established. Directs the Departmentof Medical Assistance Services to establish a work group, in coordinationwith the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services,to evaluate and make recommendations to improve approaches to earlypsychosis and mood disorder detection approaches, make program fundingrecommendations, recommend a core set of standardized clinical andoutcome measures, and evaluate coordinated specialty care programsin the Commonwealth. The work group is required by the bill to submita five-year strategic plan annually to the General Assembly beginningNovember 1, 2022.

Service of process; investigator employed byan attorney for the Commonwealth or Indigent Defense Commission. Provides that all investigators employed by an attorney for the Commonwealthor by the Indigent Defense Commission while engaged in the performanceof their official duties shall not be considered a party or otherwiseinterested in the subject matter in controversy and, thus, are authorizedto serve process. The bill eliminates the requirement that the sheriffin the jurisdiction where process is to be served agrees that such investigators may serve process.

Providers of treatment for persons with opiate addiction; elimination of location restriction. Eliminates the requirement that a provider of treatment for persons with opiate addiction through the use of (i) methadone or (ii) opioid replacements other than opioid replacements approved for the treatment of opioid addiction by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration be located more than one-half mile from a public or private licensed day care center or a public or private K-12 school. This bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2023, and is identical to SB 300.

Land use assessment; parcels with multiple owners. Allows the owner of a majority interest in an undivided parcel ofreal estate that is eligible for land use assessment to file theapplication on behalf of himself and for owners of any minority interest.The bill also provides that such majority owner shall be responsiblefor paying any roll-back taxes imposed due to a reclassificationof such property.

Sexual abuse of animals; penalty. Providesthat any person who knowingly (i) engages in sexual contact withan animal; (ii) causes another person by force, threat, or intimidationto engage in sexual contact with an animal; (iii) advertises, solicits,offers, sells, purchases, or possesses an animal with the intentthat the animal be subject to sexual contact; (iv) permits sexualcontact with an animal to be conducted on any premises under hisownership or control; (v) produces, distributes, publishes, sells,transmits, finances, possesses with the intent to distribute, publish,sell, or transmit, or makes any attempt to produce, distribute, publish,sell, transmit, or finance an obscene item depicting a person engagedin sexual contact with an animal is guilty of a Class 6 felony. Thebill also provides that any person convicted of sexual abuse of ananimal may be prohibited from possessing, owning, or exercising controlover any animal for a period of up to five years and may be orderedto attend an appropriate treatment program or obtain psychiatricor psychological counseling.

Involuntary temporary detention; disclosure of information. Provides that in any case in which a person subject to an evaluation to determine whether such person meets the criteria for an involuntary temporary detention order is receiving services in a hospital emergency department, the treating physician or his designee and the employee or designee of the local community services board shall disclose to each other relevant information pertaining to the individual's treatment in the emergency department. This bill is identical to SB 119.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; payment of medical assistance for obesity prevention and other obesity-related services; report. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (the Department) to convene a work group to study and provide recommendations related to the payment of medical assistance for obesity prevention and other obesity-related services, including (i) the types of obesity prevention and other obesity-related services for which federal matching funds are available, (ii) the cost to the Commonwealth of providing medical assistance for such obesity prevention and other obesity-related services for eligible individuals, and (iii) any federal approvals or other actions necessary to allow for the payment of medical assistance for obesity prevention and other obesity-related services. The bill requires the Department to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committees on Appropriations and Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health by November 1, 2022.