Del. Mark Sickles

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.

Board of Nursing; education programs; oversight. Gives the Board of Nursing the power and duty to prescribe minimum standards and approve curricula for educational programs preparing persons for registration as a medication aide and to provide periodic surveys of training programs.

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.

Commonwealth Health Reinsurance Program; federal risk adjustment program. Eliminates the requirement that the State Corporation Commission consider transfers made under the federal risk adjustment program to eliminate double reimbursement for high-cost cases as a factor when establishing payment parameters for the benefit year under the Commonwealth Health Reinsurance Program. The bill also eliminates the requirement that the Commission factor in transfers received for an enrolled individual under the federal risk adjustment program when calculating each reinsurance payment based on an eligible carrier's incurred claims costs for a covered person's covered benefits in the applicable benefit year. This bill is identical to SB 338.

Elections; conduct of election; election results; risk-limiting audits. Requires local electoral boards and general registrars to perform certain risk-limiting audits, defined in the bill, under the supervision of the Department of Elections and in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the State Board of Elections with a risk limit of at least 10 percent. The bill provides that localities are required to participate in such audits at least once every five years. The bill also provides that the Department shall submit a report on the results of such audits to the State Board. The provisions of the bill requiring that such audits be conducted (i) for at least one randomly selected contested race for the General Assembly in the year of a general election for members of the General Assembly and (ii) for any other contested race that is necessary to ensure that each locality participates in a risk-limiting audit of an office within its jurisdiction at least once every five years or that the State Board finds appropriate have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2023. The provision of the bill requiring that such audits be conducted for at least one randomly selected contested race for an office that requires certification by the State Board in the year of general election for any local office has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2024. The bill also requires the Department to convene a work group to consider and propose a process and timeline for implementing risk-limiting audits of statewide contests. This bill is identical to SB 370.

Virginia Health Benefit Exchange; marketing. Requires the Virginia Health Benefit Exchange to prepare an annual marketing plan that includes consumer outreach, licensed health insurance agents, and navigator programs. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to SB 469.

Ukraine; Russian invasion. Expressing thesense of the General Assembly on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Commending David and Eunjoo Anderson.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable FloraLonette Davis Crittenden.

Commending Scott O. Konopasek.