Del. Mark Sickles

Health insurance; mandated coverage for hearing aids for minors. Requires health insurers, health maintenance organizations, and corporations providing health care coverage subscription contracts to provide coverage for hearing aids and related services for children 18 years of age or younger when a licensed audiologist prescribes such hearing aids and related services. The coverage includes one hearing aid per hearing-impaired ear, up to a cost of $1,500, every 24 months. The measure applies to policies, contracts, and plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on and after January 1, 2021.

Commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. RobertRussa Moton.

Virginia Diverse Educator Scholarship Fund and Program established. Establishes the Virginia Diverse Educator Scholarship Fund and Program, to be administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, for the purpose of annually providing to each Historically Black College or University in the Commonwealth (Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University) such sums as are necessary for each such institution to annually provide scholarships on a competitive basis to no more than two students who (i) identify as African American, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, Native American or Native Alaskan, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; (ii) are accepted to or enrolled in such institution's education preparation program; and (iii) are eligible for a federal Pell Grant to attend such institution. The bill provides that each such scholarship would consist of the following sums: (a) the cost of tuition, mandatory fees, room and board, and textbooks at such institution; (b) the recipient's teacher licensure fees; (c) $5,000 toward teacher professional development activities for the recipient, including coursework, seminars, and conferences; and (d) $10,000 toward mentorship of the recipient by an experienced teacher who is deemed by the relevant school board to be highly effective and able to provide high quality mentorship. The bill requires each student who is awarded a scholarship pursuant to the Program to agree in writing to (1) teach in a public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth in which at least 75 percent of the enrolled students qualify for free or reduced price lunch or are members of families whose income is below the federal poverty guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon graduation for a period that is at least as long as the period during which the recipient used scholarship funds to attend a Historically Black College or University and (2) be mentored by an experienced teacher, as described in clause (d), during such period of employment.

Virginia Lottery Board; repeal prohibition against sale of lottery tickets over the Internet; regulation of the manufacturing, distributing, hosting, and playing of electronic gaming devices; penalties. Renames the Virginia Lottery as the Virginia Lottery and Gaming Department and the Virginia Lottery Board as the Virginia Lottery and Gaming Oversight Board. The bill authorizes the manufacture, distribution, hosting, and playing of electronic gaming devices in the Commonwealth, to be regulated by the Virginia Lottery and Gaming Oversight Board. The bill specifies the licensing requirements for the manufacture, distribution, and hosting of electronic gaming devices and imposes criminal and civil penalties for violations of the law and regulations related to electronic gaming devices. The bill prohibits any host location licensee from offering more than five electronic gaming devices to the public for play at such host location's establishment and allows for a maximum of 15,000 electronic gaming devices in the Commonwealth. The bill imposes a 35 percent tax on all gross profits from the play of electronic gaming devices and provides for disbursement of the tax proceeds. The bill also establishes the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund, administered by the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, to provide counseling and other support services for compulsive and problem gamblers, develop problem gambling treatment and prevention programs, and provide grants to support organizations that provide assistance to compulsive and problem gamblers. The bill authorizes the Lottery to sell tickets over the Internet. Under current law, it is prohibited from doing so.

Earned paid sick time. Requires public and private employers with six or more employees to provide those employees with earned paid sick time. The measure provides for an employee to earn at least one hour of paid sick leave benefit for every 30 hours worked. An employee shall not use more than 40 hours of earned paid sick time in a year, unless the employer selects a higher limit. Employees shall not be entitled to use accrued earned paid sick time until the ninetieth calendar day following commencement of their employment, unless otherwise permitted by the employer. The bill provides that earned paid sick time may be used (i) for an employee's mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; an employee's need for medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or an employee's need for preventive medical care; (ii) to provide care to a family member under similar circumstances; (iii) when there is a closure of the employee's place of business or the employee's child's school or place of care due to a public health emergency; or (iv) when an employee's or employee's family member's presence in the community may jeopardize the health of others because of their exposure to a communicable disease. The bill authorizes the Commissioner of Labor and Industry, in the case of a knowing violation, to subject an employer to a civil penalty not to exceed $150 for the first violation, $300 for the second violation, and $500 for each successive violation, if the second or successive violation occurs within two years of the previous violation. The Commissioner of Labor and Industry may institute proceedings on behalf of an employee to enforce compliance with this measure and to collect specified amounts from the employer, which shall be awarded to the employee. Alternatively, an aggrieved employee is authorized to bring a civil action against the employer in which he may recover double the amount of any unpaid earned sick time and the amount of any actual damages suffered as the result of the employer's violation. The measure has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2021. This bill incorporates HB 418 and HB 1684.

Carrying loaded firearms in public while underthe influence of alcohol or illegal drugs; penalties. Providesthat it is a Class 1 misdemeanor for a person under the influenceof alcohol or illegal drugs to carry a loaded firearm on or abouthis person in a public place and that a person found guilty of suchact is ineligible to apply for a concealed handgun permit for a periodof five years. Current law provides that such prohibition appliesonly to persons permitted to carry a concealed handgun.

Peer-to-peer vehicle sharing platforms; regulation; insurance; taxation. Establishes taxation, insurance coverage,sale of insurance, disclosure, safety recall, airport operation,and recordkeeping requirements for peer-to-peer vehicle sharing platforms,as defined in the bill.

Study; JLARC; costs and benefits of early votingversus mail voting; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Auditand Review Commission (JLARC) to study and compare the costs andbenefits of early voting versus mail voting. In conducting its study,JLARC shall consider the initial and long-term costs of moving fromVirginia's current absentee voting system to early voting and tomail voting; the potential for increased voter participation underboth systems; and the merits and risks of both systems related tosecurity, accessibility, transparency, and accuracy.

Community services boards; funding formula;population and need. Adds the total population of the area servedby each community services board and the level of need for servicesprovided by a community services board among the population of thearea served to the list of criteria the Department of BehavioralHealth and Developmental Services must consider when allocating state-controlledfunds to community services boards.

Study; reasonableness of interest rates on motorvehicle title loans; report. Requests the Bureau of FinancialInstitutions of the State Corporation Commission to study the reasonablenessof interest rates on motor vehicle title loans, including the profitabilityof such loans and how such rates and profit levels compare with thosefor alternative types of loans. The Bureau is directed to reportits findings to the Governor and the General Assembly by the firstday of the 2021 Regular Session of the General Assembly.