Del. J.R. Henson

Health insurance; coverage for therapeutic daytreatment services. Requires health insurers providing healthcare plans to provide coverage for therapeutic day treatment servicesfor children with serious emotional disturbances, defined in thein bill as children who have a mental illness diagnosis and haveexperienced functional limitations due to emotional disturbance,including experiencing a school shooting or the loss of a loved onein a school setting, over the past 12 months on a continuous or intermittentbasis. Under the bill, "therapeutic day treatment services" are treatmentprograms that combine psychotherapeutic interventions with education and mental health and may include evaluation; medication educationand management; opportunities to learn and use daily living skillsand to enhance social and interpersonal skills; and individual, group,and family counseling. The bill applies to plans delivered, issuedfor delivery, or renewed on and after January 1, 2025.

Paid sick leave; health care providers and grocerystore workers. Requires employers to provide paid sick leaveto health care providers and grocery store workers. Under currentlaw, employers are only required to provide paid sick leave to certainhome health workers. The bill removes requirements that workers workon average at least 20 hours per week or 90 hours per month to beeligible for paid sick leave. The bill provides that certain healthcare providers may waive their right to accrue and use paid sick leave and provides an exemption for employers of certain other healthcare providers. The bill requires the Department of Labor and Industryto develop guidelines for retail employers that sell groceries toprovide sick leave and to publish such guidelines by December 1,2024. The provisions of the bill other than the requirement for theDepartment of Labor and Industry to develop guidelines have a delayedeffective date of January 1, 2025.

Public deposits; credit unions. Authorizescredit unions to hold public deposits and become qualified publicdepositories. The bill provides that the Commonwealth and counties, cities, towns, and other political subdivisions of the Commonwealthmay become members of a credit union for the purposes of placingdeposits in and receiving services from the credit union. The billdirects the Treasury Board to designate a rating service to evaluatethe creditworthiness of any credit union seeking to become a qualified public depository within 180 days of enactment. The bill also requiresthe Treasury Board to promulgate emergency regulations to implementthe provisions of the bill.

Commissioner of Health; work group to studythe occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinkingwater; report. Directs the Commissioner of Health to convene awork group to study the occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth'spublic drinking water and develop recommendations for the reduction of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water. Thebill requires the work group to report its findings and recommendationsto the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committees on Agriculture,Chesapeake and Natural Resources and Health, Welfare and Institutionsand the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Conservation and NaturalResources and Education and Health by December 1, 2024.

Study; Department of Social Services; Departmentof Housing and Community Development; unaccompanied minor housingprogram; report. Directs the Department of Social Services andthe Department of Housing and Community Development to convene a workgroup to study the implementation of an unaccompanied minor housingprogram. The bill requires the work group to report its findingsand recommendations to the Governor and the relevant committees ofthe General Assembly no later than December 1, 2024.

Reduction of speed limits; local authority. Expands the current authority of any locality to reduce the speed limit to less than 25 miles per hour, but not less than 15 miles per hour, on highways within its boundaries that are located in a business district or residence district to include highways within the state highway system, provided that such reduced speed limit is indicated by lawfully placed signs. This bill was incorporated into HB 1071.

Office of the Executive Secretary of the SupremeCourt of Virginia; work group to study trauma-informed training andeducation; report. Directs the Office of the Executive Secretaryto convene a work group to make recommendations on the development,adoption, and implementation of trauma-informed training and educationfor judges, magistrates, and court personnel. The bill requires thework group to submit its recommendations by December 1, 2024, tothe Chairmen of the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice.

Task Force on Maternal Health Data and QualityMeasures; report. Directs the State Health Commissioner to reestablishthe Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures for the purpose of evaluating maternal health data collection processes toguide policies in the Commonwealth to improve maternal care, quality,and outcomes for all birthing people in the Commonwealth. The billdirects the Task Force to report its findings and conclusions tothe Governor and General Assembly by December 1 of each year regardingits activities. This bill reestablishes the Task Force on MaternalHealth Data and Quality Measures that concluded on December 1, 2023.

Commission on Legislature Modernization; report. Establishes the Commission on Legislature Modernization in the legislativebranch for the purpose of studying the operation and functionality of the General Assembly and identifying ways to make the legislaturemore effective, efficient, responsive, reflective, and transparenton behalf of all Virginians. The Commission will consist of 17 members,which shall include 9 legislators, 6 nonlegislative citizen members,and 2 ex officio members. The Commission shall be convened for aperiod of two years, every 10 years in the year ending in four, andshall terminate after the submission of its final report to the General Assembly at the end of its second year.

Recognition of the Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribeof Virginia. Extends state recognition to the Wolf Creek CherokeeTribe of Virginia within the Commonwealth.