Public health emergency; emergency orders andregulations; limitations. Provides that any emergency order orregulation adopted by the Board of Health shall be valid for no morethan 45 days and that such order may be extended by the Board fora subsequent period of 45 days, provided that the Board providesnotice and receives public comment on the order or regulation proposedto be extended, but that in no case shall such emergency order or regulation be valid for more than 18 months from the effective dateof the initial order or regulation. The bill also provides that inany case in which the Commissioner of Health exercises the authorityof the Board to enact an emergency order or regulation, such orderor regulation shall be valid for no more than 45 days from the effectivedate of the order or regulation unless the Board adopts an orderor regulation to such effect. Thebill also limits the duration of an emergency temporary standardadopted by the Safety and Health Codes Board to 45 days and providesfor an extension of such emergency temporary standard for a subsequentperiod of 45 days, provided that the Board provides notice and receivespublic comment on the emergency temporary standard proposed to beextended. However, no emergency temporary order shall be valid fora period of more than six months.
Sponsored bills
Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act; penalty. Creates the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The Act prohibits an abortion after 20 weeks gestation unless, in reasonable medical judgment, the mother has a condition that so complicates her medical condition as to necessitate the abortion to avert her death or to avert serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. When an abortion is not prohibited post-20 weeks' gestation, the physician or authorized nurse practitioner is required to terminate the pregnancy in a manner that would provide the unborn child the best opportunity to survive. The bill punishes performance of an abortion in violation of the Act as a Class 6 felony. The bill also provides for civil remedies against a physician or authorized nurse practitioner who performs an abortion in violation of the Act.
Additional real property tax on commercialand industrial property in certain localities.
Public school buses; decals; "In God We Trust"and "One Nation Under God." Permits local school boards, notwithstandingany regulation to the contrary, to display on the sides and rearof public school buses decals containing the motto "In God We Trust"or the phrase "One Nation Under God", provided that no such decalobstructs the name of the school division or the number of the schoolbus.
Immunizations; authority of the Commissionerof Health; religious exception. Exempts a person, including aparent or guardian on behalf of a child, who objects to administrationof a vaccine on religious grounds from mandatory immunization requirementsduring an epidemic. Currently, exemption from mandatory immunizationrequirements during an epidemic is available only to those personsto whose health the administration of the vaccine would be detrimental,as certified in writing by a licensed physician.
Prohibition on mask mandates. Prohibitsthe Board of Health, Commissioner of Health, and Governor from issuingany rule, regulation, or order that requires (i) individuals to wearmasks or other face coverings or (ii) businesses to require customersto wear masks or other face coverings while on the premises of suchbusiness and prohibits any local school board from requiring anystudent enrolled at a public elementary or secondary school in thelocal school division to wear a mask, face covering, or other coveringof the student's nose and mouth at school, on a school bus, or ata school-sponsored activity.
Constitutional amendment (first reference);real property tax; exemption for certain surviving spouses of membersof the armed forces. Authorizes the General Assembly to exemptfrom tax the real property of a surviving spouse of a member of thearmed forces who died in the line of duty while performing officialmilitary activities. The amendment provides that such exemption isonly available when the death of such member of the armed forces did not result from criminal conduct. The current Constitution exemptsthe real property of a surviving spouse of a member of the armedforces who was killed in action, a disabled veteran, and the survivingspouse of a disabled veteran.
Emergency Services and Disaster Law; Commissioner of Health; emergency orders and regulations; limitations; civil penalty. Provides that neither the Board of Health nor the Commissioner of Health shall make any emergency order or regulation unless, on the basis of the evidence available to the Board, (i) such order or regulation is necessary to suppress a nuisance dangerous to the public health or a communicable, contagious, or infectious disease or other danger to the public life and health; (ii) no alternatives to the proposed order or regulation that are reasonable in light of the impact on quality of life and economic well-being exist; and (iii) the provisions of such order or regulation are narrowly tailored to address the nuisance dangerous to the public health or a communicable, contagious, or infectious disease or other danger to the public life and health. The bill also provides that the Governor shall not issue any emergency rule, regulation, or order unless, on the basis of the evidence available to the Governor, (a) such rule, regulation, or order is necessary to address a compelling circumstance; (b) no alternatives to the proposed rule, regulation, or order that are reasonable in light of the impact on quality of life and economic well-being exist; and (c) the provisions of such rule, regulation, or order are narrowly tailored to address the compelling circumstance.The bill provides that any order that limits the number of individuals who may gather together in person, in public or private, or categorizes individuals on the basis of their relationship to or association with such individuals and limits the categories of individuals with whom an individual who is not known or reasonably suspected to have been exposed to or infected with a communicable disease of public health threat may associate is presumed to negatively impact quality of life and economic well-being.The bill also limits the duration of any emergency rule, regulation, or order to 15 days; provides for one extension of such rule, regulation, or order; and provides that any person who violates such rule, regulation, or order shall be subject to a civil penalty of no more than $100 per violation. Under current law, any person who violates the provisions of an executive order is subject to a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Special lifetime hunting and fishing licenses;volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services personnel.Qualifies volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services personnelwho have completed three consecutive years of service to obtain basicresident lifetime hunting and fishing licenses without any fee. Theapplicant is required to provide proof of the three years of consecutiveservice when applying.
Family life education curriculum guidelines;human reproduction; viewing of ultrasound video recording. Requiresthe instruction on human reproduction contained in the Board of Education'sfamily life education curriculum guidelines to include the viewingof a video recording of an ultrasound of a live unborn human in theuterus.