Del. Kathleen Murphy

Uniform Collaborative Law Act. Creates theUniform Collaborative Law Act, which provides a framework for thepractice of collaborative law, a process entered into voluntarilyby clients for the express purpose of reaching a settlement in afamily or domestic relations law matter, including (i) marriage,divorce, dissolution, annulment, and property distribution; (ii)child custody, visitation, and parenting time; (iii) alimony, spousalsupport, maintenance, and child support; (iv) adoption; (v) parentage;and (vi) negotiation or enforcement of premarital, marital, and separationagreements. The Act governs disclosure of information, privilege against disclosure of communications, and scope of representationby the attorneys in the proceeding.

Practice of certified nurse midwives. Eliminatesthe requirement that certified nurse midwives practice pursuant toa practice agreement and provides that certified nurse midwives shall practice in accordance with regulations of the Boards of Medicineand Nursing and consistent with the Standards for the Practice ofMidwifery set by the American College of Nurse-Midwives and shallconsult and collaborate with and refer patients to such other healthcare providers as may be appropriate for the care of the patient.

Electric utilities; broadband capacity pilotprogram. Expands an existing pilot program under which DominionEnergy and Appalachian Power are authorized to provide or make availablebroadband capacity to Internet service providers in areas of theCommonwealth that are unserved by broadband to include municipalInternet service providers. The current program is restricted tonongovernmental Internet service providers.

Board of Education; temporary extension of certain licenses. Requires the Board of Education to grant a two-year extension of the license of any individual licensed by the Board whose license expires on June 30, 2021, in order to provide the individual with sufficient additional time to complete the requirements for licensure.

Dairy Producer Margin Coverage Premium Assistance Program. Directs the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to establish and administer the Dairy Producer Margin Coverage Premium Assistance Program (the Program). The bill provides that any dairy farmer that has a resource management plan or nutrient management plan and participates in the federal margin coverage program for dairy producers at the tier I level as contained in the federal Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 is eligible to participate in the Program. Under the bill, each year a Program participant will receive a refund of its annual premium payment paid into the federal program. Such reimbursement shall be provided on a first-come, first-served basis and shall be subject to availability of funds expressly appropriated for the purposes set forth in the chapter. The Commissioner shall submit an annual report no later than December 1 of each year to the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources assessing the effectiveness of the Program.

Local government authority; reduction of speedlimits. Authorizes local governing bodies to reduce the speedlimit to less than 25 miles per hour, but not less than 15 milesper hour, in a business district or residence district.

Rare Disease Council and Rare Disease Council Fund; report. Creates the Rare Disease Council for the purpose of (i) advising the Governor and the General Assembly on the needs of individuals with rare diseases in the Commonwealth; (ii) identifying challenges that such individuals face, including delays in obtaining a diagnosis or the receipt of a misdiagnosis, shortages of medical specialists who can provide treatment, and lack of access to therapies and medication used to treat rare diseases; (iii) funding research related to rare diseases and the development of new treatments for rare diseases; and (iv) funding for supports for persons with rare diseases in the Commonwealth. The bill also creates the Rare Disease Council Fund to be used for the purpose of (a) funding research related to rare diseases and the development of new treatments for rare diseases and supports for persons with rare diseases in the Commonwealth and (b) supporting the work of the Rare Disease Council.

Lawyers; client accounts. Repeals the provision prohibiting the Supreme Court of Virginia from adopting a disciplinaryrule requiring that lawyers deposit client funds in an interest-bearingaccount.

Prescription drug price transparency. Requires every health carrier, pharmacy benefits manager, wholesale drug distributer, and drug manufacturer to report information about prescription drug prices to the Department of Health and requires the Department to make such information available on its website. The bill also provides that, beginning January 1, 2022, a health plan enrollee's defined cost sharing for each prescription drug shall be calculated at the point of sale based on a price that is reduced by an amount equal to at least 80 percent of all rebates received, or to be received, in connection with the dispensing or administration of the prescription drug. The bill also requires the Bureau of Insurance to (i) identify all statutory and regulatory provisions from which health plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) are exempted and (ii) determine the financial impact, if any, of application of such statutory and regulatory provisions such health plans, and to report its finding to the Chairman of the House Committees on Health, Welfare and Institutions and Labor and Commerce and the Chairmen of the Senate Committees on Commerce and Labor and Education and Health by October 1, 2021

Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Programand Fund; established. Requires the Commissioner of Agricultureand Consumer Services (the Commissioner) to establish the VirginiaAgriculture Food Assistance Program (VAFA Program) for Virginia farmersand food producers to donate, sell, or otherwise provide agricultureproducts to charitable food assistance organizations. The bill also creates the Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Fund to disbursemoneys to such charitable food assistance organizations to reimbursefarmers or food producers for any costs associated with harvesting,processing, packaging, or transporting agriculture products donatedto such charitable food assistance organizations. The bill authorizesthe Commissioner to adopt guidelines and regulations to carry outthe VAFA Program.