Rep. Kathleen Murphy

Department of Military Affairs; health care insurance premiums for members of Virginia National Guard or Virginia Defense Force. Provides that the Department of Military Affairs shall have the power to pay the employer portion of health care premiums for any member of the Virginia National Guard or Virginia Defense Force when certain circumstances are met. The bill requires the Department to establish policies, procedures, and protocols to implement and record such payments and to report annually to the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs all such payments made. This bill is identical to SB 719.

Out-of-state health care practitioners; temporary authorization to practice; licensure by reciprocity for physicians; emergency. Allows a health care practitioner licensed, certified, or registered in another state or the District of Columbia to practice in the Commonwealth for a period of up to 90 days provided certain conditions are met and provides that if such health care practitioner has applied for licensure, certification, or registration in the Commonwealth, the applicable health regulatory board shall expedite such application. The bill also requires the Department of Health Professions to pursue reciprocity agreements with jurisdictions that surround the Commonwealth to streamline the application process to facilitate the practice of medicine and to report to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions the number of out-of-state health care practitioners who have utilized the temporary authorization created by the bill to practice in the Commonwealth pending licensure who have not subsequently been issued a full license to practice in the Commonwealth. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Department of Veterans Services; Mental HealthCare Coordinator; position created; report. Establishes the positionof Mental Health Care Coordinator (the Coordinator) in the Departmentof Veterans Services to support and closely coordinate effectivemental health care services for military service members and veteransand their families. The bill directs the Coordinator to report byDecember 1 of each year through the Commissioner of the Departmentof Veterans Services to the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs,the Governor, and the General Assembly on the work of the Coordinatorand any legislative recommendations.

Hospitals; debt collection; determination of patient eligibility for financial assistance. Requires every hospital to (i) make reasonable efforts to screen every uninsured patient to determine whether the individual is eligible for Medicaid or financial assistance under the hospital’s financial assistance policy, (ii) may a payment plan available to every uninsured patient who is determined to be eligible for financial assistance under the hospital’s financial assistance policy if requested by the patient, (iii) develop a process for renegotiation of a payment plan, and (iv) report information about charity care, discounted care, or other financial assistance provided by the hospital under its financial assistance policy and the amount of the hospital’s uncollected bad debt. The bill prohibits hospitals from engaging in extraordinary collection actions to collect patient accounts receivable unless the hospital has undertaken all reasonable efforts to determine whether a patient with delinquent debt is eligible for Medicaid or other financial assistance under the hospital’s financial assistance policy. The bill also requires every hospital that is subject to the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to make information about the hospital’s charity care policy available to individuals with low English proficiency in accordance with federal requirements.

Automatic renewal or continuous service offerto consumer; cancellation and online opt-out. Requires that the supplier of automatic renewals or continuous service offers thatinclude a free trial notify the consumer of the automatic renewalseven days prior to expiration of the free trial and obtain the consumer'saffirmative consent to the automatic renewal beyond the trial period.The bill also requires that suppliers of automatic renewals or continuousservice offers through an online website must make available a conspicuousonline option to cancel a recurring purchase of a good or servicewithin the website by which such purchase was made.

Maximum number of judges in each judicial circuit. Increases from six to seven the maximum number of authorized judges in the Thirty-first Judicial Circuit. This bill is a recommendation of the Judicial Council of Virginia and is identical to HB 821.

Qualified health plans; state-mandated health benefits. Authorizes a qualified health plan offered on the Virginia Health Benefit Exchange to provide state-mandated health benefits that are not provided in the essential health benefits package. Under current law, qualified health plans are prohibited from providing such state-mandated health benefits. This bill is identical to SB 449.

Child abuse and neglect; valid complaint. Amendsthe definition of "abused or neglected child" to include a childwho is sexually exploited or abused by an intimate partner of thechild's parent or caretaker and allows a complaint of child abuseor neglect to be deemed valid by a local department of social services(local department) in such instances. The bill allows a complaintof child abuse or neglect that alleges child trafficking to be deemedvalid regardless of who the alleged abuser is or whether the alleged abuser has been identified. The bill requires a local departmentthat receives a complaint or report of child abuse or neglect overwhich it does not have jurisdiction to forward such complaint orreport to the appropriate local department, if the local departmentthat does have jurisdiction is located in the Commonwealth.

Department of Education; State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; instruction concerning post-graduate opportunities for high school students. Requires the Department of Education to collect and distribute to public schools and publicly post on its website information that assists high school students in making more informed decisions about their futures after graduating from high school and in doing so ensure that such students are aware of the costs and benefits of different educational and certificate programs. The bill directs the Department to annually collect and compile such information in consultation with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and any other entity that can assist the Department with collecting and compiling such information and to update its distribution materials accordingly each year. The bill requires the Department to post and distribute the information to school boards, with any relevant updates, no later than October 1 each year and requires each school board to ensure that the information is readily available to each high school student and distributed to each high school student who expresses an interest in attending an institution of higher education or completing another training program as described in the bill. This bill is identical to SB 738.

Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent DeJure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination Against AfricanAmericans; expiration. Extends from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2024,the expiration of the Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent DeJure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination Against AfricanAmericans. The bill also provides for the nonlegislative citizen membersof the Commission to continue to serve for the duration of the extension.This bill is identical to SB 151.