Del. Kathleen Murphy

Requires the registrar or another appropriate employee of each public institution of higher education to identify conspicuously in the online course catalogue or registration system, as soon as practicable after the necessary information becomes available, each course for which the instructor exclusively uses no-cost course materials or low-cost course materials.

Provides that the Department of Forensic Science (Department) shall maintain a statewide electronic tracking system for physical evidence recovery kits where such kits will be assigned a unique identification number to track each kit from its distribution as an uncollected kit to the health care provider through to its destruction. The bill provides that the Department shall provide access to the tracking system to health care providers, law-enforcement agencies, the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The bill also provides that a health care provider shall inform the victim of sexual assault of the unique identification number assigned to the physical evidence recovery kit utilized by the health care provider during the forensic medical examination and provide the victim with information regarding the physical evidence recovery kit tracking system. The bill provides that records entered into the physical evidence recovery kit tracking system are confidential and are not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2020.

Adds information about perinatal anxiety to the types of information about which each licensed nurse midwife, licensed midwife, or hospital providing maternity care must provide to each maternity patient and, if present, the father of the infant and other relevant family members or caretakers. Currently, licensed nurse midwives, licensed midwives, and hospitals providing maternity care are required to provide information about postpartum blues and perinatal depression, shaken baby syndrome and the dangers of shaking infants, and safe sleep environments for infants.

Requires health insurers, health care subscription plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder in individuals of any age. Currently, such coverage is required to be provided for individuals from age two through age 10. The provision applies with respect to insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on or after January 1, 2020. This bill is identical to

Adds cancers of the colon, brain, or testes to the list of cancers that are presumed to be an occupational disease covered by the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act when firefighters and certain employees develop the cancer. The measure will become effective if reenacted by the 2020 Session of the General Assembly. The measure also directs the 2020 Session of the General Assembly, in considering and enacting any legislation relating to workers' compensation and the presumption of compensability for certain cancers, to consider any research, findings, and recommendations from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission's review of the Virginia Workers' Compensation program. The provisions of this bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2020 Session of the General Assembly. This bill is identical to

Requires a rate filing by a health carrier that proposes area rate factors in the individual or small group market that exceed the weighted average of the proposed area rate factors among all rating areas by more than 15 percent to include, in publicly available and unredacted form, a comparison of the area rate factor for individual and small group plans that utilize the same provider network and provider reimbursement levels of the health benefit plans that are subject to the filing. In addition, to the extent that the health carrier is deriving any area rate factor from experience data, the measure requires the health carrier to provide additional information, including aggregated incurred claims for any provider exceeding 30 percent of total claims for the rating area in that market. The measure requires the State Corporation Commission to hold a public hearing before approving such proposed rates. The measure also bars the Commission from approving such a proposed rate filing if (i) a variance in area rate factors, indexed to the same rating region for both the individual and small group markets, of 15 percent or more exists between health benefit plans a carrier intends to offer in the individual market and health benefit plans intended to be offered in the small group market, when those plans utilize the same provider networks and reimbursement levels and (ii) the methodologies used to calculate the area rate factors are different between the two markets. The measure provides that beginning for plan year 2020, a health carrier with an approved rate filing that contains at least one area rate factor that exceeds by more than 25 percent the weighted average of the area rate factors among all rating areas in a market in which the health carrier offers individual or small group health insurance coverage shall file with the Commission for each calendar quarter during that plan year a report that provides, for each rating area within the market in which the health carrier operates, the plan's enrollment, total premiums, allowed claims, incurred claims excluding anticipated or, if available, actual risk adjustment payments or receipts, incurred claims including anticipated or, if available, actual risk adjustment payments or receipts, loss ratio, and aggregate claims, for each provider exceeding 25 percent of total claims for that rating area. The measure requires the health carrier to make each such quarterly report publicly available, without redaction, not later than 45 days after the end of the calendar quarter. This bill is identical to

Authorizes financial institution staff to refuse to execute a transaction, to delay a transaction, or to refuse to disburse funds, regardless of whether such staff has reported suspected financial exploitation, if the financial institution staff (i) believes in good faith that the transaction or disbursement may involve, facilitate, result in, or contribute to the financial exploitation of an aged or incapacitated adult or (ii) makes, or has actual knowledge that another person has made, a report to the local department of social services or adult protective services hotline stating a good faith belief that the transaction or disbursement may involve, facilitate, result in, or contribute to the financial exploitation of an aged or incapacitated adult. The measure authorizes financial institution staff to continue to refuse to execute a transaction, delay a transaction, or refuse to disburse funds for not more than 30 business days after the date such transaction or disbursement was initially requested on the basis of such a good faith belief, unless otherwise ordered by a court. The measure authorizes such staff, to the extent permitted by law, to report any information or records relevant to an investigation. A financial institution and its staff are immune from civil or criminal liability, absent gross negligence or willful misconduct, for refusing to execute a transaction, delaying a transaction, or refusing to disburse funds pursuant to this measure. This bill is identical to

Provides that, where the appointment of counsel is necessary pursuant to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, any attorney fees assessed shall not exceed $125, unless the court deems a higher amount appropriate.

Provides that the definition of "adequate shelter" includes the provision of shelter that, during hot weather, is shaded and does not readily conduct heat and, during cold weather, has a windbreak at its entrance and provides sufficient bedding material.