Del. Ken Plum

Provides that the 11 members of the Board of Commissioners of the Virginia Port Authority appointed by the Governor no longer serve at the pleasure of the Governor and may be removed prior to the expiration of a five-year term only for cause. The bill changes from nonvoting ex officio member to voting member the status of two members of the Board of Commissioners of the Virginia Port Authority appointed by the Governor, one of whom represents the Port of Richmond and is from the City of Richmond or the County of Chesterfield, Hanover, or Henrico and one of whom represents the Virginia Inland Port and is from the City of Winchester or the County of Clarke, Frederick, or Warren.  This bill is identical to

Requires any health benefit plan that is amended, renewed, or delivered on or after January 1, 2018, that provides coverage for hormonal contraceptives to cover up to a 12-month supply of hormonal contraceptives when dispensed or furnished at one time for a covered person or at a location licensed or otherwise authorized to dispense drugs or supplies. Such a plan is prohibited, in the absence of clinical contraindications, from imposing utilization controls or other forms of medical management limiting the supply of hormonal contraceptives that may be dispensed or furnished by a provider or pharmacy, or at a location licensed or otherwise authorized to dispense drugs or supplies, to an amount that is less than a 12-month supply. The measure does not require a provider to prescribe, furnish, or dispense 12 months of self-administered hormonal contraceptives at one time. The measure also provides that it shall not be construed to exclude coverage for hormonal contraceptives as prescribed by a provider for reasons other than contraceptive purposes, such as decreasing the risk of ovarian cancer or eliminating symptoms of menopause, or for contraception that is necessary to preserve the life or health of an enrollee.

Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission Interstate Compact. The compact establishes a state safety oversight authority for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Rail System, pursuant to the mandate of federal law, to review, approve, oversee, and enforce the safety of the WMATA Rail System. The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to negotiate, on the Commonwealth's behalf, the terms for revision of the WMATA Compact with the other signatories to the WMATA Compact. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Directs the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities to identify the history of formerly enslaved African Americans in Virginia and determine ways to preserve the history for educational and cultural purposes. Among other things, the Foundation would promote the identification, preservation, and conservation of historic sites significant to the history, presence, and contributions of formerly enslaved African Americans in Virginia; identify the contributions of African Americans to Virginia, the nation, and the world; identify historical sites significant to African American history in Virginia; and recommend ways to increase tourism and revenues associated with such sites. The bill creates a task force consisting of legislative and nonlegislative members to assist the Foundation in its work.

Requires all comprehensive agreements originally entered into on or after July 1, 2017, resulting in privately funded roads open for public transportation to include a provision requiring funding for adequate staffing, defined in the bill, for general law-enforcement services by the Virginia State Police.

Provides that the Virginia Historical Society shall plan and lead the commemoration of the centennial anniversary of women's right to vote in 2020. The bill creates a 12-member task force to assist the Virginia Historical Society, in collaboration with the Library of Virginia, the Department of Education, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy, the VCU Libraries Special Collections and Archives, and interested civic and community organizations, in planning, developing, and performing programs and activities appropriate to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote and the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The provisions of the bill expire on January 1, 2021.

Provides that any officer who is convicted of a felony under the laws of any state or the United States shall be automatically suspended upon such conviction, regardless of any appeals, pleadings, delays, or motions. The bill contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to

Authorizes the registration of peer recovery specialists and qualified mental health professionals by the Board of Counseling. The bill defines "qualified mental health professional" as a person who by education and experience is professionally qualified and registered by the Board of Counseling to provide collaborative mental health services for adults or children. The bill requires that a qualified mental health professional provide such services as an employee or independent contractor of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or a provider licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The bill defines "registered peer recovery specialist" as a person who by education and experience is professionally qualified and registered by the Board of Counseling to provide collaborative services to assist individuals in achieving sustained recovery from the effects of addiction or mental illness, or both. The bill requires that a registered peer recovery specialist provide such services as an employee or independent contractor of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, a provider licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, a practitioner licensed by or holding a permit issued from the Department of Health Professions, or a facility licensed by the Department of Health. The bill adds qualified mental health professionals and registered peer recovery specialists to the list of mental health providers that are required to take actions to protect third parties under certain circumstances and notify clients of their right to report to the Department of Health Professions any unethical, fraudulent, or unprofessional conduct. The bill directs the Board of Counseling and the Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of the bill within 280 days of its enactment. This bill is identical to

Prohibits postsecondary schools that are required to be certified by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (the Council) from enrolling students without entering into an enrollment agreement with each student. The enrollment agreement is required to be signed by the student and an authorized representative of the school and to contain all disclosures prescribed by the Council.