Del. Kaye Kory

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.

Abolition of the death penalty. Abolishes the death penalty, including for those persons currently under a death sentence. The bill provides that no person may be sentenced to death or put to death on or after its effective date for any violation of law.

Telemedicine services; remote patient monitoring services. Requires the Board of Medical Assistance Services to include in the state plan for medical assistance services a provision for the payment of medical assistance for remote patient monitoring services provided via telemedicine for (i) high-risk pregnant persons; (ii) medically complex infants and children; (iii) transplant patients; (iv) patients who have undergone surgery, for up to three months following the date of such surgery; and (v) patients with a chronic health condition who have had two or more hospitalizations or emergency department visits related to such chronic health condition in the previous 12 months. The services include monitoring of clinical patient data such as weight, blood pressure, pulse, pulse oximetry, blood glucose, and other patient physiological data; treatment adherence monitoring; and interactive video conferencing with or without digital image upload. The bill also clarifies the definition of "telemedicine services" to provide that nothing in the bill precludes coverage for a service that is not a telemedicine service, including real-time audio-only telehealth services. The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to adopt regulations for reimbursement for telemedicine services delivered through audio-only telephone and to promulgate and adopt uniform regulations for remote patient monitoring for all Medicaid managed care organizations to implement and follow. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act. This bill incorporates SB 1416.

Commonwealth Clean Energy Policy. Establishes the Commonwealth Clean Energy Policy, replacing the Commonwealth Energy Policy. The bill sets out the energy policy and objectives of the Commonwealth Clean Energy Policy, which include: (i) the Commonwealth recognizes that effectively addressing climate change and enhancing resilience will advance the health, welfare, and safety of the residents of the Commonwealth and that addressing climate change requires reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the Commonwealth's economy sufficient to reach net-zero emission by 2045 in all sectors, including the electric power, transportation, industrial, agricultural, building, and infrastructure sectors; (ii) the Commonwealth recognizes the need to promote environmental justice and ensure that it is carried out throughout the Commonwealth and the need to address and prevent energy inequities in historically economically disadvantaged communities; and (iii) the Commonwealth must continue to prioritize economic competiveness and workforce development in an equitable manner.

Abolition of the death penalty. Abolishes the death penalty, including for those persons currently under a death sentence. The bill incorporates HB 1779.

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.

Electric utilities; Percentage of Income Payment Program. Requires the Department of Social Services (the Department), in consultation with, as it deems necessary, the Department of Housing and Community Development, to adopt rules or establish guidelines for the adoption, implementation, and general administration of the Percentage of Income Payment Program (PIPP) and the Percentage of Income Payment Fund (Fund). The bill requires the PIPP to commence no later than March 1, 2022.The bill establishes the Fund for the purposes of implementing and administering the PIPP and related programs. The bill requires Dominion Energy Virginia and American Electric Power to cooperate with the requests of the Department and the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) in the implementation and administration of the PIPP. The Commission is required to promulgate any rules necessary to ensure that funds collected from each utility's universal service fee are directed to the Fund. The bill requires the Commission to initiate proceedings to provide for an annual true-up of the universal service fee within 60 days of the commencement of the PIPP and on an annual or semiannual basis thereafter. The bill provides that the PIPP may utilize existing energy efficiency or related programs approved by the Commission. The bill authorizes the Department to determine what deficiencies exist in existing and available federal, state, local, or nonprofit programs to meet energy reduction obligations and to (i) make recommendations to the Commission or the utilities regarding such deficiency analysis and (ii) develop programs to address such deficiencies. The bill authorizes the Department to develop and implement non-utility energy efficiency programs and other programs for the reduction of energy use for eligible participants in the PIPP, provided that the Department engage in a stakeholder process and undertake a cost-benefit analysis in the development of any such programs. The bill requires that the Commission to make adjustments to the universal service fee as necessary to provide adequate funding for such programs. Additionally, the bill requires the Commission to initiate any proceedings to establish new energy efficiency or low-income programs proposed by a utility as necessary to provide service to PIPP participants over a timeframe to be determined by the Commission. The bill requires the Commission to issue an order providing for the non-bypassable universal service fee as soon as practicable following the bill's effective date.

Aging services; economic and social need. Provides that, in providing aging services, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services shall prioritize providing services to older persons with the greatest economic or social need. The bill defines "economic need" as need resulting from an income level at or below the poverty line and "social need" as need caused by noneconomic factors, including (i) physical and mental disabilities, which may include developmental disabilities and human immunodeficiency virus; (ii) language barriers; and (iii) cultural, social, or geographic isolation, including that caused by racial or ethnic status, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation that restricts an individual's ability to perform normal daily tasks or threatens such individual's capacity to live independently.

Telemedicine. Clarifies that nothing shallpreclude coverage of telehealth services by an insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policiesproviding hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverageon an expense-incurred basis; a corporation providing individualor group accident and sickness subscription contracts; or a healthmaintenance organization providing a health care plan for healthcare services. The bill requires the Board of Medical AssistanceServices to amend the state plan for medical assistance to providefor payment of medical assistance for remote patient monitoring servicesprovided via telemedicine for certain high-risk patients, and providesfor the establishment of a practitioner-patient relationship viatelemedicine for the prescribing of Schedule II through VI controlledsubstances.

Department of Veterans Services; Military Spouse Liaison; position created. Establishes the position of Military Spouse Liaison (the Liaison) in the Department of Veterans Services to conduct outreach and advocate on behalf of military spouses in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Liaison to report by December 1 of each year through the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services to the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, the Governor, and the General Assembly on the work of the Liaison and any legislative recommendations. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.