Licensed certified midwives; licensure; practice. Defines "practice of licensed certified midwifery" and directs the Boards of Medicine and Nursing to establish criteria for the licensure and renewal of a license as a certified midwife. The bill requires that licensed certified midwives practice in consultation with a licensed physician in accordance with a practice agreement. The bill also directs the Department of Health Professions to convene a work group to study the licensure and regulation of certified nurse midwives, certified midwives, and certified professional midwives to determine the appropriate licensing entity for such professionals. The bill requires the Department to report its findings and conclusions to the Governor and the General Assembly by November 1, 2021.
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Children's Services Act; effective monitoringand implementation. Requires the director of the Office of Children'sServices to provide for the effective implementation of the Children'sServices Act (§ 2.2-5200 et seq.) in all localities by (i) regularly monitoring local performance measures and child and family outcomes;(ii) using audit, performance, and outcomes data to identify localprograms that need technical assistance; and (iii) working with localprograms that are consistently underperforming to develop a correctiveaction plan for submission to the Office and the State ExecutiveCouncil for Children's Services.
Licensed private schools for students with disabilities; accreditation. Directs the Board of Education to require, pursuantto regulation, any private school for students with disabilitiesthat is licensed by the Board, as a condition for renewal of itsinitial license to operate, to obtain accreditation from an accreditingagency recognized by the Virginia Council for Private Education withinthree years of the issuance of its initial triennial license by theBoard. The bill provides that, notwithstanding the foregoing requirement,any private school for students with disabilities that is licensedto operate by the Board as of July 1, 2021, shall obtain accreditationfrom an accrediting agency recognized by the Virginia Council forPrivate Education no later than July 1, 2024.
Racial and ethnic impact statements for criminaljustice legislation. Provides that the Chair of the House Committeefor Courts of Justice or the Chair of the Senate Committee on theJudiciary may request the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission(JLARC) to review and prepare a racial and ethnic impact statementfor a proposed criminal justice bill to outline its potential impacton racial and ethnic disparities within the Commonwealth. The billrequires JLARC to provide copies of the impact statement to therequesting chair and the patron of the proposed bill. No more thanthree racial and ethnic impact statements may be requested by the Chair of the House Committee for Courts of Justice and no more thantwo racial and ethnic impact statements may be requested by theChair of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for completion duringa single regular session of the General Assembly.
Alcoholic beverage control; license application;locality input; corrective action. Adds the chief administrativeofficer of a locality to the list of persons who may be sent noticeof certain license applications by the Board of Directors (the Board)of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. The bill allowslocalities to submit conditional recommendations for the granting of a license and allows the locality to request a 15-day extensionto the 30-day period during which an objection to or recommendationfor a license must be submitted. The bill requires the Board to givereasonable consideration to any objection or recommendation submittedby the locality. The bill also expands the definition of criminalblight, for which the locality may require a property owner to takecorrective action, to include a condition existing on real propertythat endangers public health or safety and is caused by (i) the regularpresence on the property of persons in possession of controlled substances,(ii) the discharge of a firearm under certain conditions, and (iii)repeated violations of state laws or local ordinances involving actsthat pose a risk of danger to persons or private property.
Local elections for governing bodies; qualificationof voters. Clarifies that, notwithstanding any other provisionof law, general or special, in a locality that elects its governingbody at large from the locality, any qualified voter of the localityshall be entitled to vote for the at-large candidates, and in a localitythat elects its governing body from districts or wards, only thequalified voters of a district or ward shall be entitled to votefor the candidates of that district or ward. In a locality that electsits governing body from any combination of at-large and districtsor wards, any qualified voter of the locality shall be entitled tovote for the at-large candidates and only the qualified voters ofa district or ward shall be entitled to vote for the candidates ofthat district or ward.
Pharmacists; initiation of treatment; certain drugs and devices. Expands provisions governing the initiation of treatment with and dispensing and administering of drugs and devices by pharmacists to allow the initiation of treatment with and dispensing and administering of drugs, devices, and controlled paraphernalia to persons 18 years of age or older, in accordance with protocols developed by the Board of Pharmacy in collaboration with the Board of Medicine and the Department of Health, and of (i) vaccines included on the Immunization Schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; (ii) tuberculin purified protein derivative for tuberculosis testing; (iii) controlled substances for the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus, including controlled substances prescribed for pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis pursuant to guidelines and recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and (iv) drugs, devices, controlled paraphernalia, and other supplies and equipment available over-the-counter, covered by the patient's health carrier when the patient's out-of-pocket cost is lower than the out-of-pocket cost to purchase an over-the-counter equivalent of the same drug, device, controlled paraphernalia, or other supplies or equipment. The bill requires any pharmacist who administers a vaccination pursuant to clause (i) to report such administration to the Virginia Immunization Information System. The bill also (a) requires the Board of Pharmacy, in collaboration with the Board of Medicine and the Department of Health, to establish protocols for the initiation of treatment with and dispensing and administering of drugs, devices, and controlled paraphernalia by pharmacists in accordance with the provisions of the bill by November 1, 2021; (b) requires the Board of Pharmacy, in collaboration with the Board of Medicine, to adopt regulations within 280 days of the bill's enactment to implement the provisions of the bill; and (c) requires the Board of Pharmacy to continue the work group composed of equal number of representatives of the Boards of Pharmacy and Medicine and other stakeholders to provide recommendations regarding the developing of protocols for the initiation of treatment with and dispensing and administering of certain drugs and devices by pharmacists to persons 18 years of age or older.
Wetland and stream mitigation banks; proximity of impacted site. Provides that when a water protection permit applicant is required to purchase wetland or stream mitigation bank credits but no credits are available (i) in any mitigation provider's primary service area or (ii) at a cost of less than 200 percent of the price of credits available from a fund dedicated to achieving no net loss of wetland acreage and functions, the applicant may purchase or use credits from a mitigation provider's secondary service area. The bill provides certain requirements that the permit applicant must comply with in order to purchase or use such credits from a secondary service area, including minimum tree canopy requirements.
Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund and Program; handbook. Establishes the Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund and Program (the Fund and Program). The bill provides that no allocation of funds shall be made to the Fund or Program unless federal funds are available to cover the cost of such allocation. The Fund and Program shall be administered by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy for the purpose of awarding grants to renewable energy projects that are located on brownfields or previously coal mined lands, both defined in the bill. Grants are to be awarded on a basis of $500 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on previously coal mined lands and $100 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on brownfields. No more than $10 million shall be awarded to any previously coal mined lands project and no more than $5 million to any single brownfield project. No more than $35 million shall be allocated per year by the grant program. Of the $35 million, $20 million shall be reserved for previously coal mined lands projects. If less than $20 million is distributed to such projects, the remaining funds may be reallocated to brownfield projects. The bill also provides that the Department shall, in consultation with stakeholders, develop a handbook for renewable energy and energy storage development on brownfields and previously coal mined lands. Finally, the bill requires the Department to submit an annual report regarding administration of the Fund and Program to the General Assembly. However, the annual report shall not be required if the Fund and Program are not funded.
Board of Pharmacy; pharmaceutical processors; processing and dispensing cannabis oil; report. Effects numerous changes to the processing and dispensing of cannabis oil by pharmaceutical processors in the Commonwealth. The bill allows written certifications for use of cannabis oil to include an electronic practitioner signature. The bill also eliminates the requirement that a pharmacist have oversight of the cultivation and processing areas of a pharmaceutical processor, instead requiring pharmaceutical processors to designate a person to oversee cultivation and production areas; removes the requirement that a cannabis dispensing facility undergo quarterly inspections, instead requiring that inspections occur no more than once annually; and allows pharmaceutical processors to remediate cannabis oil that fails any quality testing standard. The bill requires pharmaceutical processors to maintain evidence of criminal background checks for all employees and delivery agents of the pharmaceutical processor. The bill directs the Board of Pharmacy to promulgate regulations implementing the provisions of the bill and regulations creating reasonable restrictions on advertising and promotion by pharmaceutical processors by July 1, 2021, and directs the Board of Pharmacy to solicit input from stakeholders and appropriate agencies of the Commonwealth in order to develop recommendations for legislative action to permit the acceptance of cannabis products by hospices and hospice facilities in the Commonwealth and report its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by October 1, 2021.