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.
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; food stamp program; eligibility; postsecondary education. Adds participation in educational activities that lead to a post-secondary credential from an accredited institution of higher education or other postsecondary school licensed or certified by the Board of Education or the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to the list of activities to which a participant in the Virginia Initiative for Education and Work may be enrolled and directs the Board of Social Services to amend the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP benefits program) to (i) establish broad-based categorical eligibility, (ii) set the gross income eligibility standard at 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, (iii) not impose an asset limit for eligibility, and (iv) increase opportunities for self-sufficiency through postsecondary education by allowing SNAP benefits program participants to satisfy applicable employment and training requirements through enrollment in an accredited public institution of higher education or other postsecondary school licensed or certified by the Board of Education or the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
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.
Behavioral health assessments in local correctional facilities. Provides that the State Board of Local and RegionalJails, in establishing the minimum standards for behavioral healthservices in local correctional facilities, shall include a requirementthat if a behavioral health screening indicates that the person mayhave a mental illness, an assessment of his need for mental healthservices shall be conducted within 72 hours of the time of the screening.
Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. Establishesthe Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board to advise the Governor regardingthe economic, professional, cultural, educational, and governmentallinks between the Commonwealth and the LGBTQ+ community in Virginiaand sets out the powers and duties of the Board. The Board shallbe composed of 21 nonlegislative citizen members, at least 15 ofwhom shall identify as LGBTQ+, to be appointed by the Governor, andthe Secretaries of the Commonwealth, Commerce and Trade, Education,Health and Human Resources, and Public Safety and Homeland Security,or their designees, who shall serve as ex officio members.
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.
Naming U.S. Route 29; county manager plan ofgovernment. Authorizes the board of any locality that has adoptedthe county manager plan of government (Arlington County) to name any section of U.S. Route 29 located within the boundaries of thelocality. The bill provides that the Department of Transportation will place and maintain appropriate signs that will be paid for bythe locality.
Absentee voting; early in person; availabilityon Sundays. Permits the electoral board or general registrarof a county or city to provide absentee voting in person in the officeof the general registrar or voter satellite office on Sundays.