Del. Terry Kilgore

Electric utilities; fuel cost recovery. Requires an electric utility, as a condition of approval of any request by an electric utility for recovery through its fuel factor of costs incurred under a natural gas capacity contract not previously subject to review in a fuel factor case, to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the utility has (i) determined that the utility cannot meet its service obligations, giving due regard, in the Commission's sole discretion, to reliability of service and the need to maintain reliable sources of supply, without an additional fuel resource; (ii) reasonably identified and determined the date and amount of the new fuel resource it needs; (iii) objectively studied available alternative fuel resource options, as verified by the Commission, including options other than a new natural gas capacity contract or contracts to meet the identified and determined need; and (iv) determined that the natural gas capacity contract or contracts are the lowest-cost available option, taking into consideration fixed and variable costs and a reasonable projection of utilization.

Telehealth services. Defines "telehealthservices" as the delivery of health care services, including telemedicineservices and other medical, emergency medical, and behavioral health servicesthat are not equivalent to health care services provided through face-to-faceconsultation or contact between a health care provider and a patient, throughthe use of telecommunications and information technology that supports thedelivery of remote or long-distance health care services. The bill requires theBoard of Medical Assistance Services to include in the state plan for medicalassistance services a provision for coverage of telehealth services. The billalso requires (i) requires the Board of Health to develop and maintain anEmergency Telehealth Plan as a component of the Statewide Emergency MedicalServices Plan, (ii) every insurer proposing to issue individual or groupaccident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical andsurgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; (iii) eachcorporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscriptioncontracts; and (iv) each health maintenance organization providing a healthcare plan for health care services to provide coverage for the cost of suchhealth care services provided through telehealth services.  The bill also requires the Secretary of Health and HumanResources to establish a workgroup to develop recommendations for innovative payment models that support the use of telehealth services andtelemedicine services in accordance with the Statewide Emergency TelehealthPlan including payment of the cost of transporting of a patient to adestination providing services appropriate to the patient’s level of acuity andin-place treatment of a patient at the scene of an emergency response or vialtelehealth services or telemedicine services where appropriate, and appropriateliability protections for health care providers providing services throughtelehealth services and telemedicine services. The workgroup shall report itsrecommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committees onAppropriations and Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committeeson Education and Health and Finance by November 1, 2020.

Health insurance; coverage for autism spectrum disorder. Requires health insurers, corporations providing health care subscription plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder under insurance policies, subscription contracts, or health care plans issued in the individual market or small group markets. The existing requirement that such coverage be provided for policies, contracts, or plans issued in the large group market is not affected. 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, 2021. This bill incorporates HB 1043 and is identical to SB 1031.

Public schools; provisional teacher licensure;certain individuals. Permits any school board and division superintendentto extend from three months to six months the period within whichthe provisional license of an individual seeking initial teacherlicensure who has not completed professional assessments will expirefor the purpose of establishing such individual's eligibility forinitial licensure, provided that such individual has received a satisfactorymid-year performance review in the current school year and meetsall other eligibility criteria.

School boards; career and technical education;academic and career plans; contents. Requires each school boardto include, as part of each student's academic and career plan inthe career and technical education curricula, a list of (i) the top100 professions in the Commonwealth by median pay and the education,training, and skills required for each such profession and (ii) thetop 10 degree programs at institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth by median pay of program graduates. The bill requiresthe Department of Education to annually compile such lists and providethem to each local school board.

Workers' compensation; Ombudsman program. Authorizes the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission to create an Ombudsman program and appoint an ombudsman to administer such program. The program's purpose is to provide neutral educational information and assistance to persons who are not represented by an attorney, including those persons who have claims pending or docketed before the Commission.

Specialty dockets; veterans docket. Providesthat any veterans docket authorized and established as a local specialtydocket in accordance with the Rules of Supreme Court of Virginiashall be deemed a "Veterans Treatment Court Program," as that termis used under federal law or by any other entity, for the purposesof applying for, qualifying for, or receiving any federal grants,other federal money, or money from any other entity designated toassist or fund such state programs. The bill contains an emergencyclause.

GO Virginia grants; matching funds. Allows a locality to use funds awarded from the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission as matching funds for a GO Virginia grant award. No other state funds are authorized to be used as a source of matching funds. The provisions of the bill sunset on July 1, 2021.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; statute oflimitations on actions on construction contracts; statute of limitationson actions on performance bonds. Provides that no action maybe brought by a public body on any construction, architectural, orengineering contract, including construction management and design-buildcontracts, unless such action is brought within five years aftercompletion of the work on the project, and provides that no action may be brought by a public body on a warranty or guaranty in suchconstruction contract more than one year from the breach of thatwarranty, but in no event more than one year after the expirationof such warranty or guaranty. The bill also limits the time frameduring which a public body may bring an action against a surety ona performance bond to within one year after completion of the workon the project. Current law allows a public body, other than theDepartment of Transportation, to bring such an action within oneyear after (i) completion of the contract, including the expiration of all warranties and guaranties, or (ii) discovery of the defector breach of warranty that gave rise to the action. The bill contains technical amendments.

Virginia Defense Force; maximum age for recruitment. Permits the Adjutant General of Virginia to recruit members to the Virginia Defense Force who are between the ages of 65 and 75. Under current law, the Adjutant General is only permitted to retain existing members of the Virginia Defense Force once they have attained the age of 65.