Del. Rod Willett

Child Care Subsidy Program; categorical eligibility for certain families. Provides that any family that receives public assistance through Medicaid or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children shall be deemed to categorically satisfy income eligibility requirements to receive assistance through the Child Care Subsidy Program.

Tax credit for participating landlords. Increases from $250,000 to $500,000 the maximum amount of tax credits that may be issued to participating landlords, as defined in relevant law, each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2025 and provides that, in the event that the amount of the qualified requests for tax credits for such participating landlords in the fiscal year exceeds $500,000, the Department of Housing and Community Development will prorate the tax credits among the qualified applicants. The bill also creates a pilot program that earmarks $100,000 for tax credits provided to a participating landlord renting a qualified housing unit in an eligible non-metropolitan census tract, as those terms are defined in the bill.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; annual review of medication and treatment for sickle cell disease; report. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to conduct an annual review of all medications and forms of treatment for sickle cell disease, and services for enrollees with a diagnosis of sickle cell disease, that are eligible for coverage under the state plan for medical assistance services. The bill requires the Department to report its findings and recommendations by November 15 each year to the Chairmen of the House Committee of Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health and to the Joint Commission on Health Care.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; real estate brokers; places of business. Defines "place of business" for real estate brokers. The bill requires every principal broker to have readily available to the public in his primary place of business the firm license, principal broker license, and the license of every salesperson and broker active with the firm and requires each branch office, defined in the bill, to have readily available to the public the branch office license and a roster of every salesperson or broker assigned to that branch office. Finally, the bill requires any nonresident real estate broker residing in a state that mandates resident real estate brokers of the Commonwealth to maintain a place of business in such mandating state to maintain a place of business in the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to SB 437.

Health insurance; prior authorization. Requires that any provider contract between a carrier and a participating health care provider contain specific provisions that require that if a prior authorization request is approved for prescription drugs and such prescription drugs have been scheduled, provided, or delivered to the patient consistent with the authorization, the carrier shall not revoke, limit, condition, modify, or restrict that authorization unless (i) there is evidence that the authorization was obtained based on fraud or misrepresentation; (ii) final actions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, other regulatory agencies, or the manufacturer remove the drug from the market, limit its use in a manner that affects the authorization, or communicate a patient safety issue that would affect the authorization alone or in combination with other authorizations; (iii) a combination of drugs prescribed would cause a drug interaction; or (iv) a generic or biosimilar is added to the prescription drug formulary. The bill provides that such provisions do not require a carrier to cover any benefit not otherwise covered or cover a prescription drug if the enrollee is no longer covered by a health plan on the date the prescription drug was scheduled, provided, or delivered. This bill is identical to SB 98.

Adult wellness screening; sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait. Provides that every adult resident of the Commonwealth may be offered screening tests for sickle cell disease or the sickle cell trait and requires that the health care professional in charge of an adult's annual health examination provide education and appropriate counseling regarding the results of any such test that is performed.

Superintendent of Public Instruction; pandemicrecovery task force; report. Requires the Superintendent ofPublic Instruction to establish and appoint such members as he deems necessary or appropriate to a pandemic recovery task force (the taskforce) within the Department of Education, the purpose of which isto examine the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on publiceducation in the Commonwealth and to provide recommendations, guidance,and resources to each local school division in order to enable allenrolled students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionallyand to meet or exceed pre-pandemic levels on all relevant metricsof student achievement and well-being. The bill requires the taskforce to focus particularly on student learning loss, attendance,and mental health and on vulnerable populations of students and toannually submit a report of its findings and recommendations to theBoard, the Governor, the General Assembly, and each school boardno later than November 1.

Health insurance; coverage for colorectal cancer screening. Requires health insurers to provide coverage for examinations and laboratory tests related to colorectal cancer screening in accordance with the most recently published recommendations established by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force for colorectal cancer screening for which a rating of A or B is in effect with respect to the individual involved. The bill requires such coverage to include coverage of a follow-up colonoscopy after a positive noninvasive stool-based screening test or direct visualization screening test. The bill prohibits such coverage from being subject to any deductible, coinsurance, or any other cost-sharing requirements for services received from participating providers. The provisions of the bill apply to individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies, individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts, or health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2025.

School building evacuation plans, policies,and protocols; students with mobility impairments. Requires anydivisionwide or public elementary or secondary school-specific schoolbuilding evacuation plan, policy, or protocol to include provisionsthat seek to maximize the opportunity for students with mobilityimpairments to evacuate the school building alongside their non-mobility-impairedpeers.

Campaign finance; independent expenditure reports; electronic filing required. Requires independent expenditure reports to be filed electronically. Current law allows such reports to be filed either electronically or in writing. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025. This bill is identical to SB 692.