Del. Keith Hodges

Commending Virginia Polytechnic Institute andState University.

Commending the Virginia Manufacturers Association.

Multi-jurisdiction grand jury; elder abuse crimes. Adds the following to the list of crimes that a multi-jurisdiction grand jury may investigate: (i) financial exploitation of mentally incapacitated persons and (ii) abuse and neglect of incapacitated adults.

Freestanding emergency departments. Requiresthe Board of Health to promulgate regulations related to freestandingemergency departments, defined in the bill as facilities locatedin the Commonwealth that (i) provide emergency services, (ii) areowned and operated by a licensed hospital and operate under the hospital'slicense, and (iii) are located on separate premises from the primarycampus of the hospital. The bill also requires freestanding emergencydepartments to make certain disclosures to patients, in advertisements,and on any online platforms associated with such emergency department.

Retail sale of cannabis products by certain pharmaceuticalprocessors; sunset. Allows certain pharmaceutical processors to, under theoversight of the Board of Pharmacy, sell cannabis products at retail tounregistered persons who are 21 years of age or older without the need for awritten certification. The bill provides that such sales will be subject toexisting Board of Pharmacy regulations and other requirements set forth in thebill. The bill requires pharmaceutical processors engaging in such sales to paya $1 million fee and collect a 21 percent excise tax, both of which shallultimately be allocated to the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority to be usedto assist independent cannabis retailers located in designated rural and urbanopportunity zones. The bill also requires such pharmaceutical processors tosubmit and comply with a plan describing how the pharmaceutical processor will,in its health service area, educate consumers about responsible consumption ofcannabis products and incubate independent cannabis retailers or support andeducate persons that wish to participate in the cannabis market. The billdirects the Board of Directors of the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority topromulgate regulations governing sales, cultivation, extraction, processing,manufacturing, wholesaling, and other related activities conducted pursuant tothe provisions of the bill and provides that, upon the adoption of suchregulations, oversight of such activities shall transfer from the Board ofPharmacy to the Board of Directors of the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority.The bill expires when pharmaceutical processors engaging in the sale ofcannabis products pursuant to the provisions of the bill are authorized by theVirginia Cannabis Control Authority to apply for and be granted licenses tocultivate, manufacture, wholesale, and sell at retail to consumers 21 years ofage or older retail marijuana and retail marijuana products.

Virginia Resources Authority; short-term loans. Authorizes the Virginia Resources Authority to establish a revolving loan fund to make short-term loans to planning district commissions, with interest not to exceed one percent. Under the bill, the loans provide short-term cash flow to planning district commissions that receive state or federal grants that require the expenditure of funds prior to being reimbursed by grant funds.

Health insurance; retail community pharmacies.Requires a carrier to administer its health benefit plans in a mannerconsistent with certain requirements and to include such requirementsin its provider contracts addressing the provision of pharmacy benefitsmanagement. The bill provides that (i) a covered individual is permittedto fill any mail order-covered prescription, at the covered individual'soption, at any mail order pharmacy or network participating retailcommunity pharmacy under certain conditions; (ii) the carrier orpharmacy benefits manager is prohibited from imposing a differentialcopayment, additional fee, rebate, bonus, or other condition on anycovered individual who elects to fill his prescription at an in-network retail community pharmacy that is not similarly imposed on coveredindividuals electing to fill a prescription from a mail order pharmacy;and (iii) the pharmacy benefits manager is required to expresslydisclose to the carrier in the contract if the pharmacy benefitsmanager retains all or a greater portion of a drug manufacturer'srebate amount or any additional direct or indirect remuneration fromany third party for drugs dispensed through the pharmacy benefitsmanager-owned mail order pharmacy than the pharmacy benefits managerdoes for drugs dispensed through a retail community pharmacy. Thebill also removes the exemption for a self-insured or self-fundedemployee welfare benefit plan under provisions regulating pharmacybenefits managers.

Administrative Process Act; powers and dutiesof executive branch agencies; regulatory compliance officer. Providesthat each executive branch agency in the Commonwealth authorizedto promulgate regulations shall designate one person to serve as the regulatory compliance officer for that agency and provides for thepowers and duties of such regulatory compliance officer.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable FrankDuVal Hargrove, Sr.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable HarryRussell Potts, Jr.