Family caregiver tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2022 through 2026 for expenses incurred by an individual in caring for an eligible family member, defined in the bill, who requires assistance with one or more activities of daily living, also defined in the bill. The credit equals 50 percent of eligible expenditures incurred by the caregiver up to $1,000. In order to qualify for the credit, the family caregiver must (i) not receive any compensation or reimbursement for the eligible expenditures and (ii) have federal adjusted gross income that is no greater than $100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for married persons. The bill requires the Tax Commissioner to establish guidelines for claiming the credit and provides that any unused credit may be carried forward by the taxpayer for five taxable years following the taxable year for which the credit was issued. The bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care.
Del. Betsy Carr
Sponsored bills
Nursing home standards of care and staff requirements; regulations. Requires the State Board of Health to establishstaffing and care standards in nursing homes to require a minimumof direct care services to each resident per 24-hour period as follows:(i) a minimum of 2.8 direct care hours provided by a nurse aide perresident, per day; (ii) a minimum of 1.3 direct care hours providedby a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse per resident, perday; and (iii) a minimum of 0.75 hours out of total 4.1 required direct hours provided by a registered nurse per resident, per day.The bill requires nursing homes to provide quarterly staff trainingon first aid, medication administration, and compliance with nursinghome policies and procedures. Additionally, the bill removes languagerequiring that each hospital, nursing home, and certified nursingfacility establish protocols for patient visits from a rabbi, priest,minister, or clergy of any religious denomination or sect duringa declared public health emergency related to a communicable diseaseof public health threat.
Workplace violence protective orders. Providesthat an employer may petition the court for a preliminary protectiveorder or a protective order to protect the health and safety of itsemployees. The bill provides that the venue for a workplace violenceprotective order is the jurisdiction where the workplace is locatedfrom which the petitioner seeks to have the respondent prohibited.
Court appearance of a person not free on bail.Makes various changes to provisions regarding bail hearings, including(i) the appointment of counsel for the accused, (ii) the informationprovided to counsel for the accused, (iii) a requirement that counselfor the accused be provided with adequate time to confer with theaccused prior to any bail hearing, and (iv) the compensation of counselfor the accused. Effective in due course, the bill provides thatthe chief judge in each circuit shall create a plan to be completedby October 1, 2022, that establishes the means by which the jurisdictionwill meet these requirements. The remainder of the bill has a delayedeffective date of January 1, 2023.
Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board; comprehensivereview of labor statistics categories; report. Directs the VirginiaScience, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) EducationAdvisory Board (the Board) to perform a comprehensive review of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics categories within the standard occupational classification system and assess deficit areas that do not captureVirginia's existing STEM+C (Computing) workforce profile for thepurpose of better aligning K-12 and higher education priorities.The Board shall report its findings to the Virginia Economic DevelopmentPartnership Authority Office of Education and Labor Market Alignmentand the Chairmen of the House Committee on Communications, Technologyand Innovation and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technologyno later than October 1, 2022.
Comprehensive children's health care coverage program. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (the Department) to establish a program to provide state-funded comprehensive health care coverage for individuals in the Commonwealth who (i) are under 19 years of age, (ii) are not covered under a group health plan or health insurance coverage, and (iii) but for their immigration status would be eligible for medical assistance services through the Commonwealth's program of medical assistance services established pursuant to Title XIX or XXI of the Social Security Act. The bill also requires the Department to ensure that all program information is made available in a manner that is accessible to individuals with limited English proficiency through the provision of language access services, including oral interpretation and written translations, free of charge, and to ensure that information obtained by the program remains confidential and is not disclosed for any purpose not related to the administration of the program or any purpose related to civil immigration enforcement unless the subject of the information consents to such disclosure or the requesting agency presents a valid judicial order, subpoena, or warrant. The bill also requires the Department to establish a workgroup composed of individuals with experience conducting outreach to individuals who are eligible for the program established by the bill to advise and assist the Department in carrying out marketing and outreach activities required by the bill, and to seek all federal waivers and other approvals necessary to maximize federal financial participation in the cost of carrying out the program established by the bill.
Commending Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons.
Larceny of a catalytic converter; penalty. Provides that any person who conspires, confederates, or combines with another to commit larceny or counsels, assists, aids, or abets another in the performance of a larceny of a catalytic converter from a motor vehicle where the value of such catalytic converter is less than $1,000 is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill was incorporated into SB 729.
Celebrating the life of the Honorable FrankDuVal Hargrove, Sr.
Celebrating the life of the Honorable LinwoodA. Holton, Jr.