Del. Irene Shin

Local correctional facilities; fees. Eliminates certain fees charged to inmates within a local correctional facility,including a fee to defray the costs associated with an inmate's keep,travel and other expenses associated with an inmate's work releaseemployment or participation in an educational or rehabilitative program,and telephone systems. The bill also reduces certain fees chargedto inmates within a local correctional facility, including that thecost of items within a correctional facility's store or commissaryshall not exceed 10 percent of the typical market rate for the samegoods or services, and that the fee associated with electronic visitationand messaging systems shall not exceed the actual costs of establishingand operating such systems. The bill removes provisions that if aninmate is unable to pay in full such fees, the inmate must enter intoa deferred or installment payment agreement with the local correctionalfacility, or that such facility may enter into a contract for collectionof such fees with a private entity, a local governing body, or thecounty or city treasurer. The bill also provides that, upon dischargefrom a local correctional facility, an inmate shall receive, in theform of a check, electronic transfer, or a debit or other accountcard, the balance of all accounts maintained by the facility foran inmate's use.

Public accommodations, employment, and housing;prohibited discrimination on the basis of religion; includes outwardreligious expression. Clarifies that "religion" as it relatesto freedom of expression includes any outward expression of religiousfaith in contexts where discrimination on the basis of religion isprohibited.

Statute of limitations; medical debt; judgmententered for medical debt. Provides that the statute of limitationsfor an action on any contract, written or unwritten, to collect medicaldebt, including actions brought by the Commonwealth, is three years.The bill further provides that no execution shall be issued and noaction brought on a judgment, including a judgment in favor of theCommonwealth, rendered on medical debt after seven years from thedate of such judgment; where the medical debt incurred was for life-sustainingtreatment, no execution shall be issued and no action brought onsuch judgment more than three years from the date of such judgment.Under current law, the period within which such execution or actionshall be brought is 20 years in circuit court and 10 years in generaldistrict court.

Certain student-athletes; compensation forname, image, or likeness. The bill prohibits any (i) high school student-athlete who participates in interscholastic athletic competitionfrom entering into any contract to receive compensation in exchangefor the use of such student's name, image, or likeness and (ii) student-athleteenrolled at an institution of higher education in the Commonwealthwho participates in intercollegiate athletic competition from enteringinto any contract to receive compensation in exchange for the useof such student's name, image, or likeness, the duration of whichextends beyond the student's enrollment at such institution.