Del. Alex Q. Askew

Health insurance; cost-sharing payments for prescription insulin drugs. Prohibits health insurance companies and other carriers from setting an amount exceeding $30 per 30-day supply that a covered person is required to pay at the point of sale in order to receive a covered prescription insulin drug. The measure also prohibits a provider contract between a carrier or its pharmacy benefits manager and a pharmacy from containing a provision (i) authorizing the carrier's pharmacy benefits manager or the pharmacy to charge, (ii) requiring the pharmacy to collect, or (iii) requiring a covered person to make a cost-sharing payment for a covered prescription insulin drug in an amount that exceeds such limitation. This bill incorporates HB 1403.

Division of Offshore Wind; established. Establishes the Division of Offshore Wind in the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and gives it the following powers and duties: (i) to identify specific measures that will facilitate the establishment of the Hampton Roads region as a wind industry hub for offshore wind generation projects in state and federal waters off the United States coast; (ii) to coordinate state agencies' activities related to offshore wind; (iii) to develop and implement a stakeholder engagement strategy that identifies key groups, sets forth outreach objectives, and outlines a timeline for outreach and engagement; (iv) to identify regulatory and other barriers to the deployment of offshore wind and attraction of offshore wind supply chain businesses; and (v) to provide staff support for the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority and facilitate fulfillment of the Authority's purpose and duties.

Voter registration by mail; certain first-time voters permitted to vote by absentee ballot. Adds to the list of exceptions to the requirement that first-time voters who registered to vote by mail must vote in person those voters who are entitled under current law to vote by absentee ballot because they are confined while awaiting trial or for having been convicted of a misdemeanor. This bill incorporates HB 185.

Doulas; certification; registry. Provides that no person shall use or assume the title "state-certified doula," as defined in the bill, unless such person is a community-based doula who has received training and education as a doula from an entity approved by a body approved by the Board of Health for such purpose and been certified as a doula by a body approved by the Board of Health for such purpose and that no entity shall hold itself out as providing training and education necessary to meet the requirements for certification as a doula unless its curriculum and training program has been approved by a body approved by the Board of Health for such purpose. The bill also directs the Board of Health to adopt regulations setting forth the requirements for (i) use of the title "state-certified doula" and (ii) training and education necessary to satisfy the requirements for certification by the Department of Health as a state-certified doula.

Prisoners; obtaining certain identification documentation upon release. Requires the Department of Corrections and the sheriff, jail superintendent, or other jail administrator of a local correctional facility to provide to any prisoner who does not already possess a government-issued identification card a special identification card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles upon his release. Prior to the release of any prisoner after a period of confinement of 90 days or more, if such prisoner does not already possess an original birth certificate or a Social Security card, the bill also requires the Department of Corrections and the sheriff, jail superintendent, or other jail administrator of a local correctional facility to offer to (i) provide the assistance necessary for the prisoner to apply to the appropriate state and obtain an official copy of the prisoner's birth certificate and (ii) provide the assistance necessary for the prisoner to apply to the Social Security Administration and obtain a replacement Social Security card. The bill requires the correctional institutions to establish procedures for (a) securing such special identification cards through the Department of Motor Vehicles, (b) applying for and obtaining official copies of birth certificates or replacement Social Security cards, and (c) forwarding such documentation if it is not obtained prior to the prisoner's release or discharge. Such procedures shall include an offer to provide, or to assist the prisoner with providing, all paperwork necessary for such prisoner to be issued a special identification card, an official copy of a birth certificate, or a replacement Social Security card. The bill further provides that all costs and fees associated with obtaining such identification documentation shall be paid by the prisoner unless the prisoner is determined to be indigent. Current law authorizes local correctional institutions to issue special identification cards prior to the release of any prisoner and requires the prisoner to pay all costs and fees associated with obtaining such card.

TANF; family cap. Repeals the prohibitionon increasing the amount of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families(TANF) that a family receives upon the birth of a child during theperiod of TANF eligibility or during the period in which the familyor adult recipient is ineligible for TANF benefits pursuant to apenalty imposed by the Commissioner of Social Services for failureto comply with benefit eligibility or child support requirements.

Recounts; special election to be held in the case of a tie vote. Provides that if, after a recount of an election, the recount court finds that each party to the recount has received an equal number of votes, there shall be a special election to determine which candidate is elected to the office. This provision would not apply in cases of tie votes occurring after a recount of an election for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General, which the Constitution of Virginia provides for, or for electors of President and Vice President of the United States, which will continue to be determined by lot. This bill incorporates HB 178 and HB 692.

Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for certain diseases. Adds cancers of the colon, brain, or testes to the list of cancers that are presumed to be an occupational disease covered by the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act when firefighters or certain employees develop the cancer. The presumption shall not apply for any individual who was diagnosed with one of the conditions before July 1, 2020. The measure removes the compensability requirement that the employee who develops cancer had contact with a toxic substance encountered in the line of duty. The bill also reduces the number of years of service needed to qualify for the presumption from 12 to five for various types of cancer. For hypertension or heart disease, the bill adds a requirement that an individual complete five years of service in their position in order to qualify. This bill is identical to SB 9.

Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices; source of funds. Adds discrimination on the basis of a person's source of funds to the list of unlawful discriminatory housing practices. The bill creates an exemption for an owner or owner's managing agent, provided that such owner does not own more than four rental dwelling units or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four rental dwelling units in the Commonwealth at the time of the alleged discriminatory housing practice. The bill allows an owner or owner's managing agent to deny or limit a person's rental or occupancy of a rental dwelling unit based on the person's source of funds for that unit if such source is not approved within 15 days of the person's submission of the request for tenancy approval. The bill defines "source of funds" as any source that lawfully provides funds to or on behalf of a renter or buyer of housing, including any assistance, benefit, or subsidy program, whether such program is administered by a governmental or nongovernmental entity. This bill incorporates HB 357.

Board of Education; teacher licensure; written reprimand; suspension. Provides that when adopting regulations regarding the issuance of written reprimands of teachers and other school personnel required to hold a license, the Board of Education shall establish in such regulations the grounds for such written reprimands and provides that for a teacher who breaches his contract the local board of education or division superintendent, in addition to a written reprimand or revocation of the teacher's license as in current law, may issue a suspension of the teacher's license.