Del. Cliff Hayes

Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Fundand Program established. Establishes the Get Skilled,Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Fund and requires the Virginia Community College System to establish the G3 Program for the purpose of providing financial assistance from the Fund to certain low-income and middle-income Virginia students who are enrolled in an educational program at an associate-degree-granting public institution of higher educationthat leads to an occupation in a certain high-demand field. The billcontains provisions for student eligibility, financial assistanceaward amounts, and data reporting.

Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Programand Fund; established. Requires the Commissioner of Agricultureand Consumer Services (the Commissioner) to establish the VirginiaAgriculture Food Assistance Program (VAFA Program) for Virginia farmersand food producers to donate, sell, or otherwise provide agricultureproducts to charitable food assistance organizations. The bill also creates the Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Fund to disbursemoneys to such charitable food assistance organizations to reimbursefarmers or food producers for any costs associated with harvesting,processing, packaging, or transporting agriculture products donatedto such charitable food assistance organizations. The bill authorizesthe Commissioner to adopt guidelines and regulations to carry outthe VAFA Program.

Aging services; economic and social need. Provides that, in providing aging services, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services shall prioritize providing services to older persons with the greatest economic or social need. The bill defines "economic need" as need resulting from an income level at or below the poverty line and "social need" as need caused by noneconomic factors, including (i) physical and mental disabilities, which may include developmental disabilities and human immunodeficiency virus; (ii) language barriers; and (iii) cultural, social, or geographic isolation, including that caused by racial or ethnic status, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation that restricts an individual's ability to perform normal daily tasks or threatens such individual's capacity to live independently.

Department of the Treasury and State Treasurer;bonds. Eliminates language that directs certain officers andboard members to procure individual surety bonds mandated by currentlaw when such officers and board members are already covered underbonding provided by the Division of Risk Management. The bill directssuch officers and board members to be bonded pursuant to the blanketsurety bond plan for state and local employees.

Produce Rx Program established; report. Directs the Department of Social Services, in cooperation with the Department of Medical Assistance Services, to convene a work group to develop a plan for a three-year pilot Produce Rx program to incentivize consumption of qualifying fruits and vegetables by eligible individuals for whom increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is recommended by a qualified care provider. The bill requires the Department of Social Services to report on the activities of the work group and the elements of the plan to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations by October 1, 2021.

Absentee voting; accessibility for voters witha visual impairment or print disability. Requires the Departmentof Elections to make available to all localities a tool to allowvoters with a visual impairment or print disability to electronicallyand accessibly receive and mark his absentee ballot using screenreader assistive technology. On receipt of an application for an absentee ballot from an applicant who indicates that he will require assistance due to a visual impairment or print disability, the general registrar is required to offer to provide to the applicant the ballotmarking tool with screen reader assistive technology.

Clinical nurse specialist; licensure; practice. Changes from the requirement of registration as clinical nurse specialists to the licensure of nurse practitioners as clinical nurse specialists by the Boards of Medicine and Nursing and provides that a nurse practitioner licensed as a clinical nurse specialist shall practice pursuant to a practice agreement between the clinical nurse specialist and a licensed physician and in a manner consistent with the standards of care for the profession and applicable law and regulations. For the transition of registration to licensure, the bill requires the Boards of Medicine and Nursing to jointly issue a license to practice as a nurse practitioner in the category of a clinical nurse specialist to an applicant who is an advance practice registered nurse who has completed an advanced graduate-level education program in the specialty category of clinical nurse specialist and who is registered by the Board of Nursing as a clinical nurse specialist on July 1, 2021.

Surgical technologist; certification; use oftitle. Provides that that no person shall hold himself out tobe a surgical technologist or use or assume the title of "surgicaltechnologist" or "certified surgical technologist" unless such personis certified by the Board of Medicine; currently, a person mustbe registered with the Board of Medicine to use the title "registeredsurgical technologist." The bill also (i) adds a requirement thatan applicant whose certification is based on his holding a current credential as a certified surgical technologist from the NationalBoard of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting also demonstratethat he has successfully completed an accredited surgical technologisttraining program and (ii) provides that the Board of Medicine maycertify a person who has practiced as a surgical technologist atany time in the six months prior to July 1, 2021, provided that heregisters with the Board of Medicine by December 31, 2021.

Pharmaceutical processors; cannabis products.Permits pharmaceutical processors to produce and distribute cannabisproducts other than cannabis oil. The bill defines the terms "botanicalcannabis," "cannabis product," and "usable cannabis." The bill requiresthe Board of Pharmacy to establish testing standards for botanical cannabis and botanical cannabis products, establish a registrationprocess for botanical cannabis products, and promulgate emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill allowsthe Board of Pharmacy to assess and collect a one-time botanicalcannabis regulatory fee from each pharmaceutical processor, not toexceed $50,000, to cover costs associated with the implementationof the provisions of the bill, including costs for new personnel,training, promulgation of regulations and guidance documents, andinformation technology.

Department of General Services; removal of HarryF. Byrd, Sr., statue. Directs the Department of General Servicesto remove the statue of former Virginia Governor and U.S. SenatorHarry F. Byrd, Sr., from Capitol Square. The bill directs the Departmentto store the statue until such time as the General Assembly determinesits final disposition.