Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services;Department of State Police; mobile applications; mental health and publicsafety. Requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services(DBHDS) to develop or obtain a mental health mobile application to facilitatethe provision of crisis intervention services by licensed clinicians toindividuals in the Commonwealth through calls, texts, and online chat portals.The bill requires the mobile application to be integrated with the crisisintervention phone hotline administered by a third-party provider undercontract with the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) and requiresDMAS to provide DBHDS with data and other information necessary to ensure suchintegration. The Secretary of Health and Human Resources is directed topromote, market, and advertise the use of such application.The bill also requires the Department of State Police, incoordination with the Virginia Fusion Intelligence Center, to (i) develop orobtain a public safety mobile application to enable individuals in theCommonwealth to furnish confidential tips to the Department of State Policethrough text, audio, images, or video concerning a suspected, anticipated, orcompleted criminal violation or a school-related safety concern and (ii)develop a referral system to ensure that such confidential tips are referred tothe appropriate law-enforcement agency, school board, threat assessment team,or other relevant entity. The Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Securityis directed to promote, market, and advertise the use of such application.The bill directs DBHDS and the Department of State Police tocoordinate the development or procurement of one comprehensive mobileapplication or separate mobile applications.
Sponsored bills
Superintendent of Public Instruction; UrbanTeacher Fund and Program; established. Establishes the Urban Teacher Fund and Program, to be administered by the Superintendentof Public Instruction, for the purpose of providing grants to personsemployed in urban school divisions with teacher shortages who remain employed by the urban school division for a period of at least fiveyears.
Virginia Minority Business Commission; report. Establishes a 13-member legislative Commission to promote the growthand competitiveness of Virginia minority-owned businesses. The bill provides that the Commission sunsets on July 1, 2023.
Department of Veterans Services; hyperbaricoxygen therapy; data collection. Allows the Department of VeteransServices (the Department) to contract with any hospital in the Commonwealththat furnishes the treatment option of hyperbaric oxygen therapyto provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to any veteran in the Commonwealthwho has been certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairsor any branch of the United States Armed Forces as having post-traumaticstress disorder or traumatic brain injury. The Department shall includein any contract with such hospital to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapythe requirement that data be collected to assess the efficacy ofhyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans and any other informationdeemed relevant by the Department.
Compensation of experts in criminal cases. Increases from $750 to $1,200 the maximum fee that the court may pay for professional services rendered by each psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, or other expert appointed by the court to render professional service in a criminal case other than capital murder. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.
Group health benefit plans; bona fide associations; benefits consortium. Provides that certain trusts constitute a benefits consortium and are authorized to sell health benefits plans to members of a sponsoring association that (i) has been formed and maintained in good faith for purposes other than obtaining or providing health benefits; (ii) does not condition membership in the sponsoring association on any factor relating to the health status of an individual, including an employee of a member of the sponsoring association or a dependent of such an employee; (iii) makes any health benefit plan available to all members regardless of any factor relating to the health status of such members or individuals eligible for coverage through a member; (iv) does not make any health benefit plan available to any person who is not a member of the association; (v) makes available health plans or health benefit plans that meet requirements provided for in the bill; (vi) operates as a nonprofit entity under § 501(c)(5) or 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code; and (vii) has been in active existence for at least five years. The bill replaces references to "bona fide association," as used in provisions applicable to health care plans in the small employer market, with the term "sponsoring association."The bill requires any health benefit plan issued by a self-funded multiple employer welfare arrangement (MEWA) that covers one or more employees of one or more small employers to (a) provide essential health benefits and cost-sharing requirements; (b) offer a minimum level of coverage designed to provide benefits that are actuarially equivalent to 60 percent of the full actuarial value of the benefits provided under the plan; (c) not limit or exclude coverage for an individual by imposing a preexisting condition exclusion on that individual; (d) be prohibited from establishing discriminatory rules based on health status related to eligibility or premium or contribution requirements as imposed on health carriers; (e) meet the renewability standards set forth for health insurance issuers; (f) establish base rates formed on an actuarially sound, modified community rating methodology that considers the pooling of all participant claims; and (g) utilize each employer member's specific risk profile to determine premiums by actuarially adjusting above or below established base rates, and utilize either pooling or reinsurance of individual large claimants to reduce the adverse impact on any specific employer member's premiums.The bill prohibits a self-funded MEWA from issuing health benefit plans in the Commonwealth until it has obtained a license pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Commission. The bill authorizes the Commission to adopt regulations applicable to self-funded MEWAs, including regulations addressing financial condition, solvency requirements, and the exclusion of self-funded MEWAs from the Virginia Life, Accident and Sickness Insurance Guaranty Association.
Local tax authority. Modifies the restrictions that currently apply to county admission, cigarette, food and beverage, and transient occupancy taxes. The bill authorizes all counties to tax cigarettes at up to 40 cents per pack. The bill limits the cigarette tax rate of cities and towns to 40 cents per pack or the rate in effect on January 1, 2020, whichever is greater. Under current law, there is no limit on the cigarette tax rate that may be imposed by a city or town.The bill authorizes all counties, except the counties of James City and York, to impose an admissions tax at a rate of up to ten percent. Under current law, only certain counties may impose an admissions tax, and the rate generally is capped at 10 percent.The bill authorizes all counties to impose a food and beverage tax (commonly referred to as the meals tax) at a rate of up to six percent. Under current law, counties are limited to a four percent rate. The bill removes the requirement that a county hold a referendum before imposing a meals tax. However, if a county held a meals tax referendum that failed within the past two years, it would be prohibited from imposing a tax by ordinance until July 1, 2022.The bill authorizes all counties to impose a transient occupancy tax at a rate of up to five percent; however, if a county currently imposes the tax at a higher rate, it may continue to impose the tax at that rate. Under current law, counties generally are limited to a maximum rate of two percent, although certain counties may impose the tax at higher rates.The bill directs the Division of Legislative Services to convene a work group to develop recommendations as to any additional legislative changes that may be needed to effectuate the provisions of the bill. The bill also directs the Division to study the different legal authorities and requirements that apply to cities and counties that are not related to taxation. The bill directs the Department of Taxation to convene a workgroup to study modernizing the cigarette tax stamping process and unifying it so that it would be administered only at the state level. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2021, and incorporates SB484, SB921, SB682, and SB799.
Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund; loan and grant program. Continues the Virginia Shoreline Resiliency Fund as the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund, providing that the Fund shall include all sums that are deposited from revenue generated by the sale of emissions allowances and are designated to assist localities affected by recurrent flooding, sea level rise, and flooding from severe weather events. The bill directs the Virginia Resources Authority to manage the Fund and the Department of Conservation and Recreation to administer the Fund. The measure authorizes the Authority to manage the Fund in accordance with a memorandum of agreement with the Department and to pledge the assets of the Fund as security for any bonds issued to finance flood prevention or protection projects. The bill authorizes localities to lend or grant money from the Fund to implement flood prevention and protection projects and studies, requiring that at least 25 percent of the money disbursed from the Fund each year be used for projects in low-income geographic areas. The measure also authorizes any locality to forgive the principal of a loan it grants in a low-income geographic area so long as the total amount of loans forgiven by all localities does not exceed 30 percent of the amount appropriated to the Fund during the fiscal year. The bill provides that any locality that forgives such a loan remains obligated to pay the principal to the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to HB 22.
Hampton Roads Regional Transit Program. Creates the Hampton Roads Regional Transit Program to develop, maintain, and improve a regional network of transit routes and related infrastructure, rolling stock, and support facilities. The program would be funded by an additional (i) regional grantor's tax at a rate of $0.06 per $100 of the consideration for the conveyance and (ii) regional transient occupancy tax at a rate of one percent of the charge for the occupancy, both imposed in localities in the Hampton Roads Transportation District. The bill also dedicates $20 million of revenues from existing recordation taxes to funding the program. The moneys would be deposited into the Hampton Roads Regional Transit Fund, created by the bill. Use of the funds would require a two-thirds vote of the localities in which the new taxes were imposed. The bill also includes a local maintenance of effort of public transportation funding. This bill is identical to HB 1726.
Electric utilities; offshore wind development. Provides that the construction or purchase by a public utility of one or more offshore wind generation facilities located off the Commonwealth's Atlantic shoreline or in federal waters and interconnected directly into the Commonwealth, with an aggregate capacity of up to 5,200 megawatts, is in the public interest. The measure provides that construction by Dominion Energy Virginia of one or more new utility-owned and utility-operated generating facilities utilizing energy derived from offshore wind and located off the Commonwealth's Atlantic shoreline, with an aggregate rated capacity between 2,500 megawatts and 3,000 megawatts, along with electrical transmission or distribution facilities associated therewith for interconnection is in the public interest. The measure provides that the State Corporation Commission will determine the reasonableness and prudence of associated costs and will presume such costs to be reasonable and prudent if certain criteria are met. The measure requires the Commission to permit a portion of the nameplate capacity of any such facility, in the aggregate, to be allocated to (i) certain commercial and industrial customers or (ii) qualifying large general service customers, provided that no more than 10 percent of the offshore wind facility's capacity is allocated to qualifying large general service customers. The measure provides that such costs shall be allocated to all customers of the utility in the Commonwealth as a non-bypassable charge, irrespective of the generation supplier of any such customer except for customers who are eligible for a Percentage of Income Payment Program, certain commercial and industrial customers, and qualifying large general service customers. The measure requires the utility to submit a plan to the Commission that includes the following considerations: (a) options for utilizing local workers; (b) the economic development benefits of the project for the Commonwealth, including capital investments and job creation; (c) consultation with the Commonwealth's Chief Workforce Development Officer, the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, on opportunities to advance the Commonwealth's workforce and economic development goals, including furtherance of apprenticeship and other workforce training programs; and (d) giving priority to the hiring, apprenticeship, and training of veterans, local workers, and workers from historically economically disadvantaged communities. The measure provides that any such project is required to include an environmental and fisheries mitigation plan submitted to the Commission for the construction and operation of such offshore wind facilities. The bill is identical to HB 1664 and SB 998.