Sen. Creigh Deeds

Commending the Virginia Association of VolunteerRescue Squads.

Celebrating the life of Betsy Samuelson Greer.

Confirming Governor's appointments; February3. Confirming appointments of certain persons made by GovernorRalph Northam and communicated to the General Assembly February 3,2020.

Ex parte requests for investigative services or expertassistance in noncapital cases. Allows a defendant or his attorney, whensuch defendant is charged with a noncapital offense and is financially unableto pay for investigative services or expert assistance, to move a court toconduct an ex parte hearing on a request for such services or assistance. For amotion for investigative services, the bill requires a defendant or hisattorney to state under oath or in a sworn declaration that a need forconfidentiality exists regarding the request for investigative services and,after a hearing upon the motion, the court shall authorize the defendant or hisattorney to obtain investigative services upon a showing that the requestedservices would materially assist the defendant and are necessary in order toguarantee an adequate defense and that the lack of such confidential serviceswould result in a fundamentally unfair trial. For a motion for expertassistance, the bill requires a defendant or his attorney to show, in anadversarial proceeding before the trial judge, a particularized need forconfidentiality of the request for expert assistance. Upon a finding, by clearand convincing evidence, that a particularized need for confidentiality of theexpert services exists, the court shall hold an ex parte hearing and may orderthe appointment of a qualified expert upon a showing that the provision of therequested expert services would materially assist the defendant in preparinghis defense and the lack of such confidential assistance would result in afundamentally unfair trial.

Health insurance; narrow network plans.Prohibits a health carrier from offering more than one narrow networkplan, as defined in the bill, in a geographic region if any two narrownetwork plans offered by the health carrier would have the two lowest monthly premiums of any silver-level plans offered by the healthcarrier in the geographic region.

Commending Robert W. Duncan.

Commending the Division of Capitol Police, theVirginia Department of State Police, the Richmond Police Department,the Department of General Services, and the many other support unitsof the Unified Command.

Commemorating the life and legacy of Secretariat.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable KossenGregory.

Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System; provide benefits to conservation officers of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Adds conservation officers of the Department of Conservation and Recreation as members of the Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System. The bill makes conservation officers eligible to accrue retirement benefits under the Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System only for creditable service on and after July 1, 2020. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.