Sen. John Bell

Hospitals; price transparency. Requires every hospital to make information about standard charges for items and services provided by the hospital available on the hospital's website by July 1, 2023. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to develop recommendations for implementation of the bill and to report those recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2022.

Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind; Board of Visitors to report to the Governor. Requires that the Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind be subject to the direction and supervision of the Governor. The bill repeals the existing responsibility for the Board, currently designated as a policy agency in the executive branch of state government, by the Secretary of Education. The bill exempts the Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind from the definition of "executive branch agency" with respect to the Virginia Information Technologies Agency. The bill directs the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind to consult with the Virginia Information Technologies Agency to develop a plan to independently provide information technology support for the school and to submit such plan to the Board of Visitors of the school no later than October 1, 2022. The bill also contains a reenactment clause that applies to all provisions of the bill other than the development of the technology support plan.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; bid bonds; certain transportation-related contracts. Provides that, except in cases of emergency, all bids and proposals for certain transportation-related contracts in excess of $350,000 and partially or wholly funded by the Commonwealth shall be accompanied by a bid bond. Current law sets the bid or proposal amount for such contracts at $250,000.

Veteran-owned small businesses; waiving of fees. Directs the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs and the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, in conjunction with the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, to examine the waiving of fees associated with permits necessary to establish a small business for veteran-owned small businesses. This bill is identical to HB 358.

Maximum number of judges in each judicial circuit. Increases from six to seven the maximum number of authorized judges in the Thirty-first Judicial Circuit. This bill is a recommendation of the Judicial Council of Virginia and is identical to HB 821.

Department of Military Affairs; institutionsof higher education; recruitment. Authorizes the Department ofMilitary Affairs to utilize grant funding for which active membersof the Virginia National Guard who attend any public institutionof higher education or accredited nonprofit private institution ofhigher education and meet other certain requirements are eligibleunder current law in order to recruit qualified applicants for servicein the Virginia National Guard. The bill states that the yearly funding amount for such recruitment shall be at the discretion ofthe Adjutant General and the Department of Military Affairs and notexceed $50,000 per fiscal year.

Charitable gaming; violations; civil penalty. Provides for a civil penalty of not less than $25,000 and not more than $50,000 for any person or organization, whether permitted or qualified pursuant to applicable charitable gaming laws or not, that (i) conducts charitable gaming without first obtaining a permit to do so, (ii) continues to conduct such games after revocation or suspension of such permit, or (iii) otherwise violates any charitable gaming provisions. The bill provides that any such civil penalties collected shall be payable to the State Treasurer for remittance to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. This bill is identical to HB 767.

Credit unions; activity authorized for a federally chartered credit union. Provides that a credit union has the power to engage in any activity, service, or other practice that is authorized for a federally chartered credit union and that has not otherwise been authorized for a state-chartered credit union, provided that (i) the credit union provides the State Corporation Commission with written notice at least 45 calendar days prior to engaging in any such activity, service, or practice and (ii) the credit union engages in the activity, service, or practice subject to the same terms, conditions, and limitations as applicable to a federally chartered credit union. Additionally, the bill authorizes the Commissioner of the State Corporation Commission to prohibit or restrict the activity, service, or practice at any time. This bill is identical to HB 209.

Charitable gaming; registration of landlords;Texas Hold'em poker operations. Provides that the Departmentof Agriculture and Consumer Services may promulgate regulations thatrequire any landlord that leases to a qualified charitable organizationany premises devoted in whole or in part to the conduct of bingogames or any other charitable gaming to register with the Department.The bill also prohibits (i) an organization qualified to conductTexas Hold'em poker tournaments from conducting any Texas Hold'empoker games where the game has no predetermined end time and theplayers wager actual money or poker chips that have cash value, and(ii) a qualified organization from contracting with an operator to administer Texas Hold'em poker tournaments. The bill contains technical amendments.

Alcoholic beverage control; delivery of alcoholic beverages; third-party delivery license; container. Creates a third-party delivery license that authorizes the licensee to deliver alcoholic beverages purchased by consumers from other retail licensees. The bill establishes conditions for the issuance of third-party delivery licenses, imposes eligibility requirements for delivery personnel, and sets forth requirements for a delivery to be made by such delivery personnel. The bill imposes a $2,500 fine for first-time violations of the delivery requirements and a $5,000 fine for second and subsequent violations. The bill also establishes container requirements for certain alcoholic beverages sold for off-premises consumption or delivery. The bill requires that such alcoholic beverages, if not contained in the manufacturer's original sealed container, (i) be enclosed in a container that has no straw holes or other openings and is sealed in a manner that allows a person to readily discern whether the container has been opened or tampered with; (ii) display the name of the licensee from which the alcoholic beverages were purchased; (iii) be clearly marked with the phrase "contains alcoholic beverages"; (iv) have a maximum volume of 16 ounces per beverage for certain beverages; and (v) be stored in the trunk of the vehicle, in an area that is rear of the driver's seat, in a locked container or compartment, or, in the case of delivery by bicycle, in a compartment behind the bicyclist during delivery. The bill also excludes from the rebuttable presumption in current law that a person is consuming alcohol while driving any person who is delivering an alcoholic beverage in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill directs the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to collect data regarding the compliance of third-party delivery licensees with the provisions of the bill and report such data to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services by November 1, 2023. The bill extends from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2024, the sunset on prior legislation that allowed certain licensees to sell mixed beverages for off-premises consumption. This bill is identical to HB 426.