Sen. Steve Newman

Repeal of reporting requirement; Departmentof Motor Vehicles and Supreme Court of Virginia. Repeals an enactmentclause that requires the Department of Motor Vehicles and the SupremeCourt of Virginia to submit an annual report regarding the implementationof a program to allow the Department to collect certain fees andfines on behalf of a district or circuit court.

Drug Control Act; Schedule I. Adds certainchemicals to Schedule I of the Drug Control Act. The Board of Pharmacyhas added these substances to Schedule I in an expedited regulatoryprocess. A substance added via this process is removed from the scheduleafter 18 months unless a general law is enacted adding the substanceto the schedule.

Virginia Retirement System; technical amendments.Makes technical amendments to provisions of the Code of Virginiarelating to the Virginia Retirement System to reflect recent changesto federal law and conform terminology to federal law.

Parole Board; notice to victim. Requires the Parole Board, within seven days of making any decision regarding the parole of a prisoner, to provide written or electronic notice of such decision to the victim of the crime for which the prisoner was incarcerated, unless the victim has submitted a written request to forgo such notice.

Government Data Collection and DisseminationPractices Act; exemptions; email addresses of licensed professionals.Modifies current law to provide that electronic mail addresses ofpersons applying for or possessing a license to engage in the practiceof any profession in the Commonwealth may also be disseminated, inaddition to such person's name and address, by the agency maintainingsuch information.

Parole; notice and certification; monthly reports. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall release a prisoner no sooner than 21 business days after the date of notification by the Virginia Parole Board (the Board) to the appropriate attorney for the Commonwealth of the decision to grant parole. The bill authorizes the Board to make such notification electronically and by certified mail; under current law only certified mail may be used. The bill requires that the monthly reports issued by the Board regarding actions taken on the parole of prisoners (i) be published on the last day of the month and (ii) include the offenses of which prisoners considered for parole were convicted, the jurisdictions in which such offenses were committed, and the amount of time served by such prisoners. However, a prisoner's name shall be included on report only if the attorney for the Commonwealth and any victims have been notified; otherwise, inclusion on the report is delayed to the following month. The bill requires that when notice is sent to a victim of the victim's right to present evidence to the Board of the impact that the release of a prisoner will have on the victim, such notice shall also be sent to the attorney for the Commonwealth and the director of the victim/witness program of the jurisdiction in which the prisoner's offense occurred. This bill incorporates SB 1293.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; VirginiaParole Board member votes. Provides that individual votes ofthe members of the Virginia Parole Board shall be public recordsand subject to the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of InformationAct.

Facilitate the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine; emergency. Facilitates the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. The bill requires the Department of Health (the Department) to establish a program to enable eligible health care providers to volunteer to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to residents of the Commonwealth during a state of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic declared by the Governor. The bill defines "eligible health care provider" and provides that the program shall include (i) a process by which an eligible health care provider may register to participate in the program and (ii) the training requirements for participating eligible health care providers related to the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, including training on the intramuscular injection of the COVID-19 vaccine and contraindications and side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. The bill specifies requirements that the Department shall ensure that each site at which COVID-19 vaccinations are administered by eligible health care providers satisfies. The bill also requires the Department to establish a process by which entities, including medical care facilities, hospitals, hospital systems, corporations, businesses, pharmacies, public and private institutions of higher education, localities, and any other professional or community entity operating in the Commonwealth, may volunteer their facilities as sites at which the COVID-19 vaccine may be administered to residents of the Commonwealth. The bill permits a public institution of higher education or a private institution of higher education in the Commonwealth to volunteer to provide assistance to the Department and local health departments for data processing, analytics, and program development related to the COVID-19 vaccine through the use of its employees, students, technology, and facilities. The bill also permits localities with fire departments, emergency medical services departments, and volunteer rescue squads to establish and staff vaccine administration clinics. The bill provides civil and criminal immunity to individuals and professional entities acting pursuant to the bill and contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to HB 2333.

Department of Health; certain communication prohibited. Prohibits any person employed by or who has entered into a contract to provide services on behalf of the Department of Health or a local department of health from initiating communication regarding the following matters with a minor on behalf of the Department or local department of health without the consent of the minor's parent or guardian or person serving in loco parentis: family living and community relationships; the benefits, challenges, responsibilities, and value of marriage for men, women, children, and communities; the value of family relationships; abstinence education; the value of postponing sexual activity; the benefits of adoption as a positive choice in the event of an unwanted pregnancy; human sexuality; human reproduction; the prevention of human trafficking; dating violence, the characteristics of abusive relationships, steps to take to deter sexual assault, the availability of counseling and legal resources, and, in the event of such sexual assault, the importance of immediate medical attention and advice, as well as the requirements of the law; the etiology, prevention, and effects of sexually transmitted diseases; and mental health education and awareness. The bill clarifies that its provisions do not apply to school nurses, physicians, or Department employees or agents who are inquiring about medical conditions, outbreaks, pandemics, or any other declared state of emergency relating to a communicable disease or public health threat.

Nonrepairable and rebuilt vehicles. Extends the sunset provision related to certain requirements related to nonrepairable and rebuilt vehicles from July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2022.