Limitations on enforcement of judgments; extensionsand renewals. Provides that after a judgment has been extendedtwice, it may be extended in the same manner for additional 10-yearperiods only upon motion of the judgment creditor or his assigneein a circuit court in which the judgment is docketed or recordedas a lien, with notice to the judgment debtor, and an order of suchcourt granting leave to the judgment creditor or his assignee tofile such certificate of extension. The bill further extends fromfive to 10 years the timeframe within which a suit shall be broughtto enforce the lien of a judgment. The bill allows a judgment creditor'sassignee or such assignee's attorney or authorized agent to go throughthe process to extend the limitations period.
Sponsored bills
Group health benefit plans; bona fide associations; formation of benefits consortium. Provides that certain trusts constitute a benefits consortium and are authorized to sell health benefit 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 State Corporation 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. This bill is identical to SB 195.
Academic year Governor's Schools; certain practices prohibited and permitted. Prohibits any academic year Governor's School or governing board member, director, administrator, or employee thereof from (i) discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin; (ii) engaging in proxy discrimination, as defined in the bill, in student admissions; or (iii) seeking information on students' race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin during the application process for admission to such school unless expressly required by federal law, and to the extent it is required by federal law, the bill requires such information to be withheld to the maximum extent practicable from any individual involved in admissions decisions to the end that admissions decisions are blind as to the applicants' race, sex, color, ethnicity, and national origin. The bill permits any academic year Governor's School or governing board member, director, administrator, or employee thereof to use traditional academic success factors, as defined in the bill, in student admissions and provides that such use presumptively does not constitute proxy discrimination. The bill also contains provisions relating to evidentiary burdens of proof in certain causes of action involving such proxy discrimination or traditional academic success factors. The bill requires each local school board that jointly manages and controls a regional academic year Governor's school to collaborate to ensure that each public middle school that is eligible to send students to attend such Governor's school offers coursework, curriculum, and instruction that is comparable in content and in rigor in order to provide each student in each such middle school with the opportunity to gain admission to and excel academically at such Governor's school.
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 SB 572.
Electric cooperatives; net energy metering; power purchase agreements; local facilities usage charges. Permits any customer, besides a farm or small agricultural generating facility and any customer selling power to the electric cooperative, to interconnect with an electric cooperative and enter an agreement for local facilities usage charges. The bill provides that electric cooperatives can seek approval from the State Corporation Commission at any time for a tariff for local facilities usage charges for the use of cooperative system facilities; however, the terms of an independent agreement for local facilities usage charges shall prevail if inconsistent with the approved tariff amount. The bill permits the board of directors of an electric cooperative to approve any voluntary tariff and associated cost recovery without filing additional information with the Commission besides an informational notice. Under the bill, the Commission may administratively approve a change in rate, tariff, or term or condition of service without notice or a hearing.The bill removes the limit on raising the cap for electric cooperatives' generating capacity beyond seven percent of system peak for the purposes of net energy metering. The bill also allows electric cooperatives to permit the use of third-party partial requirements power purchase agreements for eligible customer-generators without separate approval by the Commission; however, the cooperative is required to file a revised net energy metering compliance filing.Additionally, the bill permits impacted cooperative customers to file a petition with the Commission for redress and review of the local facilities usage charges. This bill is identical to SB 505.
Board of Housing and Community Development; exemption for certain use and occupancy classifications from the requirements of the Uniform Statewide Building Code. Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development to consider, during the next code development cycle, revising the Uniform Statewide Building Code (the Building Code) to provide an exemption from any requirements in the energy efficiency standards in the Building Code and the 2018 Virginia Energy Conservation Code (the Energy Conservation Code), and any subsequent amendments to the Building Code and the Energy Conservation Code, for the use and occupancy classifications of (i) Section 306, Factory Group F; (ii) Section 311, Storage Group S; and (iii) Section 312, Utility and Miscellaneous Group U.
Public guardian and conservator program; decennialreview of staff-to-client ratios; report. Directs the Departmentof Aging and Rehabilitative Services (the Department) to decennially review the ideal range of staff-to-client ratios for local and regionalpublic guardian and conservator programs in the Commonwealth and make recommendations as to whether the ratio should be revised toensure that public guardians are able to meet their obligations toincapacitated persons. The bill requires the Department to reportits findings and conclusions to the Governor and the General Assemblyby December 1 of each year in which such review is performed anddirects the Department to complete the first decennial review andsubmit its report by December 1, 2022.
Limited liability companies; prepayment of annual registration fees. Permits domestic and foreign limited liabilitycompanies to prepay annual registration fees for two or three years.Under the bill, a domestic or foreign limited liability company mustmake the election to prepay its annual registration fees before itsannual registration fee would otherwise be due and seek approvalfrom the State Corporation Commission to engage in prepayment fortwo or three years. The bill provides that such optional prepaymentdoes not apply to the initial annual registration fees assessed againsta limited liability company that is newly formed or recently convertedfrom another entity. The bill requires that, if applicable, the Commissionprovide notice of this prepayment option to a foreign or domesticlimited liability company that has failed to pay its annual registrationfee as a method of avoiding future delinquencies.
Department of Health; home care organizations; license renewal. Changes the license renewal requirement for home care organizations from an annual renewal to a triennial renewal. The bill prohibits the Department of Health, upon renewal of a home care organization license, from requiring home care organizations to submit financial documents other than those required for initial licensure.
Continuing education; funeral service licensees, funeral directors, and embalmers. Provides that approved continuing education courses for funeral service licensees, funeral directors, and embalmers shall include either one hour of compliance with laws and regulations governing the profession or one hour of preneed funeral arrangements per year, provided that at least one hour of continuing education regarding preneed funeral arrangements is completed every three years. Current law requires at least one hour of compliance with laws and regulations governing the profession and at least one hour of preneed funeral arrangements per year. The bill contains technical amendments.