Virginia National Guard; state active duty for emergency response; pay and allowances for members. Establishes rates of pay and allowances for members of the Virginia National Guard and Virginia Defense Force.
Possession, purchase, and transport of certainfirearms in certain localities; withholding state funds. Allowsa person to lawfully possess, purchase, or transport a firearm orfirearms magazine that he would otherwise be lawfully permitted to possess, purchase, or transport on January 1, 2020, while he isin a locality that has adopted or enforced any ordinance, resolution,or motion that declares such locality a sanctuary for Second Amendmentrights. The bill also provides that no funds payable by the Commonwealthto a locality for any and all purposes shall be withheld from a localitysolely on the basis of such locality adopting or enforcing any ordinance,resolution, or motion that declares such locality a sanctuary for Second Amendment rights.
Prescribing of opioids; required patient disclosures. Requires prescribers to discuss with a patient or the patient'sparent or guardian prior to prescribing an opioid information regardingthe prescribed opioid, including the risks of addiction and overdoseassociated with opioids; the dangers of taking opioids with alcohol,benzodiazepines, and other central nervous system depressants; thereasons why the prescription is necessary; and alternative treatmentsthat may be available. The bill also requires the prescriber to includea notation in the patient's medical record indicating that theserequired patient disclosures were discussed.
Health insurance; carrier contracts with pharmacy benefits managers. Prohibits a health insurance carrier from entering into, amending, renewing, or extending a contract with a pharmacy benefits manager unless such contract contains provisions prohibiting the pharmacy benefits manager or his representative from reimbursing a pharmacy or pharmacist an amount less than the amount that the pharmacy benefits manager reimburses a pharmacy benefits manager affiliate for providing the same pharmacist services, calculated on a per-unit basis using the same product identifier or code number and reflecting all drug manufacturer's rebates, direct and indirect administrative fees, and costs and any remuneration. The bill applies to contracts entered into, amended, renewed, or extended on and after July 1, 2021. This bill was incorporated into HB 1290.
Adult protective services; central registry.Creates a central registry of founded complaints of adult abuse,neglect, and exploitation to be maintained by the Department of SocialServices. The bill establishes (i) investigation requirements forlocal departments of social services related to complaints of adultabuse, neglect, and exploitation; (ii) record retention and disclosurerequirements for the Department and local departments; (iii) noticerequirements related to findings by local departments and centralregistry entries; and (iv) an appeals process to contest the findingsof a local department related to founded reports of adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
Individual and corporate income tax credit;employers of National Guard members and self-employed National Guardmembers. Provides for taxable years 2020 through 2024 a nonrefundabletax credit against individual and corporate income taxes for (i) wages paid by an employer to an employee who is a Virginia NationalGuard member or (ii) income of a self-employed National Guard memberattributable to his business. The amount of the credit shall be 25percent if such member was in a military pay status for 65 days ormore during such taxable year or 15 percent if such member was ina military pay status for 45 days or more during such taxable year.The credit shall not be allowed if such member was in a militarypay status for less than 45 days during such taxable year.
Individual and corporate income tax credit;employers of National Guard members and self-employed National Guardmembers. Provides for taxable years 2020 through 2024 a nonrefundabletax credit against individual and corporate income taxes for (i) wages paid by an employer to an employee who is an active or reserveVirginia National Guard member or (ii) income of a self-employedactive or reserve Virginia National Guard member attributable to his business. The amount of the credit shall be 25 percent if such memberwas in a military pay status for 65 days or more during such taxableyear or 15 percent if such member was in a military pay status forat least 45 days but less than 65 days during such taxable year.The credit shall not be allowed if such member was in a military pay status for less than 45 days during such taxable year. The billallows a taxpayer to carry unused credits over for up to five taxableyears.
Commending the Washington Nationals.
Authorizes a trust, as a benefits consortium, to sell health benefits plans to members of a sponsoring association, which is a nonstock corporation that operates as a nonprofit agricultural organization and is created primarily to promote programs for the development of rural communities and the economic stability and sustainability of farmers in the Commonwealth. The bill provides that the trust is subject to the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and U.S. Department of Labor regulations applicable to multiple employer welfare arrangements and to the authority of the U.S. Department of Labor to enforce such law and regulations. The bill requires the trust to operate as a nonprofit voluntary employee beneficiary association. The bill (i) prohibits a self-funded multiple employer welfare arrangement (MEWA) from issuing health benefit plans in the Commonwealth until it has obtained a license from the State Corporation Commission; (ii) provides that health benefit plans issued by a self-funded MEWA shall be subject to taxes and maintenance assessments levied upon insurance companies; (iii) provides that health benefit plans issued by a self-funded MEWA are subject to protections of and other provisions of the Virginia Life, Accident and Sickness Insurance Guaranty Association; (iv) makes domestic self-funded MEWAs subject to all financial and solvency requirements imposed by provisions of Title 38.2 on domestic insurers unless domestic self-funded MEWAs are otherwise specifically exempted; and (v) provides that health benefit plans issued by a self-funded MEWA shall be exempt from all statutory requirements relating to insurance premium rates, policy forms, and policy cancellation and nonrenewal. The bill provides that the sponsoring association shall not, by virtue of its sponsorship of the benefits consortium or any benefits plan, be subject to the insurance laws of the Commonwealth or the tax levied on insurance companies pursuant to § 58.1-2501.
Provides that a person is guilty of felony homicide, which constitutes second degree murder and is punishable by confinement of not less than five nor more than 40 years, if the underlying felonious act that resulted in the killing of another involved the manufacture, sale, gift, or distribution of a Schedule I or II controlled substance to another and (i) such other person's death results from his use of the controlled substance and (ii) the controlled substance is the proximate cause of his death. The bill provides that venue for a prosecution of this crime shall lie in the locality where the underlying felony occurred, where the use of the controlled substance occurred, or where death occurred. The bill also provides that if a person gave or distributed a Schedule I or II controlled substance only as an accommodation to another individual who is not an inmate in a community correctional facility, local correctional facility, or state correctional facility, or in the custody of an employee thereof, and not with intent to profit thereby from any consideration received or expected nor to induce the recipient of the controlled substance to use or become addicted to or dependent upon such controlled substance, he is guilty of a Class 5 felony.
