Sen. Scott Surovell

Celebrating the life of Marisa L. Fleck.

Commending the Honorable Steven Selwyn Smith.

Commending the Honorable Bruce D. White.

Commending the Honorable Kimberly J. Daniel.

Commending the Honorable Janine M. Saxe.

Civil action; sale of personal data. Requiresa person that disseminates, obtains, maintains, or collects personaldata about a consumer for a fee to implement security practices toprotect the confidentiality of a consumer's personal data, obtainexpress consent of a parent of a minor before selling the personaldata of such minor, provide access to consumers to their own personaldata that is held by the entity, refrain from maintaining or sellingdata that it knows to be inaccurate, and provide a means by whicha consumer can opt out of the sale of his personal data. The billprovides that a violation could result in a civil penalty of up to$7,500 or damages to be awarded to a consumer. The bill also providesfor the award of attorney fees and costs.

Estate tax; reinstatement. Reinstates theestate tax for persons dying on and after July 1, 2020. No estatetax shall be imposed on a gross estate if the majority of the assetsof the estate are an interest in a closely held business or a workingfarm. The bill designates revenues from the estate tax to be usedfor health care purposes.

Health insurance; mandated coverage for hearing aids for minors. Requires health insurers, health maintenance organizations, and corporations providing health care coverage subscription contracts to provide coverage for hearing aids and related services for children 18 years of age or younger when a licensed audiologist prescribes such hearing aids and related services. The coverage includes one hearing aid per hearing-impaired ear, up to a cost of $1,500, every 24 months. The measure applies to policies, contracts, and plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on and after January 1, 2021.

Reading diagnostic tests; intervention. Requireseach student in kindergarten and grade one to participate in readingdiagnostic tests that include a rapid automatized naming test andone or more rapid alternating stimulus tests as follows: (i) forstudents in kindergarten, a rapid automatized naming test and a rapidalternating stimulus test that each include colors and objects and(ii) for students in grade one, a rapid automatized naming test andtwo rapid alternating stimulus tests that each include colors, objects,letters, and numbers. The bill requires any student who enrolls ina public elementary school in the Commonwealth for the first timein grade two or grade three to participate in the reading diagnostic tests required for students in grade one. The bill specifies thatsuch diagnostic tests shall consist of the RAN/RAS tests developedand published by Maryanne Wolf and Martha Bridge Denckla or a substantiallysimilar reading diagnostic tool that is evidence-based, normed, andapproved by the Department of Education. The bill requires, beginningJuly 1, 2021, each local school division to provide evidence-based,structured literacy instruction to students in kindergarten throughgrade three who fall below the benchmark on any such reading diagnostictest and requires that such structured literacy instruction be overseenand monitored by the local school division's advisor on dyslexiaand related disorders, when applicable.

Abolition of the death penalty. Abolishesthe death penalty, including for those persons currently under adeath sentence.