Confidentiality of juvenile court records; exceptions. Provides that juvenile case files shall be open for inspection by(i) the Department of Social Services or any local department ofsocial services that is providing services or care for, or has accepteda referral for investigation and the provision of services pursuantto a request for relief of custody regarding, a juvenile who is thesubject of the record for (a) a purpose relevant to the provisionof the services or care or (b) the purpose of conducting an investigationor family assessment of child abuse or neglect involving the juvenilewho is the subject of the record and (ii) the Department of BehavioralHealth and Developmental Services or any local community servicesboard that is providing treatment, services, or care for a juvenilewho is the subject of the record for a purpose relevant to the provisionof the treatment, services, or care.
Sponsored bills
Absentee voting; procedural and process reforms; availability and accessibility reforms; penalty. Makes various reforms to absentee voting processes and procedures, including those related to availability and accessibility. The bill requires certain actions to be taken to process absentee ballots returned before the day of an election, including verifying the correct completion of the voter affirmation statement, and provides for an opportunity for an absentee voter to make corrections to the statement in certain circumstances. The bill requires the establishment of drop-off locations for the return of voted absentee ballots. Additionally, a central absentee voter precinct is required to be established in each locality; currently, establishment is optional. On the day of the election, officers of election are required to begin processing absentee ballots in the central absentee voter precincts prior to the close of polls, but no ballot vote counts are permitted to be transmitted outside of the central absentee voter precinct before the close of polls; a violation of such prohibition is a Class 1 misdemeanor. When reporting election results to the Department of Elections, the general registrars are required to report absentee ballots cast early in person separately from all other absentee ballots. Additionally, a voter who has applied for and received an absentee ballot may choose to instead vote at his polling place on election day, and such voter shall be entitled to cast a provisional ballot. The bill requires a ballot marking tool with screen reader assistive technology to be made available for absentee voters with a print disability. Restrictions on the availability of absentee voting for first-time voters who registered by mail are repealed. The bill contains technical amendments for organizational and readability purposes.
Vehicle registration; special communicationneeds indicator. Expands eligibility for a special communicationneeds indicator on a vehicle registration to vehicle owners whosevehicle is regularly occupied by an individual who has a disabilitythat can impair communication. Current law authorizes those vehicleowners who have a disability that can impair communication to applyfor such an indicator. The bill authorizes the removal of such indicatorby request in writing to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Telemedicine services; remote patient monitoring services. Requires the Board of Medical Assistance Services to include in the state plan for medical assistance services a provision for the payment of medical assistance for remote patient monitoring services provided via telemedicine for (i) high-risk pregnant persons; (ii) medically complex infants and children; (iii) transplant patients; (iv) patients who have undergone surgery, for up to three months following the date of such surgery; and (v) patients with a chronic health condition who have had two or more hospitalizations or emergency department visits related to such chronic health condition in the previous 12 months. The services include monitoring of clinical patient data such as weight, blood pressure, pulse, pulse oximetry, blood glucose, and other patient physiological data; treatment adherence monitoring; and interactive video conferencing with or without digital image upload. The bill also clarifies the definition of "telemedicine services" to provide that nothing in the bill precludes coverage for a service that is not a telemedicine service, including real-time audio-only telehealth services. The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to adopt regulations for reimbursement for telemedicine services delivered through audio-only telephone and to promulgate and adopt uniform regulations for remote patient monitoring for all Medicaid managed care organizations to implement and follow. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act. This bill incorporates SB 1416.
Data governance; Office of Data Governance andAnalytics; Chief Data Officer; Virginia Data Commission; report.Creates the Office of Data Governance (the Office) in the Officeof the Secretary of Administration, to be directed by the existing Chief Data Officer of the Commonwealth. The Office is charged withoverseeing general data governance in the Commonwealth, as well asdeveloping and managing the Commonwealth Data Trust, a multi-stakeholderdata exchange and analytics platform. A multi-level governance structureis established to govern the Trust. The bill also establishes theadvisory Virginia Data Commission to advise the Office on issuesrelating to data sharing.
Joint Commission on Health Care; sunset. Repeals the sunset provision for the Joint Commission on Health Care.
Establishing an Opioid Abatement Authority.Establishes the Opioid Abatement Authority. The Authority, with theassistance of the Office of the Attorney General, would administerthe Opioid Abatement Fund, which would receive moneys from settlements,judgments, verdicts, and other court orders, or related agreements,concerning claims regarding the manufacturing, marketing, distribution,or sale of opioids that would be used to provide grants and loans to Virginia agencies and certain localities for the purpose of treating, preventing, and reducing opioid use disorder and the misuse of opioidsin the Commonwealth.
Confirmatory adoption. Expands the stepparentadoption provisions to allow a person who is not the child's stepparentbut has a legitimate interest in the child to file a joint petitionfor adoption with the child's birth parent or parent by adoption.
Continuity of government. Extends fromsix to 12 months the period of time after an enemy attack or otherdisaster that a locality may, by ordinance, provide for a method toassure continuity in its government and requires the ordinance toprovide a method for the locality to resume normal governmentalauthority by the end of that 12-month period.
Programs to address career fatigue and wellnessin certain health care providers; civil immunity. Expands civilimmunity for health care professionals serving as members of or consultantsto entities that function primarily to review, evaluate, or makerecommendations related to health care services to include healthcare professionals serving as members of or consultants to entitiesthat function primarily to address issues related to career fatigueand wellness in health care professionals licensed, registered, orcertified by the Boards of Medicine, Nursing, or Pharmacy, or instudents enrolled in a school of medicine, osteopathic medicine,nursing, or pharmacy located in the Commonwealth. The bill containsan emergency clause.