Sen. David Suetterlein

Commending the West End Center for Youth.

Commending Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare.

Health insurance; catastrophic health plans. Authorizes health carriers to offer catastrophic plans on the individual market and to offer such plans to all individuals. The measure provides that a catastrophic plan is deemed to provide an essential health benefits package and to meet certain requirements of federal law. A catastrophic plan is a high-deductible health care plan that provides essential health benefits and coverage for at least three primary care visits per policy year. Under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended, catastrophic plans satisfy requirements that health benefit plans provide minimum levels of coverage only if they cover individuals who are younger than 30 years of age or who qualify for a hardship exemption or affordability exemption. The measure requires the Commissioner of Insurance to apply to the federal government for a state innovation waiver allowing the implementation of the provision allowing catastrophic plans to be offered on the individual market to all individuals. The provision will become effective 30 days after the Commissioner notifies certain persons that the request has been approved.

Commending Domenick D'Adamo, Jr.

Surrogacy contracts; provisions requiring or prohibiting abortion or selective reduction unenforceable. Provides that any provision of a surrogacy contract requiring or prohibiting an abortion or selective reduction is against the public policy of the Commonwealth and is void and unenforceable.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable KossenGregory.

Expungement of police and court records; pardons. Allows a person to petition for the expungement of the police and court records relating to such person's conviction for misdemeanors and certain felonies if he has been granted a simple pardon for the crime. The bill also allows a person to petition for an expungement of the police and court records relating to convictions of marijuana possession, underage alcohol or tobacco possession, and using a false ID to obtain alcohol, and for deferred disposition dismissals for possession of controlled substances or marijuana, underage alcohol or tobacco possession, and using a false ID to obtain alcohol, when all court costs, fines, and restitution have been paid, and five years have elapsed since the date of completion of all terms of sentencing and probation. Under current law, police and court records relating to convictions are only expunged if a person received an absolute pardon for a crime he did not commit. This bill incorporates SB 118 and SB 517.

COPN; demonstration of public need and compliancewith State Medical Facilities Plan. Provides that, notwithstandingany other provision of law or regulation, an application for a certificateof public need for the introduction of a specialty-level neonatalspecial care service in Planning District 5 that (i) contains inthe record testimony of a neonatologist, employed or contracted byan incumbent provider of neonatal special care services in the sameplanning district, that the proposed number of bassinets in the applicationis clinically appropriate for the neonatal special care service proposedand would be beneficial to health outcomes of infants born at theapplicant's facility and (ii) includes the agreement of the applicantto accept standard charity care conditions on the proposed neonatal special care services shall be deemed to (a) demonstrate a publicneed for such proposed specialty-level neonatal special care serviceand (b) be consistent with the State Medical Facilities Plan.

Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the ratificationof the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.Commemorates the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the FifteenthAmendment to the Constitution of the United States. This resolutionis a recommendation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission.

Celebrating the life of Corporal Ryan C. McGhee,USA.