Sen. Barbara Favola

Natural gas pipelines; stop work orders. Authorizes the Department of Environmental Quality to conduct inspections of the land-disturbing activities related to construction of any natural gas transmission pipeline equal to or greater than 24 inches inside diameter. Current law authorizes such inspections only if such inside diameter is greater than 36 inches. The bill also specifies certain instances that may give rise to such inspection and authorizes the Department to issue a stop work order for every work area in Virginia in the event that substantial adverse impacts or likely adverse impacts are found on a repeated, frequent, and widespread basis.

Loudoun County school board; staggered terms.Enables the Loudoun County school board to stagger the terms of itsmembers at the November election immediately preceding the end ofthe board's term and upon the board's prior vote for staggered terms.

State facilities; admission of certain aliens.Repeals the requirements that (i) the Commissioner of BehavioralHealth and Developmental Services determine the nationality of eachperson admitted to a state facility and, if the person is an alien,notify the United States immigration officer in charge of the districtin which the state facility is located and (ii) upon request of theUnited States immigration officer in charge of the district in whicha state facility to which a person who is an alien is admitted islocated or the judge or special justice who certified or orderedthe admission of such alien, the clerk of the court furnish a certifiedcopy of records pertaining to the case of the admitted alien.

State Air Pollution Control Board; low-emissions and zero-emissions vehicle program. Directs the State Air Pollution Control Board to implement a low-emissions and zero-emissions vehicle program for motor vehicles with a model year of 2025 and later. Regulations adopted by the Board to implement the program are exempt from the Administrative Process Act and shall not become effective prior to January 1, 2024. The bill also authorizes the State Corporation Commission to exclude sales related to such vehicles from certain energy efficiency calculations.

Essential health benefits; abortion coverage.Removes the prohibition on the provision of coverage for abortionsin any qualified health insurance plan that is sold or offered forsale through a health benefits exchange established or operatingin Virginia.

Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; reports to designated protection and advocacy system. Requires the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Commissioner) to add written reports of the facts of alleged serious incidents, deaths, abuse, or neglect of individuals receiving services in programs operated or licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Department) to the list of reports the Commissioner must provide to the Director of the Commonwealth's designated protection and advocacy system. Currently, the Commissioner is required to provide reports of critical injuries involving, or deaths of individuals receiving, services in facilities and reports of serious injuries to or deaths of individuals receiving services in programs operated or licensed by the Department to the Director of the Commonwealth's designated protection and advocacy system.

Aircraft registration; unmanned aircraft.Exempts an owner of an unmanned aircraft from the requirement toregister aircrafts.

Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month. DesignatesSeptember, in 2021 and in each succeeding year, as Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month in Virginia.

Facilitate the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine; emergency. Facilitates the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. The bill requires the Department of Health (the Department) to establish a program to enable eligible health care providers to volunteer to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to residents of the Commonwealth during a state of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic declared by the Governor. The bill defines "eligible health care provider" and provides that the program shall include (i) a process by which an eligible health care provider may register to participate in the program and (ii) the training requirements for participating eligible health care providers related to the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, including training on the intramuscular injection of the COVID-19 vaccine and contraindications and side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. The bill specifies requirements that the Department shall ensure that each site at which COVID-19 vaccinations are administered by eligible health care providers satisfies. The bill also requires the Department to establish a process by which entities, including medical care facilities, hospitals, hospital systems, corporations, businesses, pharmacies, public and private institutions of higher education, localities, and any other professional or community entity operating in the Commonwealth, may volunteer their facilities as sites at which the COVID-19 vaccine may be administered to residents of the Commonwealth. The bill permits a public institution of higher education or a private institution of higher education in the Commonwealth to volunteer to provide assistance to the Department and local health departments for data processing, analytics, and program development related to the COVID-19 vaccine through the use of its employees, students, technology, and facilities. The bill also permits localities with fire departments, emergency medical services departments, and volunteer rescue squads to establish and staff vaccine administration clinics. The bill provides civil and criminal immunity to individuals and professional entities acting pursuant to the bill and contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to HB 2333.