State plan for medical assistance services; provision for payment of telemedicine services facilitated by emergency medical services. Directs the Board of Health to amend the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision for the payment of the originating site fee to emergency medical services agencies for facilitating synchronous telehealth visits with a distant site provider delivered to a Medicaid member. The bill defines "originating site" as any location where the patient is located, including any medical care facility or office of a health care provider, the home of the patient, the patient's place of employment, or any public or private primary or secondary school or postsecondary institution of higher education at which the person to whom telemedicine services are provided is located.
Sponsored bills
Air Pollution Control Board and State Water Control Board; transfer of authority to Department of Environmental Quality. Limits the authority of the Air Pollution Control Board and the State Water Control Board to issuance of regulations and transfers the Boards' existing authority to issue permits and orders to the Department of Environmental Quality. The bill provides procedures for public comment on pending controversial permits, defined in the bill, and on regulatory changes necessary to implement the provisions of the bill. This bill incorporates SB 81.
State and local elections officials; acceptance of certain gifts and funding prohibited. Prohibits state and local elections officials from soliciting, accepting, using, or disposing of any moneys, grants, property, or services given by a private individual or nongovernmental entity for the purpose of funding voter education and outreach programs, voter registration programs, or any other expense incurred in the conduct of elections. The bill specifically provides that it is not a violation of this prohibition to (i) operate a polling place or voter satellite office in a facility furnished by a private individual or nongovernmental entity or (ii) accept a federal government grant funded in whole or part by donations from private individuals or nongovernmental entities. This bill is identical to HB 205.
City of Martinsville; city reversion; sunset. Requires approval from the City of Martinsville voters before the city can revert to town status. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2026.
Virginia Code Commission; work group to review public notices required to be published by localities. Directs the Virginia Code Commission to convene a work group to review requirements throughout the Code of Virginia for localities to provide public notice for intended actions and events, including (i) the varying frequency for publishing notices in newspapers and other print media, (ii) the number of days required to elapse between the publications of notices, and (iii) the amount of information required to be contained in each notice, and make recommendations for uniformity and efficiency. The bill requires the Commission to submit a report to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology summarizing the work and any recommendations of the work group by November 1, 2022. This bill is identical to HB 1131.
Department of Education; local school boards; policies on sexually explicit content in instructional material. Requires the Department of Education to develop no later than July 31, 2022, model policies and each local school board to adopt no later than January 1, 2023, policies for ensuring parental notification of any instructional material that includes sexually explicit content and include information, guidance, procedures, and standards relating to (i) ensuring parental notification; (ii) directly identifying the specific instructional material and sexually explicit subjects; and (iii) permitting the parent of any student to review instructional material that includes sexually explicit content and provide, as an alternative, nonexplicit instructional material and related academic activities to any student whose parent so requests. The bill provides that the local school board policies shall be consistent with but may be more comprehensive than the model policies developed by the Department. The bill states that the provisions of the bill shall not be construed as requiring or providing for the censoring of books in public elementary and secondary schools.
Dealers; sale of dogs or cats for experimental purposes. Prohibits a dealer or commercial dog or cat breeder, as defined in the bill, from importing for sale, selling, or offering for sale a dog or cat bred by a person who has received certain citations pursuant to the federal Animal Welfare Act. Current law only prohibits such activities related to the sale of dogs. The bill also clarifies that selling includes selling the dog or cat for experimental purposes. Certain provisions of the bill apply only to violations occurring on or after March 1, 2023.
Animal cruelty; companion animals; penalty. Clarifies that dogs and cats in the possession of a person who or an entity that breeds dogs or cats for sale or transfer to an animal research facility are considered companion animals for the purposes of animal cruelty statutes. The bill also provides that breeding dogs or cats for sale or transfer to a research facility, or breeding dogs or cats within a research facility, does not constitute bona fide scientific or medical experimentation for purposes of animal cruelty statutes. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act and do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2023 Session of the General Assembly.
Breeders; records of animals sold or transferred to animal testing facility. Requires any person or entity that breeds dogs or cats for sale or transfer to an animal testing facility to keep records of each animal for five years from the date of the acquisition, transfer, or disposition and to quarterly submit a summary of the records to the State Veterinarian.
Breeders of dogs and cats for animal testingfacilities; adoption of dogs and cats. Requires a breeder ofdogs and cats for sale or transfer to an animal testing facilitythat no longer has a need for a dog or cat in its possession to offerthe animal for adoption prior to euthanizing it. Currently, onlyanimal testing facilities are subject to this requirement.