Virginia National Guard; state active duty for emergency response; pay and allowances for members. Provides that whenever called to state active duty in response to certain emergencies, members of the National Guard and the Virginia Defense Force receive pay and allowance equal to their rank and years of service, as determined by the Department of Military Affairs. The bill also authorizes the Adjutant General to increase state active duty pay on an annual basis by a rate not to exceed the most recent percentage increase in basic pay for members of the Armed Forces. Current law provides that (i) officers of the National Guard receive the same pay and allowances as prescribed for members of like rank in the United States Armed Forces, (ii) members of the National Guard receive the same pay and allowances as if they were on a day of Annual Training, and (iii) members of the Virginia Defense Force called to state active duty receive the same pay and allowances as persons of like grade in the National Guard for a day of Annual Training, capped at 25 years of service. The provisions of the bills are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.
Sponsored bills
Sudden cardiac arrest prevention in student-athletes. Directs the Board of Education to develop, biennially update, and distribute to each local school division guidelines on policies to inform and educate coaches, student-athletes, and student-athletes' parents or guardians about the nature and risk of sudden cardiac arrest, procedures for removal from and return to play, and the risks of not reporting symptoms. The bill also requires local school divisions to develop and biennially update policies and procedures regarding the identification and handling of symptoms that may lead to sudden cardiac arrest in student-athletes.
Corporal Ryan C. McGhee Memorial Bridge. Designatesthe bridge on Guinea Station Road over Interstate 95 in SpotsylvaniaCounty the Corporal Ryan C. McGhee Memorial Bridge.
Specialty dockets; veterans docket. Providesthat any veterans docket authorized and established as a local specialtydocket in accordance with the Rules of Supreme Court of Virginiashall be deemed a "Veterans Treatment Court Program," as that termis used under federal law or by any other entity, for the purposesof applying for, qualifying for, or receiving any federal grants,other federal money, or money from any other entity designated toassist or fund such state programs. The bill contains an emergencyclause.
Public institutions of higher education; in-state tuition; children of active duty service members or veterans. Provides that any child of an active duty member or veteran who claims Virginia as his home state and filed Virginia tax returns for at least 10 years during active duty service is eligible for in-state tuition charges, regardless of domicile. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.
Cemeteries, special interments; pets. Allowsthe remains of cremated pets to be interred with human remains.
Management of the menhaden fishery. Requires the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to adopt regulations necessary to manage Atlantic menhaden, including those necessary to comply with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. The bill repeals several Code sections relating to quotas, allocation of allowable landings, and administrative procedures that will be included in a regulatory framework for managing the fishery. The bill directs the Commissioner of Marine Resources to establish a Menhaden Management Advisory Committee to provide guidance to the Commission. This bill incorporates SB 157, SB 194, SB 357, SB 402, and SB 1054 and is identical to HB 1448. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Health professionals; unprofessional conduct; reporting. Requires the chief executive officer and the chief of staff of every hospital or other health care institution in the Commonwealth, the director of every licensed home health or hospice organization, the director of every accredited home health organization exempt from licensure, the administrator of every licensed assisted living facility, and the administrator of every provider licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services in the Commonwealth to report to the Department of Health Professions any information of which he may become aware in his professional capacity that indicates a reasonable belief that a health care provider is in need of treatment or has been admitted as a patient for treatment of substance abuse or psychiatric illness that may render the health professional a danger to himself, the public, or his patients, or that he determines, following review and any necessary investigation or consultation with the appropriate internal boards or committees authorized to impose disciplinary action on a health professional, indicates that there is a reasonable probability that such health professional may have engaged in unethical, fraudulent, or unprofessional conduct. Current law requires information to be reported if the information indicates, after reasonable investigation and consultation with the appropriate internal boards or committees authorized to impose disciplinary action on a health professional, a reasonable probability that such health professional may have engaged in unethical, fraudulent, or unprofessional conduct. This bill is identical to HB 471.
Department of Health; Department of Health Professions Medical Excellence Zone Program; telemedicine; reciprocal agreements. Directs the Department of Health to determine the feasibility of establishing a Medical Excellence Zone Program to allow citizens of the Commonwealth living in rural underserved areas to receive medical treatment via telemedicine services from providers licensed or registered in a state that is contiguous with the Commonwealth and directs the Department of Health Professions to pursue reciprocal agreements with such states for licensure for certain primary care practitioners licensed by the Board of Medicine. The bill requires the Department of Health to set out the criteria that would be required for a locality or group of localities in the Commonwealth to be eligible for the designation as a medical excellence zone and report its findings to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions by November 1, 2020. The bill states that reciprocal agreements with states that are contiguous with the Commonwealth for the licensure of doctors of medicine, doctors of osteopathic medicine, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners shall only require that a person hold a current, unrestricted license in the other jurisdiction and that no grounds exist for denial based on the acts of unprofessional conduct. The Department of Health Professions is required to report on its progress in establishing such agreements to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions by November 1, 2020. The bill requires the Board of Medicine to prioritize applications for licensure by endorsement as a doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine, a physician assistant, or a nurse practitioner from such states through a streamlined process with a final determination regarding qualification to be made within 20 days of the receipt of a completed application. This bill is identical to HB 1701.
Marriage records; divorce and annulment reports; identification of race. Eliminates the requirement that the race of married parties be included in marriage records, divorce reports, and annulment reports filed with the State Registrar. The bill also removes the requirement that the State Registrar include race data in the compilation and posting of marriage, divorce, and annulment data. This bill is identical to HB 180 and SB 62.