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2004 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor

Chairman: William C. Wampler, Jr.

Date of Meeting: January 19, 2004

Time and Place: 1/2 hr after adjournment-Senate Room B, General Assembly Building

S.B. 44

Patron: Martin

Insurance; mandated coverage for biologically based mental illness; sunset repealed. Repeals the sunset provision in the 1999 Acts of Assembly that would have allowed Virginia Code § 38.2-3412.1:01 and the 1999 revisions to §§ 2.1-20.1, 38.2-3412.1, and 38.2-4319 to sunset on July 1, 2004, if no action were taken. Section 38.2-3412.1:01 requires, with some exceptions, insurers issuing group accident and sickness policies to provide coverage for biologically based mental illness in the same manner as other illnesses, conditions, or disorders. The 1999 revisions to § 2.1-20.1 apply the mandate to state employee health insurance coverage. The revision to § 38.2-4319 requires health maintenance organizations to comply with § 38.2-3412.1:01.

S.B. 67

Patron: Martin

Health insurance; state health care plan; coverage for biologically based mental health illnesses. Repeals the sunset clause, i.e., the July 1, 2004, expiration, for the provisions requiring the state employees health plan and many private health insurance benefit programs to provide coverage for biologically based mental illnesses on the same basis as other illnesses, conditions or disorders for purposes of determining deductibles, benefit year or lifetime durational limits, benefit year or lifetime dollar limits, lifetime episodes or treatment limits, copayment and coinsurance factors, and benefit year maximums for deductibles and copayment and coinsurance factors.

Impact Statements

S.B. 119

Patron: Watkins

Uniform Commercial Code; Article 7-Documents of Title. Revises Article 7 of the Uniform Commercial Code to further develop electronic documents of title and to update the article to reflect the latest developments and practices. The bill also provides conforming amendments to other articles of the Uniform Commercial Code to accommodate electronic documents of title.

S.B. 129

Patron: Watkins

Unemployment compensation; representation by Attorney General. Authorizes Virginia Employment Commission staff to represent the Commonwealth at hearings to determine whether an employing unit is an employer for purposes of taxation. Under current law, the Attorney General represents the Commonwealth at such hearings.

S.B. 130

Patron: Watkins

Unemployment compensation; penalties for late filing. Increases the penalty assessed against employers for filing a late report from $30 to $100.

S.B. 131

Patron: Miller

Corporations; articles of termination of corporate existence. Removes the reference to a Virginia Code section that was repealed and adds in place thereof the classes of persons entitled to receive payments when a corporation divests itself of all of its assets. The bill also makes other technical amendments to the sections relating to articles of termination of corporate existence involving stock corporations and nonstock corporations.

S.B. 136

Patron: Lambert

Department of Labor and Industry; information to be provided the Commissioner. Specifies, with respect to the statistical or other information that local and state officials are to provide the Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industry, that such information includes but is not limited to medical records, emergency medical response reports, fire department reports, police and sheriff's office reports, and medical examiners' reports. States that the Commissioner shall maintain the confidentiality protections applicable to such information under Virginia law.

S.B. 163

Patron: Colgan

Banking and finance; confidentiality of information. Adds persons authorized pursuant to grand jury subpoenas to the list of persons authorized to receive confidential information from the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Financial Institutions.

S.B. 171

Patron: Stolle

Telecommunications; Wireless E-911 Fund; Fund payments. Eliminates the provision requiring the Wireless E-911 Board (Board) to make qualifying payments to eligible operators and providers in four equal payments. The Board may make the payments either at the beginning of each calendar quarter of a fiscal year or on an alternate schedule approved by the Board.

S.B. 179

Patron: Blevins

Unemployment compensation, benefit charges. Provides that benefit charges attributable to an employer do not include those benefit charges due to unemployment resulting from a temporary work closure forced by a natural disaster. Under current law, if an employer is forced to shut its business as a result of a natural disaster, the employees may be eligible for benefits and the employer's tax rate would increase as a direct result of any benefits paid. Under this bill, such benefit charges would instead be assigned to the pool tax.

S.B. 240

Patron: Norment

Business entities; fictitious names. Eliminates the requirement that certain business entities must file a fictitious name certificate in each locality in whose jurisdiction business is transacted. A local filing will still be required for business conducted by persons or general partnerships. The bill also adds registered limited liability partnerships to the list of business entities to which the fictitious names requirements would apply.