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2017 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Education and Health

Chairman: Stephen D. Newman

Clerk: Patty Lung, Rhonda Johnson
Staff: Thomas Stevens
Date of Meeting: February 16, 2017
Time and Place: 8:30 a.m. - Senate Room B

H.B. 1400

Patron: Bell, Richard P.

Virginia Virtual School established. Establishes the Board of the Virginia Virtual School (the Board) as a policy agency in the executive branch of state government for the purpose of governing the full-time virtual school programs offered to students enrolled in the Virginia Virtual School (the School). The Secretary of Education is responsible for such agency. The 14-member Board is given operational control of the School and assigned powers and duties. Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, the bill requires the School to be open to any school-age person in the Commonwealth and to provide an educational program meeting the Standards of Quality for grades kindergarten through 12, with a maximum enrollment of 5,000 students statewide. The bill requires the average state share of Standards of Quality per pupil funding for each enrolled student to be transferred to the School.

H.B. 1401

Patron: Landes

Public institutions of higher education; speech on campus. Prohibits public institutions of higher education from abridging the freedom of any individual, including enrolled students, faculty and other employees, and invited guests, to speak on campus, except as otherwise permitted by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

H.B. 1402

Patron: Landes

Governing boards of public institutions of higher education; leadership; residency. Requires the president of the board of visitors of Virginia Military Institute and each chairman and vice-chairman or rector and vice-rector of the governing board of each other public institution of higher education to be a resident of the Commonwealth.

H.B. 1408

Patron: Ware

Student vision screenings. Requires (i) the principal of each public elementary school to cause the vision of students in kindergarten and grade two or grade three to be screened unless certain exceptions apply and (ii) the principal of each public middle school and high school to cause the vision of students in grade seven and grade 10 to be screened unless certain exceptions apply and permits any such screening to be conducted by a qualified nonprofit vision health organization that uses a digital photoscreening method pursuant to a comprehensive vision program. The bill defines "qualified nonprofit vision health organization" and "comprehensive vision program." Under current law, the frequency of such vision screenings is determined by the Board of Education pursuant to regulations. Current law is silent on the method and provider of such vision screenings.

H.B. 1410

Patron: Albo

Governing boards of public institutions of higher education; duties. Requires the board of visitors of each baccalaureate public institution of higher education, except Virginia Military Institute, Norfolk State University, and Virginia State University, to adopt policies prohibiting the annual enrollment of full-time equivalent undergraduate non-Virginia students from exceeding 30 percent of the total annual enrollment of full-time equivalent undergraduate students unless the board, after covering the cost to educate each full-time equivalent undergraduate non-Virginia student that exceeds such 30 percent cap with tuition revenue from such students, uses any remaining tuition revenue from such students to lower in equal amounts the rate of tuition and fees charged to each undergraduate Virginia student. The bill declares that the governing board of each public institution of higher education has a duty to the Commonwealth and its citizens.

H.B. 1414

Patron: Austin

Standards of Learning assessments; partial credit. Requires the Department of Education to collaborate with the existing educational advisory committees in the Commonwealth that advise on student assessments to review multipart Standards of Learning assessment questions and determine the feasibility of awarding students partial credit for correct answers on one or more parts of such questions.

H.B. 1420

Patron: Farrell

Certificate of public need; psychiatric beds and services. Repeals the requirement for a certificate of public need for certain projects involving mental hospitals or psychiatric hospitals and intermediate care facilities established primarily for the medical, psychiatric, or psychological treatment and rehabilitation of individuals with substance abuse. The bill creates a new permitting process for such projects, exempted from the certificate of public need process, that requires the Commissioner of Health to issue a permit upon the agreement of the applicant to certain charity care conditions and quality of care standards.

H.B. 1437

Patron: Head

Sight and hearing testing of public school students; exception. Excludes from the requirement that the sight and hearing of public school students be tested any student who has an Individualized Education Program or a Section 504 Plan that documents a defect of vision or hearing or a disease of the eyes or ears when the principal determines that such a test would not identify any previously unknown defect of vision or hearing or a disease of the eyes or ears.

H.B. 1467

Patron: Greason

Board of Health to adopt regulations to include neonatal abstinence syndrome on the list of reportable diseases. Requires the Board of Health to adopt regulations to include neonatal abstinence syndrome on the list of diseases that shall be required to be reported.

H.B. 1490

Patron: Marshall, R.G.

School board members who engage in war service or are called to active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States; appointment of acting school board members. Requires each school board member who is relieved from the duties of his office by reason of engaging in the war service of the United States when called forth by the Governor or being called to active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States to submit to the school board a list of names of suitable persons to perform the duties of such office as acting school board member during the period in which the regular school board member is engaged in such war service or active duty, in which case the school board is required to appoint an acting school board member from such list of names. The bill provides that during such period, the acting school board member shall be vested with all the powers, authority, rights, and duties of the regular school board member for whom he is acting.

H.B. 1491

Patron: Hope

Background checks; exceptions; sponsored living and shared residential service providers. Allows a provider licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or a community services board to approve as a sponsored residential service provider or to permit to enter into a shared living arrangement persons who have been convicted of not more than one misdemeanor offense under § 18.2-57 or 18.2-57.2, if 10 years have elapsed following the conviction, unless the person committed the offense while employed in a direct care position. The bill also allows a provider or community services board to approve a person as a sponsored residential service provider if any adult living in the home of an applicant or any person employed by the applicant to provide services in the home in which sponsored residential services are provided has been convicted of not more than one misdemeanor offense under § 18.2-57 or 18.2-57.2, if 10 years have elapsed following the conviction, unless the person committed the offense while employed in a direct care position.

H.B. 1508

Patron: Hope

Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; critical incident reports; licensed programs. Requires the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to provide a written report setting forth the known facts of serious injuries or deaths of individuals receiving services in programs operated or licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to the Director of the Commonwealth's designated protection and advocacy system within 15 working days of the critical incident, serious injury, or death. Currently, reports are required only for critical incidents or deaths occurring at facilities operated by the Department.

H.B. 1514

Patron: Fowler

Health care practitioners; reporting disabilities of drivers. Provides that any doctor of medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, or podiatry or any nurse practitioner, physician assistant, optometrist, physical therapist, or clinical psychologist who reports to the Department of Motor Vehicles the existence, or probable existence, of a mental or physical disability or infirmity of any person licensed to operate a motor vehicle that the reporting individual believes affects such person's ability to operate a motor vehicle safely is not subject to civil liability or deemed to have violated the practitioner-patient privilege unless he has acted in bad faith or with malicious intent.

H.B. 1538

Patron: LeMunyon

Revision of Title 23; corrections. Corrects typographical errors and makes other technical amendments relating to the revision and recodification of Title 23 and declares such corrections and amendments to be effective retroactively to October 1, 2016. The bill is a recommendation of the Code Commission.

H.B. 1544

Patron: Collins

Certificates of public need; alternative plans of compliance. Provides that in cases in which a certificate holder holds more than one certificate of public need with conditions, and the certificate holder is unable to satisfy the conditions of one certificate, the Department of Health may provide for satisfaction of the conditions on that certificate by the provision of care at a reduced rate to indigent individuals in excess of the amount required by another certificate issued to the same holder, in an amount approved by the Department as part of an alternative plan of compliance.

H.B. 1549

Patron: Farrell

Community services boards and behavioral health authorities; services to be provided. Provides that the core of services provided by community services boards and behavioral health authorities shall include, effective July 1, 2019, same-day access to mental health screening services. The bill also requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to report annually regarding progress in the implementation of this act.

H.B. 1605

Patron: LaRock

Parental Choice Education Savings Accounts established. Permits the parent of a public preschool, elementary, or secondary school student to apply to the school division in which the student resides for a one-year, renewable Parental Choice Education Savings Account that consists of an amount that is equivalent to a certain percentage of all applicable annual Standards of Quality per pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposes and apportioned to the resident school division in which the student resides, including the per pupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and any state per pupil share of special education funding to which the student is eligible. The bill permits the parent to use the moneys in such account for certain education-related expenses of the student, including tuition, deposits, fees, and required textbooks at a private sectarian, or nonsectarian elementary or secondary school or preschool that is located in the Commonwealth and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin. The bill also contains provisions relating to auditing, rescinding, and reviewing expenses made from such accounts.

H.B. 1661

Patron: Greason

Administration of medications to treat adrenal crisis. Provides that a prescriber may authorize an employee of (i) a school board, (ii) a school for students with disabilities, or (iii) an accredited private school who is trained in the administration of injected medications for the treatment of adrenal crisis resulting from a condition causing adrenal insufficiency to administer such medications to a student diagnosed with a condition causing adrenal insufficiency when the student is believed to be experiencing or about to experience an adrenal crisis pursuant to a written order or standing protocol issued within the course of the prescriber's professional practice and with the consent of the student's parents and provides that an employee of a school board, a school for students with disabilities, or an accredited private school who is trained in the administration of injected medications for the treatment of adrenal crisis resulting from a condition causing adrenal insufficiency who administers or assists in the administration of such medications to a student diagnosed with a condition causing adrenal insufficiency when the student is believed to be experiencing or about to experience an adrenal crisis in accordance with the prescriber's instructions shall not be liable for any civil damages for ordinary negligence in acts or omissions resulting from the rendering of such treatment.

H.B. 1662

Patron: Greason

Public institutions of higher education; general education course credit; dual enrollment courses. Requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), in consultation with each public institution of higher education, to establish a policy for granting undergraduate general education course credit to any entering freshman student who has successfully completed a dual enrollment course. The bill requires SCHEV and each public institution of higher education to make the policy available to the public on their websites.

H.B. 1663

Patron: Greason

Northern Virginia Community College; computer science training and professional development for teachers. Requires Northern Virginia Community College (i) in consultation with the Department of Education, to contract with a § 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to develop, market, and implement high-quality and effective computer science training and professional development activities for public school teachers throughout the Commonwealth for the purpose of improving the computer science literacy of all public school students in the Commonwealth and (ii) to establish an advisory committee for the purpose of advising the college and its nonprofit partner organization on the development, marketing, and implementation of such training and professional development activities.

H.B. 1664

Patron: Greason

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; collection and publication of wage data and the Virginia Longitudinal Data System. Authorizes the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (Council) to publish data on the proportion of graduates of each public institution of higher education and each nonprofit private institution of higher education eligible to participate in the Tuition Assistance Grant Program who are employed at 18 months and five years after the date of graduation. The bill directs that the data include the program and the program level, as recognized by the Council, for each degree awarded by each institution; the percentage of graduates known to be employed in the Commonwealth; the average salary and the average higher education-related debt for the graduates on which the data is based; rates of enrollment in remedial coursework for each institution; individual student credit accumulation for each institution; rates of postsecondary degree completion; and any other information that the Council determines is necessary to address adequate preparation for success in postsecondary education and alignment between secondary and postsecondary education. The bill requires each such institution of higher education to provide a link to such published postsecondary education and employment data.

The bill also requires the Council to administer the Virginia Longitudinal Data System as a multiagency partnership for the purposes of developing educational, health, social service, and employment outcome data; improving the efficacy of state services; and aiding decision making.

 

H.B. 1708

Patron: Filler-Corn

Board of Education; standards of accreditation; industry certification credentials obtained by high school students. Requires the Board of Education (the Board) to consider for inclusion in the student outcome measures included in the Standards of Accreditation the number of industry certification credentials, as defined by the Board, obtained by high school students.

H.B. 1709

Patron: Filler-Corn

School boards; policies and procedures prohibiting bullying; parental notification. Requires the policies and procedures prohibiting bullying that are contained in each school board's code of student conduct to direct the principal to notify the parent of any student involved in an alleged incident of bullying of the status of any investigation within 14 school days of the allegation of bullying.

H.B. 1775

Patron: Hodges

Persons with developmental disabilities; terminology. Corrects numerous sections of the Code of Virginia by replacing the term "intellectual disability" with "developmental disabilities" as appropriate.

H.B. 1829

Patron: Dudenhefer

Teacher licensure; certification or training in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillators; hands-on practice. Specifies that the certification or training in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillators that is required of every person seeking initial licensure or renewal of a license as a teacher shall include hands-on practice of the skills necessary to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

H.B. 1848

Patron: Hester

Comprehensive community colleges; tuition grants. Provides that certain Virginia students who were in foster care or in the custody of the Department of Social Services or considered a special needs adoption and are enrolled in a noncredit workforce credential training program in a comprehensive community college may qualify for a grant for the payment of tuition and fees.

H.B. 1910

Patron: Yost

Definition of mental health service provider. Adds physician assistant to the list of mental health service providers who have a duty to take precautions to protect third parties from violent behavior or other serious harm.

H.B. 1944

Patron: Peace

Department of Medical Assistance Services and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; certain regulations. Requires the Department of Planning and Budget to revise and reissue its economic impact analysis on proposed regulations of any agency subject to the Administrative Process Act within the time limits set forth in the Department's review of regulations at the final stage pursuant to the Governor's executive order for executive branch review if certain conditions are present that would materially change the Department's analysis. The bill also establishes certain requirements related to notice to stakeholders and opportunity for comment when the Department of Medical Assistance Services posts a new regulation or final stage of a regulation to the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall, proposes a change to a provider manual, or proposes a change to guidance documents related to licensure requirements.

H.B. 1946

Patron: Peace

Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Amends provisions related to the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman (the Office) and its access to and handling of certain information and records to conform to federal requirements and remove ambiguities. The bill also prohibits interference with or retaliation or reprisals against (i) the Office or its representatives or designees for fulfillment of its functions, responsibilities, or duties or (ii) a person who in good faith complains or provides information to, or otherwise cooperates with, the Office or any of its representatives or designees. The bill requires the Commissioner for Aging and Rehabilitative Services to promulgate regulations regarding the investigation of allegations of interference, retaliation, or reprisals and the implementation of sanctions with respect to such interference, retaliation, or reprisals. The bill also requires the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services to put in place mechanisms to ensure that the Office may (a) analyze, comment on, and monitor the development and implementation of laws, regulations, and policies related to long-term care services and providers or to the health, safety, welfare, and rights of individuals receiving long-term care services; (b) recommend changes to such laws, regulations, and policies; and (c) provide information, recommendations, and the position of the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to public and private agencies, legislators, media, and other persons regarding concerns of individuals receiving long-term care services.

H.B. 1981

Patron: Greason

School Divisions of Innovation. Requires the Board to promulgate regulations for the designation of School Divisions of Innovation in which the local school board in the local school division so designated shall, pursuant to a plan of innovation, be exempted from certain regulatory provisions and be permitted to adopt alternative policies for school administrators, teachers, and staff to meet the diverse needs of students and to improve student learning; educational performance; and college, career, and citizenship readiness skills in the local school division or any portion thereof.

H.B. 1982

Patron: Greason

Graduation requirements; verified units of credit; satisfactory score on the PSAT examination. Requires the Board of Education, in establishing graduation requirements, to provide for the award of verified units of credit for a satisfactory score, as determined by the Board, on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) examination.

H.B. 2095

Patron: Price

Registration of peer recovery specialists and qualified mental health professionals. Authorizes the registration of peer recovery specialists and qualified mental health professionals by the Board of Counseling. The bill defines "qualified mental health professional" as a person who by education and experience is professionally qualified and registered by the Board of Counseling to provide collaborative mental health services for adults or children. The bill requires that a qualified mental health professional provide such services as an employee or independent contractor of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or a provider licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The bill defines "registered peer recovery specialist" as a person who by education and experience is professionally qualified and registered by the Board of Counseling to provide collaborative services to assist individuals in achieving sustained recovery from the effects of addiction or mental illness, or both. The bill requires that a registered peer recovery specialist provide such services as an employee or independent contractor of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, a provider licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, a practitioner licensed by or holding a permit issued from the Department of Health Professions, or a facility licensed by the Department of Health. The bill adds qualified mental health professionals and registered peer recovery specialists to the list of mental health providers that are required to take actions to protect third parties under certain circumstances and notify clients of their right to report to the Department of Health Professions any unethical, fraudulent, or unprofessional conduct. The bill directs the Board of Counseling and the Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of the bill within 280 days of its enactment.

H.B. 2101

Patron: Byron

Health care providers; data collection. Defines "charity care" and "bad debt" as used in the context of certificate of public need, establishes a uniform framework for determining the value of charity care provided, and requires health care providers to report data on (i) the total amount of charity care, as defined in § 32.1-102.1, that the facility provides to indigent persons; (ii) the number of patients to whom charity care is provided; (iii) the specific services delivered to patients that are reported as charity care; and (iv) the portion of the total amount of charity care provided that each service represents. The bill also requires health care providers to report data and information identifying any parent company of the health care provider and any subsidiary company of the health care provider and requires every hospital that receives a disproportionate share hospital adjustment to report the number of inpatient days attributable to patients eligible for both Medicare Part A and Supplemental Security Income, the number of inpatient days attributed to patients eligible for Medicaid but not Medicare Part A, and the total amount of the disproportionate share hospital adjustment received.

H.B. 2119

Patron: Keam

Practice of laser hair removal. Limits the practice of laser hair removal to a properly trained person licensed to practice medicine or osteopathic medicine or licensed as a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, or to a properly trained person under the direction and supervision of a licensed doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine or physician assistant.

H.B. 2142

Patron: LeMunyon

Redesigned high school graduation requirements; implementation; one-year delay. Delays by one year the implementation of the redesigned high school graduation requirements established pursuant to Chapter 750 of the Acts of Assembly of 2016.

H.B. 2171

Patron: Massie

Public institutions of higher education; annual report; investments. Requires the governing board of each public institution of higher education to annually report to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (i) the value of investments as reflected on the Statement of Net Position as of June 30 of the previous fiscal year, excluding any funds derived from endowment donations, endowment income, or other private philanthropy; (ii) the cash earnings on such balances in the previous fiscal year; and (iii) the use of the cash earnings on such balances. In the event that the commitment of any such investment earnings spans more than one fiscal year, the report shall reflect the commitments made in each future fiscal year. The bill excludes from such reporting requirements the investments of Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority and the University of Virginia Medical Center.

H.B. 2174

Patron: Murphy

School boards; pupil/teacher ratios; public report. Requires each school board to annually report to the public the actual pupil/teacher ratios in middle school and high school.

H.B. 2191

Patron: Landes

School boards; procedures; sexually explicit instructional materials or related academic activities. Requires each school board's procedures for handling challenged controversial instructional materials to include procedures for (i) annually notifying the parent of any student enrolled in a course in which the instructional materials or related academic activities may include sexually explicit content of the potential for such sexually explicit content in such course and (ii) providing, as a replacement for instructional materials or related academic activities that include sexually explicit content, nonexplicit instructional materials or related academic activities to any student whose parent so requests. The bill defines "sexually explicit content" as content that involves any criminal sexual assault defined and punishable as a felony under Article 7 (§ 18.2-61 et seq.) of Chapter 4 of Title 18.2 of the Code of Virginia.

H.B. 2209

Patron: O'Bannon

Emergency Department Care Coordination Program established. Establishes the Emergency Department Care Coordination Program in the Department of Health to provide a single, statewide technology solution that connects all hospital emergency departments in the Commonwealth to facilitate real-time communication and collaboration between physicians, other health care providers, and other clinical and care management personnel for patients receiving services in hospital emergency departments, for the purpose of improving the quality of patient care services. The bill shall not become effective unless and until the Commonwealth receive federal HITECH funds to implement its provisions.

H.B. 2218

Patron: Miyares

Public charter school applications and charter agreements; findings by the Board of Education. Permits the Board of Education to communicate any Board finding relating to the rationale for the local school board's denial of a public charter school application or revocation of or failure to renew the charter agreement based on documentation submitted by the school board in any school division in which at least half of the schools receive funding pursuant to Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended.

H.B. 2225

Patron: Head

Hospital data reporting; charity care and other activities. Defines "charity care" as care provided in accordance with a provider's policy of providing health care services free of charge or at a reduced rate because of the indigence or medical indigence of the patient. The bill requires all hospitals, doctors of medicine and osteopathy, and dentists licensed to practice as oral and maxillofacial surgeons to whom a certificate of public need has been issued to establish charity care policies and post information about such policies in a public place; requires health care providers to submit to the Commissioner of Health data on the amount of charity care provided; provides that the value of charity care shall be determined in accordance with fee schedules for Medicare services established by CMS; provides that in the case of a health care provider providing services at more than one facility, charity care shall be reported for each facility at which services are provided and shall not be aggregated by the provider; and requires not-for-profit hospitals to (i) conduct community needs assessments and develop strategies to meet the needs identified, (ii) establish financial assistance policies for patients, (iii) establish limits on charges for emergency and other medically necessary care for individuals eligible for assistance under the financial assistance policy, and (iv) ensure that the hospital does not engage in extraordinary actions to collect amounts owed before determining whether the person is eligible for financial assistance. The bill also requires not-for-profit hospitals to report annually to the Commissioner of Health on (a) the outcomes of the community needs assessment and the implementation of the strategy developed to meet the community health needs identified through such assessment; (b) the financial assistance policy and the utilization thereof; and (c) the steps the hospital has undertaken to determine whether a person to whom services have been delivered is eligible for assistance under the hospital's financial assistance policy and efforts of the hospital to ensure that any collections activities undertaken by the hospital to collect amounts owed by such persons are not extraordinary action. Such report shall also include (1) a statement disclosing any for-profit subsidiaries owned by the not-for-profit hospital and (2) a statement of the amount of compensation paid by the not-for-profit hospital to executive staff of the hospital.

H.B. 2258

Patron: Filler-Corn

department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; report on activities related to suicide prevention. Directs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to report to the Governor and the General Assembly on its activities related to suicide prevention across the lifespan by December 1, 2017.

H.B. 2262

Patron: Cox

Online Virginia Network Authority established. Establishes the Online Virginia Network Authority (the Authority) as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth for the purpose of establishing the Online Virginia Network to coordinate the online delivery of courses that facilitate the completion of degrees at George Mason University and Old Dominion University. The bill requires the Authority to be governed by a 17-member board that consists of five members of the House of Delegates appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, four members of the Senate appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, three nonlegislative citizen members appointed by the Governor, one nonlegislative citizen member appointed by the board of visitors of George Mason University, one nonlegislative citizen member appointed by the board of visitors of Old Dominion University, the President of George Mason University, the President of Old Dominion University, and the Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. The bill sets forth several duties of the Authority and grants the Authority operational flexibility in the areas of procurement and information technology, provided that the Authority adopts and complies with certain policies.

H.B. 2300

Patron: O'Bannon

Department of Health; frequency of inspections. Provides that in cases in which inspections of emergency medical services agencies and vehicles, hospitals, hospices, home care organizations, restaurants, summer camps, campgrounds, and hotels are required, no licensee shall receive additional inspections until every other licensee in that category has been inspected unless the additional inspection is (i) necessary to follow up on a preoperational inspection or one or more violations, (ii) required by a uniformly applied risk-based schedule established by the Department of Health, (iii) necessary to investigate a complaint, or (iv) otherwise deemed necessary to protect the public health and safety.

H.B. 2304

Patron: Orrock

Department of Medical Assistance Services; requirements related to long-term care. Provides that the Department of Medical Assistance Services shall require all individuals who administer preadmission screenings for long-term care services to receive training on and be certified in the use of the Uniform Assessment Instrument; requires the Department to develop a program for the training and certification of preadmission screeners, develop guidelines for a standardized preadmission screening process, and strengthen oversight of the preadmission screening process to ensure that problems are identified and addressed promptly; requires the Department to make a number of changes to contracts for long-term care services provided by managed care organizations through the Medallion program; directs the Department to impose additional requirements related to submission of data and information by managed care organizations participating in the Medallion program; and requires the Department to implement a number of spending and utilization control measures in conjunction with managed care organizations participating in the Medallion program.

H.B. 2306

Patron: Hope

Arlington County School Board; maximum salary of members. Removes the $25,000 cap on the salary of certain members of the Arlington County School Board, thereby permitting each member of such school board to be paid a salary in accordance with the general procedures and limits that are applicable to elected school boards in the Commonwealth.

H.B. 2331

Patron: Heretick

Community services boards; preadmission screening; regional jail inmates. Provides that the duties of a community services board include reviewing any existing Memorandum of Understanding between the community services board and any other community services boards that serve the regional jail to ensure that such memorandum sets forth the roles and responsibilities of each community services board in the preadmission screening process, provides for communication and information sharing protocols between the community services boards, and provides for due consideration, including financial consideration, should there be disproportionate obligations on one of the community services boards.

H.B. 2341

Patron: Landes

Board of Education; membership. Requires at least two of the nine members of the Board of Education to represent business and industry in the private sector in the Commonwealth.

H.B. 2342

Patron: Landes

Public schools; regional charter school divisions. Authorizes the Board of Education (Board) to establish regional charter school divisions consisting of at least two but not more than three existing school divisions in regions in which each underlying school division has an enrollment of more than 3,000 students and one or more schools that have accreditation denied status for two out of the past three years. The bill requires such regional charter school divisions to be supervised by a school board that consists of eight members appointed by the Board and one member appointed by the localities of each of the underlying divisions. The bill authorizes the school board, after a review by the Board, to review and approve public charter school applications in the regional charter school divisions and to contract with the applicant. The bill requires the state share of Standards of Quality per pupil funding of the underlying school district in which the student resides transferred to such school.

H.B. 2352

Patron: Freitas

Teacher licensure by reciprocity; professional teacher's assessments. Exempts from any professional teacher's assessment requirements any individual who has obtained a valid out-of-state license, with full credentials and without deficiencies, that is in force at the time the application for a Virginia license is received by the Department of Education, subject to the approval of the division superintendent or the school board in the school division in which such individual is employed. The bill requires the Department of Education to analyze the current requirements for teacher licensure by reciprocity in the Commonwealth, including the statutory and regulatory requirements for such licensure, and report its findings, including any recommendations for changes to such requirements, to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health no later than November 1, 2017.

H.B. 2379

Patron: Head

Roanoke Higher Education Authority; board of trustees. Removes the president of Bluefield College from the board of trustees of the Roanoke Higher Education Authority.

H.B. 2395

Patron: Cline

Public schools; dyslexia advisor. Requires one reading specialist in any school division in which the local school board employs such a specialist to have training in the identification of and the appropriate interventions, accommodations, and teaching techniques for students with dyslexia or a related disorder and to serve as an advisor on dyslexia and related disorders.

H.B. 2404

Patron: Filler-Corn

Advisory Council on Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) and Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS). Creates the Advisory Council on Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections and Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome to advise the Commissioner of Health on research, diagnosis, treatment, and education relating to these identified disorders and syndrome referred to by the National Institute of Mental Health as PANDAS and PANS. The bill provides for a three-year sunset for the Advisory Council.

H.B. 2417

Patron: Landes

Department of Medical Assistance Services; fraud prevention; prepayment analytics. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to establish a program to mitigate, through the use of prepayment analytics, the risk of improper payments to providers of services that are paid through the Department's fee-for-service delivery system who commit fraud, abuse, or errors.

H.B. 2470

Patron: Jones

Drug Control Act; Schedule II and Schedule V. Adds thiafentanil to Schedule II of the Drug Control Act and Brivaracetam to Schedule V of the Drug Control Act.

H.B. 2477

Patron: Orrock

Department of Health to take steps to begin eliminating site evaluation and design services for onsite sewage systems and private wells. Directs the Department of Health to take certain steps to begin eliminating site evaluation and design services for onsite sewage systems and private wells provided by the Department.