SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2020 SESSION

  • print version
Senate Committee on Education and Health
Subcommittee Health

Lewis (Chair), Saslaw, Barker, Dunnavant, Suetterlein

Date of Meeting: February 18, 2020
Time and Place: 4:00pm Subcommittee Rm 2 5th Fl. Pocahontas Bldg.

H.B. 97

Patron: Miyares

Newborn screening for Krabbe disease. Directs the Department of Health to review Krabbe disease and provide recommendations to the Board of Health regarding whether Krabbe disease should be included in newborn screening.

H.B. 180

Patron: Levine

Records of marriages; 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 incorporates HB 141, HB 1158, and 1425.

H.B. 479

Patron: Kilgore

Death certificate; veterans; fees. Expands list of parties eligible to obtain a free certified copy of a veteran's death certificate for service-connected benefits to include any funeral director or funeral service licensee who provides funeral services for the veteran, if so requested by the surviving spouse of the veteran.

H.B. 586

Patron: Guzman

Commissioner of Health; study of the occurrence of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorobutyrate (PFBA), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and other perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the Commonwealth's public drinking water; report. Directs the Commissioner of Health to convene a work group to study the occurrence of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorobutyrate (PFBA), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and other perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as deemed necessary, in the Commonwealth's public drinking water and to develop recommendations for specific maximum contaminant levels for PFOA, PFOS, PFBA, PFHpA, PFHxS, PFNA, and other PFAS, as deemed necessary, for inclusion in regulations of the Board of Health applicable to waterworks.

H.B. 661

Patron: Bell

Secretaries of Health and Human Resources and Public Safety and Homeland Security; work group; improving response to exposure-prone incidents. Directs the Secretaries of Health and Human Resources and of Public Safety and Homeland Security to establish a work group to develop a plan to improve the Commonwealth's response to exposure-prone incidents involving employees of law-enforcement agencies, volunteers and employees of fire departments and companies, and volunteers and employees of emergency medical services agencies and other appropriate entities. The work group shall (i) develop a plan for an entity to assist with management of exposure-prone incidents involving employees of law-enforcement agencies, volunteers and employees of fire departments and companies, and volunteers and employees of emergency medical services agencies and other appropriate entities and (ii) study and develop recommendations related to developing the ability to perform postmortem testing for infection with human immunodeficiency (HIV) or hepatitis B or C viruses through the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services. The work group shall report its findings to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2020.

H.B. 728

Patron: Hope

Secretaries of Education and Health and Human Resources; work group; process for approval of residential psychiatric placement and services; report. Directs the Secretaries of Education and Health and Human Resources to establish a work group to study the current process for approval of residential psychiatric services for children and adolescents and requires the work group to report its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Finance, and the Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services in the Commonwealth in the 21st Century by December 1, 2020.

H.B. 763

Patron: Orrock

Hospitals; notification; physical therapy. Requires the Board of Health to adopt regulations requiring hospitals to establish protocols to ensure that any patient scheduled to receive an elective surgical procedure for which the patient can reasonably be expected to require outpatient physical therapy as a follow-up treatment after discharge is informed that he (i) is expected to require outpatient physical therapy as a follow-up treatment and (ii) will be required to select a physical therapy provider prior to being discharged from the hospital.

H.B. 791

Patron: Plum

Comprehensive harm reduction programs. Repeals the sunset on the authority of the Commissioner of Health to establish and operate local or regional comprehensive harm reduction programs that include the distribution of sterile hypodermic needles and syringes and the disposal of used hypodermic needles and syringes; allows a local health department or other organization that promotes scientifically proven methods of mitigating health risks associated with drug use and other high-risk behaviors to establish comprehensive harm reduction programs, if authorized by the Commissioner of Health; and eliminates the requirement that comprehensive harm reduction programs be located in communities for which data indicates an increase in or increased risk of transmission of HIV, viral hepatitis, or other blood-borne disease as a result of injection drug use.

H.B. 907

Patron: Hayes

Department of Health; sickle cell anemia; adult and pediatric comprehensive sickle cell clinic network. Specifies that children be included in the voluntary program established by the Commissioner of Health, in cooperation with local health directors, for the screening of individuals for the disease of sickle cell anemia or the sickle cell trait and for other genetically related diseases and genetic traits and inborn errors of metabolism. The bill directs the Board of Health to adopt regulations to implement an adult and pediatric comprehensive sickle cell clinic network.

H.B. 1090

Patron: Hope

Required immunizations. Removes the specific list of minimum requirements for vaccines for school attendance and directs that the State Board of Health Regulations for the Immunization of School Children shall be consistent with the Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger developed and published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

H.B. 1121

Patron: Robinson

Massage therapists; qualifications; license. Provides that an applicant who completed a massage therapy educational program in a foreign country may apply for licensure as a massage therapist upon submission of evidence that the applicant (i) is at least 18 years old, (ii) has successfully completed a massage therapy educational program that is comparable to a massage therapy educational program required for licensure by the Board, and (iii) has passed a Board-approved English language proficiency examination, and (iv) has not committed any acts or omissions that would be grounds for disciplinary action or denial of licensure. The Board of Nursing shall issue a license to an applicant who completed his massage therapy educational program in a foreign country upon submission of evidence of completion of the English-language version of the Licensing Examination of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards or a comparable examination.