SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2021 SESSION

  • print version
Senate Committee on Education and Health
Subcommittee Health

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

Clerk: Michael Jackson
Staff: Julia Carlton, Anna Moir
Date of Meeting: January 19, 2021
Time and Place: 4 PM/Senate Chamber/Register to speak @ GA Website
https://virginia-senate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3

S.B. 1116

Patron: Peake

Powers of State Health Commissioner in epidemic; vaccine; religious tenets or practices. Allows a parent or guardian to object to the vaccination or immunization of a child on the grounds that the administration of immunizing agents conflicts with his religious tenets or practices, even if an emergency or epidemic of disease has been declared by the State Board of Health, which is not allowed under current law. The bill also provides that nothing shall preclude the State Health Commissioner from requiring immediate immunization of all persons in the case of an epidemic of any disease of public health importance for which a vaccine exists other than a person, including a parent or guardian on behalf of a child, who objects on the grounds that the administration of the vaccine conflicts with his religious tenets or practices. Under current law, the only exception to the Commissioner's power to require immediate immunization of all persons in case of an epidemic of any disease of public health importance for which a vaccine exists is for a person to whose health the administration of a vaccine would be detrimental as certified in writing by a physician licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 32.1-46, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, and 32.1-48 of the Code of Virginia, relating to powers of State Health Commissioner in epidemic; vaccine; religious tenets or practices.

21101449D

S.B. 1117

Patron: Peake

Immunizations; religious tenets or practices. Allows a parent or guardian to object to the vaccination or immunization of a child on the grounds that the administration of immunizing agents conflicts with his religious tenets or practices, even if an emergency or epidemic of disease has been declared by the State Board of Health, which is not allowed under current law.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 32.1-46, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia, relating to immunizations; religious tenets or practices.

21101451D

S.B. 1121

Patron: Locke

Birth certificates; amendments. Creates a new process for the amendment of birth certificates other than an amendment to show paternity if paternity is not shown on the birth certificate. The bill requires the State Registrar of Vital Records to amend a birth certificate upon receipt of an application, a sworn affidavit testifying to the corrected information, and such other evidence as may be required by regulations of the Board of Health and provides that regulations of the Board specifying the minimum evidence required for an amendment to a birth certificate shall not require a copy of a court order or a federal census transcript as evidence.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 32.1-269 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 6 of Chapter 7 of Title 32.1 a section numbered 32.1-269.2, relating to birth certificates; amendments.

21101423D

S.B. 1154

Patron: Favola

Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; reports to designated protection and advocacy system. Requires the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Commissioner) to add written reports of the facts of alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation of individuals receiving services in programs operated or licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Department) to the list of reports the Commissioner must provide to the Director of the Commonwealth's designated protection and advocacy system. Currently, the Commissioner is required to provide reports of critical injuries involving, or deaths of individuals receiving, services in facilities and reports of serious injuries to or deaths of individuals receiving services in programs operated or licensed by the Department to the Director of the Commonwealth's designated protection and advocacy system.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 37.2-304 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; reports to designated protection and advocacy system.

21102471D

S.B. 1220

Patron: Favola

State facilities; admission of certain aliens. Repeals the requirements that (i) the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services determine the nationality of each person admitted to a state facility and, if the person is an alien, notify the United States immigration officer in charge of the district in which the state facility is located and (ii) upon request of the United States immigration officer in charge of the district in which a state facility to which a person who is an alien is admitted is located or the judge or special justice who certified or ordered the admission of such alien, the clerk of the court furnish a certified copy of records pertaining to the case of the admitted alien.

A BILL to repeal § 37.2-827 of the Code of Virginia, relating to state hospitals; admission of certain aliens.

21101347D

S.B. 1221

Patron: Favola

Operation of the Loudoun County local health department. Allows Loudoun County to enter into a contract with the Department of Health for the local administration of local health services. Currently, the local department of health is operated as a joint venture between the state and local governments.

A BILL to provide for the operation of the Loudoun County local health department.

21102528D

S.B. 1227

Patron: Boysko

State plan for medical assistance; payment of medical assistance; 12-month supply of hormonal contraceptives. Directs the Board of Medical Assistance Services to include in the state plan for medical assistance a provision for the payment of medical assistance for the dispensing or furnishing of up to a 12-month supply of hormonal contraceptives at one time. The bill prohibits the Department of Medical Assistance Services from imposing any utilization controls or other forms of medical management limiting the supply of hormonal contraceptives that may be dispensed or furnished to an amount less than a 12-month supply and makes clear that the bill shall not be construed to (i) require a provider to prescribe, dispense, or furnish a 12-month supply of self-administered hormonal contraceptives at one time or (ii) exclude coverage for hormonal contraceptives as prescribed by a prescriber, acting within his scope of practice, for reasons other than contraceptive purposes.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 32.1-325 of the Code of Virginia, relating to state plan for medical assistance; payment of medical assistance; 12-month supply of hormonal contraceptives.

21101488D

S.B. 1302

Patron: McPike

Crisis call center; Crisis Call Center Fund established. Provides that the crisis call center, which under current law is administered by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Department), shall be designated as the 9-8-8 Crisis Hotline Center for purposes of participating in the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The bill directs the Department, in its development of the crisis call center, community care teams, and mobile crisis teams, to comply with any applicable requirements of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, and to provide for consistency with federal guidelines promulgated under such law.

The bill increases from $0.75 to $0.94 the wireless E-911 surcharge and increases from $0.50 to $0.63 the prepaid wireless E-911 charge. The bill provides that part of the revenue attributable to the increase would be distributed to the Crisis Call Center Fund, established by the bill, to fund the Department's costs in establishing and administering the call center, and that the remainder of the revenue would be distributed to public safety answering points (PSAPs).

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 37.2-311.1, as it shall become effective, 56-484.12, 56-484.17, and 56-484.17:1 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding sections numbered 37.2-311.2, 37.2-311.3, and 37.2-311.4, relating to crisis call centers; Crisis Call Center Fund established.

21102780D

S.B. 1338

Patron: Barker

Telemedicine services; remote patient monitoring services. Defines "medically necessary" for the purposes of telemedicine services and clarifies the definitions of "remote patient monitoring services" and "telemedicine services." The Board of Medical Assistance Services is currently required to include in the state plan for medical assistance services a provision for the payment of medical assistance for medically necessary health care services provided through telemedicine services, and the bill directs the Board to provide payment for remote patient monitoring services provided through telemedicine services based on an annual publication by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 32.1-325 and 38.2-3418.16 of the Code of Virginia, relating to telemedicine services; remote patient monitoring services.

21101591D

S.B. 1362

Patron: Lewis

Employers; reporting outbreaks of COVID-19; emergency. Requires employers to report for each worksite with 30 or more employees, or for any multi-employer worksite with 30 or more combined employees, to the local health department when the worksite has had three or more confirmed cases of COVID-19. The employer is required to make such report within 24 hours of becoming aware of such cases. The bill requires the State Department of Health to compile such reports and to make a weekly report available to the public with the compiled information. The bill contains an emergency clause.

A BILL to require employers to report outbreaks of COVID-19; emergency.

21102087D

EMERGENCY

S.B. 1416

Patron: Stanley

Department of Medical Assistance Services; remote patient monitoring; rural and underserved populations. Amends the State Plan for Medical Assistance Services to require the payment of medical assistance for remote patient monitoring services for rural and underserved populations, with the home as an eligible telemedicine originating site. The bill requires the Department of Medical Assistance Services to prepare and submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services an application for such waiver or waivers as may be necessary to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill also requires the Department to report to the Governor and the General Assembly on the status of such application or applications by October 1, 2021.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 32.1-325 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Department of Medical Assistance Services; remote patient monitoring; rural and underserved populations.

21100846D

S.B. 1421

Patron: Edwards

Brain injury; definition. Eliminates the requirement that an injury occur before the age of 65 to constitute a brain injury as that term is used in the context of licensure of private providers of behavioral health services.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 37.2-403 of the Code of Virginia, relating to brain injury; definition.

21102298D

S.B. 1427

Patron: Morrissey

Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; Coordinated Specialty Care Program Advisory Board. Establishes the Coordinated Specialty Care Program Advisory Board for the purpose of assisting the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services in expanding the provision of high-quality, evidence-based early psychosis and mood disorder detection and intervention services.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 37.2-313.2, relating to Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; Coordinated Specialty Care Program Advisory Board established.

21100852D