Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for COVID-19.
Summary
Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for COVID-19. Establishes a presumption that COVID-19 causing the death or disability of health care providers is an occupational disease compensable under the Workers' Compensation Act. The bill provides that the COVID-19 virus is established by a positive diagnostic test for COVID-19, an incubation period consistent with COVID-19, and signs and symptoms of COVID-19 that require medical treatment. The bill provides that such presumption applies to any death or disability occurring on or after March 12, 2020, caused by infection from the COVID-19 virus, provided that for any such death or disability that occurred on or after March 12, 2020, and prior to December 31, 2021, the claimant received a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 from a licensed physician, after either a presumptive positive test or a laboratory-confirmed test for COVID-19, and presented with signs and symptoms of COVID-19 that required medical treatment. The bill provides that such presumptions do not apply to any person offered by his employer a vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 unless the person's physician determines in writing that immunization would pose a significant risk to the person's health.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2021
Committee Review
Feb 2021
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2021
Senate Passage
Feb 2021
Signed into Law
Mar 2021
Introduced Jan 11, 2021
Signed Mar 31, 2021
Floor votes · Senate Feb 17, 2021 · House of Delegates Feb 3, 2021
How they voted
33–0
Passed
Total votes 33
Feb 17, 2021
D
Democratic17
100% Yea
R
Republican16
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
61
Key actions
24
Committee
25
Mar 31, 2021
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 507 (effective 7/1/21)
executive
Feb 27, 2021
Upper · Passed
Conference report agreed to by Senate (38-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 25, 2021
Lower · Passed
Conference report agreed to by House (95-Y 0-N 2-A)
lower
Feb 25, 2021
Legislature · Passed
Amended by conference committee
legislature
Feb 23, 2021
Upper · Passed
Senate requested conference committee
upper
Feb 18, 2021
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate with substitute (39-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 18, 2021
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate with substitute (38-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 18, 2021
Upper · Passed
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB1985S1
upper
Feb 18, 2021
Upper · Passed
Committee substitute agreed to 21200277D-S1
upper
Feb 17, 2021
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (16-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 17, 2021
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (33-0)
senate
Feb 15, 2021
Committee
Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations
upper
Feb 15, 2021
Upper · Passed
Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (15-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 15, 2021
Upper · Passed
Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
upper
Feb 4, 2021
Committee
Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
upper
Feb 3, 2021
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (98-Y 0-N 1-A)
lower
Feb 2, 2021
Lower · Passed
Engrossed by House - committee substitute with amendments HB1985EH1
lower
Feb 2, 2021
Lower · Passed
Committee on Appropriations amendments agreed to
lower
Feb 2, 2021
Lower · Passed
Committee on Labor and Commerce substitute agreed to 21103301D-H1
lower
Jan 29, 2021
Lower · Passed
Reported from Appropriations with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 29, 2021
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 29, 2021
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
lower
Jan 22, 2021
Committee
Assigned App. sub: Compensation & General Government
lower
Jan 21, 2021
Committee
Referred to Committee on Appropriations
lower
Jan 21, 2021
Lower · Passed
Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (21-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 19, 2021
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 2-N)
lower
Jan 19, 2021
Upper · Passed
Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
upper
Jan 19, 2021
Lower · Passed
House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
lower
Jan 14, 2021
Committee
Assigned L & C sub: Subcommittee #1
lower
Jan 11, 2021
Committee
Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce
lower
Jan 11, 2021
Introduced
Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21101723D
lower
1 primary · 29 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Chris L. Hurst
DDemocratic
Co
Alex Q. Askew
DDemocratic
Co
Angelia Graves
DDemocratic
Co
Betsy Carr
DDemocratic
Co
Candi King
DDemocratic
Co
Charniele Herring
DDemocratic
Co
Clint Jenkins
DDemocratic
Co
Dan Helmer
DDemocratic
Co
Danica Roem
DDemocratic
Co
Dawn Adams
DDemocratic
Co
Hala S. Ayala
DDemocratic
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