Provider contracts; pharmacies; refusal to fill certain prescriptions. Requires a provider contract between a health carrier or its pharmacy benefits manager and a pharmacy or its contracting agent to contain a specific provision allowing the pharmacy to refuse to fill a prescription for a drug that is reimbursed below the actual cost of the medication.
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; civil penalties. Increases the minimum and maximum civil penalties that may be imposed upon an officer, employee, or member of a public body for violations of certain provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The bill also adjusts the minimum and maximum civil penalty for such second and subsequent violations, in addition to increasing the minimum and maximum civil penalties that can be imposed on a public body for violations related to certifying a closed meeting.
HOT lanes; high-occupancy requirement; law-enforcement vehicles. Expands the currently permitted uses of high occupancy lanes by law-enforcement vehicles regardless of the number of occupants in the vehicle to include responding to a call for law-enforcement services and patrolling HOT lanes within the law-enforcement officer's jurisdiction while such law-enforcement officer is on duty. Current law limits such use to when (i) responding to an emergency incident and (ii) patrolling HOT lanes pursuant to an agreement by a state agency with the HOT lanes operator. The bill does not change certain other authorized uses in current law.
Dulles Greenway; toll rates. Requires that (i) the toll rates for the Dulles Greenway set by the State Corporation Commission do not materially discourage the public's use of the toll road; (ii) the cost of operating the toll road is reasonably apportioned across all toll road users based on the relative distance each class of user travels on the toll road, such that the toll rates are established in a reasonable and nondiscriminatory manner in relation to the benefit obtained; and (iii) such toll rates provide the operator with no more than a reasonable return, which is defined in the bill.
Certain practical nursing programs; common curriculum; transferability to registered nursing programs. Requires the Virginia Community College System (the System), in consultation with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Board of Nursing, and representatives from both associate-degree-granting public institutions of higher education and baccalaureate public institutions of higher education that offer nursing programs, to develop a common curriculum for practical nursing programs that shall be implemented at each comprehensive community college in the System that offers a practical nursing program. The bill requires such common curriculum, to the extent possible, to (i) align with the degree requirements for registered nursing programs offered at associate-degree-granting public institutions of higher education and baccalaureate public institutions of higher education and (ii) be transferable to each registered nursing program offered at an associate-degree-granting public institution of higher education or a baccalaureate public institution of higher education. The bill (a) requires each associate-degree-granting public institution of higher education and each baccalaureate public institution of higher education that offers a registered nursing degree program to participate in a practical nursing program to registered nursing program transfer agreement with the System that aligns with the practical nursing program common curriculum established pursuant to the bill and (b) permits any private institution of higher education that offers a registered nursing degree program to be consulted regarding and participate on a voluntary basis in such a transfer agreement. This bill was incorporated into SB 953.
School boards; school-based mental health teletherapy services; increasing accessibility of mental health teletherapy services; policies and requirements. Directs the Department of Education (the Department) to include in the model memorandum of understanding between a school board and a nationally recognized school-based telehealth provider that it is required to develop and distribute to each school board pursuant to applicable law parameters for the provision of mental health teletherapy for students outside of regular school hours and during regular school hours on school property. The bill also requires each school board to, for the purpose of increasing the accessibility of mental health services for public school students, (i) permit any student enrolled in the school division to schedule and participate in mental health teletherapy services during regular school hours on the same basis as such students are permitted to participate in school counseling services; (ii) enter into a memorandum of understanding, consistent with the model memorandum of understanding developed by the Department, with a nationally recognized school-based telehealth provider that ensures and sets forth parameters for the provision of such mental health teletherapy services during regular school hours; (iii) develop and implement policies and procedures for permitting any student to participate in such mental health teletherapy services during regular school hours; and (iv) develop, post in a publicly accessible location on its website, and make available to all administrative and instructional personnel in the school division at the beginning of each school year informational materials relating to such mental health teletherapy policies.
Casino gaming; set-off of debts to the Commonwealth from prizes. Directs the Virginia Lottery Board to adopt regulations to establish and implement a set-off debt collection program in accordance with the provisions of the Setoff Debt Collection Act, wherein certain casino gaming prizes shall be subjected to delinquent debts of agencies and institutions of the Commonwealth.
Fantasy Contests Act; minimum age requirement. Increases from 18 years of age to 21 years of age the minimum age required to participate in fantasy contests.
Dangerous dogs; criteria for adjudication. Allows a court to find an animal is a dangerous dog if the threat, injury, or damage was sustained by a person who was willfully trespassing or if at the time of the acts complained of the animal was protecting its kennel, its offspring, or its owner's property. The bill retains the restriction on a court from finding an animal is dangerous if such animal was responding to pain or injury to itself, its owner, or another person but requires the other person to be in the animal's presence.
Claims to unclaimed property; authority of administrator. Authorizes the State Treasurer or his designee to make payments relating to unclaimed property without receiving a claim if the property is cash property, the apparent owner is a natural person and such apparent owner has been identified by the State Treasurer or his designee, and the amount to be paid does not exceed $5,000. This bill was incorporated into SB 996.
Virginia Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act; administrator to exercise due diligence to locate owner. Requires the State Treasurer or his designee to exercise due diligence to locate the owner of unclaimed funds or abandoned property previously paid or delivered to the State Treasurer or his designee. Such exercise of due diligence shall include, if necessary, that the State Treasurer or his designee coordinate with the Tax Commissioner to provide the Department of the Treasury with relevant tax information for the purposes of locating such owner. This bill was incorporated into SB 996.
Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; annual report on eligibility and usage required. Requires the Department of Veterans Services and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to coordinate to report no later than December 1 of each year to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations (i) the number of qualified survivors and dependents who have been determined to be eligible for a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees at a public institution of higher education pursuant to the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program but have not yet enrolled at such an institution and (ii) the best available estimate of the number of qualified survivors and dependents who are enrolled at each public institution of higher education with a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees pursuant to the Program as of November 1 of the current fall semester. This bill was incorporated into HB 1694.
