July 8th Newsletter
This 4th of July was bittersweet. While I had a wonderful time celebrating our nation’s founding with community members in Henrico, I was devastated to hear of the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, and dozens of shootings across the United States taking 220 lives and wounding almost 570 others last weekend. The Richmond Police Department also reported that a mass shooting attempt planned for the Dogwood Dell Fourth of July celebration was thwarted thanks to a tip from a local citizen. On a day dedicated to freedom, Americans were undoubtedly not free from the violence of mass shootings, nor the daily fear of gun violence in our communities.
When I first ran for office in 2019, I spoke with thousands of residents of the 73rd district from across the political spectrum who were united in their hope for common-sense gun violence prevention legislation. When I took office in 2020, following the devastating shooting in Virginia Beach, the General Assembly passed seven gun control measures, which was only possible once Democrats took control of the House, Senate, and Governor's Mansion.
These bills include universal background checks on private gun sales, requiring an owner of a gun to report the loss or theft of a firearm within 24 hours, the creation of a “red flag” law, or extreme risk protective order, under which authorities can temporarily seize firearms from someone deemed a threat to themselves or others, and legislation to make it a felony to “recklessly” leave a firearm within reach of anyone age 18 or younger, up from the current age of 14. I also supported legislation to ban the purchase of assault rifles, such as AR-15s. This legislation, unfortunately, failed to advance through the Senate.
On June 25th, President Biden signed into law the first major federal gun safety legislation passed in decades, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The law provides $750 million to states to implement extreme risk protection order programs, enhances background checks for people under 21 years old, closes the “boyfriend loophole” in the federal domestic violence law, and increases funding for school-and community-based mental health services for children.
While we have made progress in Virginia and now federally, it is clear that much more work is needed to ensure that we have the freedom from gun violence that has ripped apart countless American families. I promise to continue to work on this issue and prioritize the safety of our children and our communities.
If you have any questions or need assistance with a state agency, please contact my office at delrwillett@house.virginia.gov or phone at 804-698-1073, and a member of my staff will be happy to assist you. I also will continue to keep you informed with relevant, accurate information via Twitter, Facebook, and my website. Please stay well and stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Rodney
New Information
New Laws in Effect July 1
The vast majority of legislation that we pass each session goes into effect on July 1st of the same calendar year. Occasionally a bill will contain an “emergency clause” that allows bills to take effect as soon as they are signed by the Governor, or a bill will have a delayed effective date to allow more time to prepare for a change in the law. Please see below for summaries of some of the legislation that took effect last week on July 1st that may impact your day-to-day life or otherwise be of interest to you. The full list of new laws is available online here.
Traffic Infractions/Motor Vehicles
HB632 Exhaust Systems; excessive noise — The law makes certain secondary offenses related to loud exhaust systems that are not in good working order primary offenses and exempts local ordinances related to such exhaust systems from the prohibition on law enforcement officers stopping a vehicle for a violation of a local ordinance unless it is a jailable offense.
HB450 Parking of vehicles; electric vehicle charging spots; civil penalties — The law prohibits a person from parking a vehicle not capable of receiving an electric charge or not in the process of charging in a space clearly marked as reserved for charging electric vehicles. A violation is subject to a civil penalty of no more than $25.
SB362 Bicycles and certain other vehicles; riding two abreast — The law prohibits persons riding bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, or motorized skateboards or scooters two abreast from impeding the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and requires such persons to move into a single-file formation as quickly as is practicable when being overtaken from the rear by a faster-moving vehicle.
HB540 Driver’s license; extension of validity —The law extends (i) from three years to six years the period for which a driver’s license extension may be granted to certain persons in service to the United States government and (ii) from one year to two years the period for which a driver’s license extension may be granted for good cause shown.
Education
HB525/SB439 “Adams Law” Institutions of higher education; hazing; policies — Named in honor of VCU student Adam Oakes who lost his life to fraternity hazing, this law will require universities to institute educational training on hazing prevention for fraternities and sororities. Beginning with the 2022–2023 academic year, the law requires each institution to maintain and publicly report actual findings of violations of the institution’s code of conduct or of federal or state laws pertaining to hazing that are reported to campus authorities or local law enforcement.
HB507/SB 223 Intercollegiate athletics; student-athletes; compensation and representation for name, image, or likeness — The law establishes several parameters for the compensation and representation of a student-athlete related to the use of such student’s name, image, or likeness.
HB 1299/SB 738 Department of Education; State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; instruction concerning post-graduate opportunities for high school students — The law requires the Department of Education to collect and distribute to public schools and publicly post on its website information that assists high school students in making more informed decisions about their futures after graduating from high school and in doing so ensure that such students are aware of the costs and benefits of different educational and certificate programs.
Health & Health Professions
HB213/SB375 Optometrists; laser surgery — Allows an optometrist who has received a certification to perform laser surgery from the Board of Optometry (the Board) to perform certain types of laser surgery of the eye and directs the Board to issue a certification to perform laser surgery to any optometrist who submits evidence satisfactory to the Board that he (i) is certified by the Board to prescribe for and treat diseases or abnormal conditions of the human eye and its adnexa with therapeutic pharmaceutical agents pursuant to Code requirements and (ii) has satisfactorily completed such didactic and clinical training programs provided by an accredited school or college of optometry that includes training in the use of lasers for the medically appropriate and recognized treatment of the human eye as the Board may require. The bill also requires the Board to adopt regulations establishing criteria for certification and requiring optometrists to register annually with the Board and to report information regarding safety and patient outcomes to the Board. Previously only Ophthalmologists could perform this procedure.
HB481 Hospitals; price transparency. — The law requires every hospital to make information about standard charges for items and services provided by the hospital available on the hospital’s website by July 1, 2023. The law directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to develop recommendations for implementation of the law and to report those recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2022.
HB 537 Telemedicine; out-of-state providers; behavioral health services — Allows certain practitioners of professions regulated by the Boards of Medicine, Counseling, Psychology, and Social Work who provide behavioral health services and who are licensed in another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States territory or possession and in good standing with the applicable regulatory agency to engage in the practice of that profession in the Commonwealth with a patient located in the Commonwealth when (i) such practice is for the purpose of providing continuity of care through the use of telemedicine services and (ii) the practitioner has previously established a practitioner-patient relationship with the patient. The bill provides that a practitioner who provides behavioral health services to a patient located in the Commonwealth through the use of telemedicine services may provide such services for a period of no more than one year from the date on which the practitioner began providing such services to such patient.
HB768/SB335 Health insurance; association health plan for real estate salespersons — Allows Virginia REALTORS to form an association health plan, which would include a single risk pool of the self-employed and employees of real estate brokerage firms who are members of the association. Because of the self-employed status of many realtors, thousands of Virginians in this profession have been previously unable to access affordable health care coverage through a group plan.
Social Services
HB50 Safe haven protections; hotline to provide information about infant relinquishment — The law directs the Department of Social Services to establish a toll-free, 24- hour hotline to make information about the Commonwealth’s safe haven laws that provide for relinquishment of an infant, infant relinquishment locations, and support and resources available for parents available to the public and to make information about the hotline, including the toll free number that may be used to contact the hotline, available on its website. The law also directs the Department to undertake a campaign to increase public awareness of the Commonwealth’s laws providing for the relinquishment of an infant and the hotline established pursuant to the law.
SB40 Assisted Living Facilities; involuntary discharge — The law requires that regulations of the Board of Social Services regarding involuntary discharges of residents from assisted living facilities provide certain safeguards for residents, including a description of the reasons for which a resident may be involuntarily discharged, certain notice requirements, a requirement that the facility make reasonable efforts to resolve any issues upon which the discharge is based, and the provision of information regarding the resident’s right to appeal the facility’s decision to discharge the resident.
Virginia Expands Medicaid Coverage for Postpartum Mothers
Starting this month, Virginia Medicaid will cover enrollees for a year after childbirth. This expansion has been in the works since 2020 and is aimed at improving postpartum care outcomes for low-income patients. July is also Maternal Health Awareness Month thanks to legislation from the 2020 legislation session (HJ111). While maternal mortality is declining worldwide, in 2017 the World Health Organization reported that the U.S. was one of only two countries to report a significant increase in its maternal mortality ratio. While U.S. maternal deaths have leveled in recent years, the ratio is still higher than in comparable countries, and significant racial disparities remain.
Virginia’s Maternal Mortality Review Team issued a 2019 report which analyzed pregnancy-related deaths from 1999 to 2012. The report showed that almost half of those who died had government-provided insurance that only lasted six months after pregnancy, and more than 60 percent of those deaths happened between a month and a half to a year after giving birth.
Federal law has required states for decades to provide pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage, but coverage previously ended for many enrollees within 60 days after giving birth (if they only qualified due to their pregnant status). In 2020 we passed budget language directing the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) to begin the expansion, however, the federal government did not officially approve the shift until November 2021, and funding was not available until this April.
Nineteen other states and Washington, D.C. have implemented the 12-month extension as of July 1, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. In Virginia, the extension is part of a multi-year effort to eliminate racial disparities in the state’s maternal mortality rate by 2025, a goal set by former Governor Ralph Northam.
Virginia residents who may be eligible for the program are encouraged to apply. Visit http://www.enrollva.org/ for more information.
DMV Mileage Choice Program Now Open For Enrollment
Starting July 1, 2022, customers with eligible vehicles are now may enroll in Virginia’s Mileage Choice Program as a way to pay their highway use fee on a per-mile basis in lieu of an annual highway use fee at the time of registration. The highway use fee was created in 2020 as a part of an overhaul of our gas tax system to ensure that drivers of electric vehicles and fuel-efficient cars were paying their fair share of our gas tax which supports the Commonwealth Transportation Fund. Currently, drivers of fuel-efficient vehicles are charged a fee based on the number of miles driven by the average Virginian driver each year — 11,600.
This is a great alternative for Virginians who drive less than 11,600 miles per year, however, if you end up driving more than you anticipated, you will not be charged more than your typical highway use fee. The DMV has partnered with Emovis to operate the program. Customers must enroll in the program online before renewing their vehicle registration.
To sign up, create an account with Emovis, and they will send you a device to install in your vehicle to activate your account. You will also need to download a smartphone app to record an initial odometer reading. Your miles will be recorded by the device, up to the amount of the highway use fee. See more information on the program online at dmvNOW.com/VAMileageChoice.
New 988 Crisis Number Launches on July 16th
Starting July 16, United States residents will be able to dial 988 to reach the new mental health hotline that routes callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Lifeline's current phone number, 1-800-273-8255, will remain active after the new three-digit phone number launches and is always available to people in crisis. Similar to 911, the 988 number will serve as an easy-to-access hotline for people struggling with a mental health crisis.
This new program is a result of a 2020 law requiring service providers to direct all 988 calls to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July 16, 2022. To ensure that calls to 988 reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, all providers were required to implement 10-digit dialing in areas that both use seven-digit dialing and use 988 as the first three numbers in seven-digit phone numbers.
This effort is in response to the growing mental health crisis in the United States. In December 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory to highlight the urgent need to address the nation’s youth mental health crisis. Last week PBS premiered a new Ken Burns documentary on the youth mental health crisis. The two-part documentary can be streamed online here, and features first-person accounts from more than 20 young people (ages 11-27) who live with mental health conditions, as well as parents, teachers, friends, and mental health care experts. I encourage you and your family to watch the program and share the 988 number with friends and neighbors.
Pandemic Era Free Meals for All Students Ending for 2022-2023 School Year — Eligible Students Must Apply
Over the past two years, federal waivers have allowed every K-12 student to receive two free meals a day, regardless of income level. This program is set to expire by the end of the summer, and schools will return to pre-pandemic operations, where families must apply for free and reduced-price meals for their students.
Many high-poverty schools and school divisions will not be impacted by the end of this program, as they participate in the “Community Eligibility Provision” (CEP) — a program that allows schools to offer free meals to all students without the need for parents to apply. The CEP program is provided to schools or divisions in which a substantial number of students are in foster care or Head Start, live in households that participate in federal assistance programs, such as SNAP, or are homeless. The entire Richmond Public School District participates in the program, but only select schools in Henrico County are eligible. See a list of participating schools in Henrico County online here.
Henrico families whose students do not attend a Community Eligibility Provision School are encouraged to apply for free and reduced meals. See more information on Henrico County’s Nutrition Services website and apply for free and reduced meals online here.
Free meals are still available throughout the summer at Henrico County’s summer program sites. Students who are not participating in summer programs can pick up meals at several locations throughout the county. See a list of all program sites online here.
Memorial Scholarship Fund Established in Name of Julia Budzinski, Glen Allen Student
Glen Allen High School student Julia Budzinski tragically lost her life last week in a boating accident. A scholarship fund has been established in her name through the Henrico Education Foundation. The Julia Budzinski Memorial Scholarship Fund will honor Julia's legacy by supporting the students and community of Glen Allen High School and beyond.
You can see more information on the scholarship fund online at henricogives.org/julia. Donations in the form of checks may be mailed to Henrico Education Foundation P.O. Box 31413 Henrico, VA 23294. Checks should be made out to Henrico Education Foundation and should include “The Julia Budzinski Memorial Scholarship Fund” in the memo.
A vigil was held last Sunday night at Glen Allen high school. A viewing will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday at St. Michael’s Catholic Church on Springfield Road, and the funeral mass will be said at the same church at 2 p.m. on Monday.
Julia was a rising senior who played varsity soccer and volleyball at Glen Allen. She was vice president of the school’s National Honor Society chapter, volunteered with organizations that assist individuals with developmental, intellectual, or physical differences, and was involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
I know I speak for our entire Henrico community in expressing my sincere condolences to the Budzinski family for their loss. I encourage you to donate to the scholarship fund in Julia’s honor and memory.
Community Events
Henrico County Red White and Lights Independence Day Celebration
I had a wonderful time celebrating July 4th at Henrico County’s Red, White, and Lights celebration at Crump Park. The event featured food trucks, fireworks, and wonderful performances by the Richmond Symphony and No BS! Brass Band. Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate and to Henrico County Parks and Recreation for making this event possible.
McShin Foundation 4th of July Recovery Cookout
It was a pleasure to join the McShin Foundation for their annual Independence Day Cookout on Monday afternoon. The McShin Foundation is a non-profit, full-service recovery community organization committed to serving individuals and families with substance use disorders. I am so inspired by our community members in recovery and thankful to our providers who make second chances possible.
Capital Area Health Education Center (CapAHEC) End-of-Year Board Meeting & Networking Affair
Strengthening and growing Virginia's health workforce is one of my top priorities as a Delegate. It was a pleasure to join the Capital AHEC networking meeting last week with my fellow Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority Board (VHWDA) member Woodi Sprinkel and Capital AHEC executive director Aileen Edwards Harris. This AHEC is playing a critical role in enabling students to pursue healthcare-related degrees and careers.
