Newsletter: General Assembly 2020 Special Session
For the first time in Virginia history, the House of Delegates is meeting in a fully virtual format. That means that all committee meetings and the floor sessions now are conducted as Zoom calls. And, as I explain below, all of this these virtual meetings are open to the public, with the committee meetings including a public comment sign up feature.
Meeting virtually is no one’s first choice. By leveraging the available technology, however, we are able to address critically important COVID-19 relief measures and criminal justice reforms while protecting the health of delegates, staff, and the public.
I will continue to keep you informed with relevant, accurate information via Twitter, Facebook, and my website. Please email my office at delrwillett@house.virginia.gov or call us at 804-698-1173 if you have any questions or need assistance.
Sincerely,
Rodney
New Information
General Assembly Special Session
This week the House of Delegates held its first committee meetings to hear legislation on COVID-19 relief and criminal justice reforms. I would like to thank our House leadership and our incredible Clerk’s staff for working tirelessly to ensure our body is able to meet and vote securely during this historic first virtual session.
Although I truly miss being able to meet with my constituents and fellow legislators in person, I am thankful that we have implemented new practices to allow for virtual public comment during our committee meetings. If you are interested in providing public comment please visit bit.ly/vahousecalendar and click “sign up to speak or give public comment” to register for the respective committee meeting. The calendar is updated with meeting schedules and agendas regularly and is the best way to stay up to date with the House of Delegates during the Special Session.
New Legislation
I am pleased to report that my bill HB5059 was approved by the House Courts of Justice Committee this Wednesday by a vote of 20 - 1. The bill provides civil liability protections during the COVID-19 pandemic for assisted living facilities, home health, hospice, private providers of mental health or adult day care, when a lack of resources caused by COVID-19 results in care having to be provided in a manner other than would normally have been required. These health care providers have been crucial to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and this legislation will give them the protections they need to continue to serve their patients during this unprecedented public health challenge.
I also presented a budget amendment before the House Appropriations Committee which would restore $3 million in our biennium budget for the FAMIS MOMS program. This program provides healthcare coverage for pregnant women whose income is above the threshold for Medicaid coverage, but below 205% of the federal poverty level. This funding will extend the postpartum coverage for women from two months to twelve months. Ensuring longer term coverage will allow many women to seek care for serious health conditions that may otherwise go untreated due to a break or loss of coverage.
Increasing access to maternal and childhood healthcare has been one of my key areas of focus for many years. Before I became a Delegate, I served on the Children’s Health Insurance Program Advisory Committee of Virginia (CHIPAC), where we worked to improve health care coverage for children and families.
In addition to the bills I highlighted in last week’s newsletter, here are a few more pieces of legislation that I am focused on for this special session on COVID-19 relief and criminal justice reform:
HB5103 (Co-Patron) — Appropriates $2,000,000 to the Department of Elections to be used to provide prepaid postage for the return of absentee ballots for the November 3, 2020, election. The bill also makes other procedural changes for absentee voting for the November 3, 2020, election, including directing the State Board of Elections to promulgate emergency regulations for the establishment and operation of drop-off locations for completed ballots. I'm happy to report that this bill passed in the House today (54Y-42N).
HB5108 (Chief Co-Patron) — Changes the membership of the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DJCS) Criminal Justice Services Board and its Committee on Training to include representatives of civil rights organizations, representatives of community interests of minorities, and a representative of a mental health service provider. The bill also requires that the Committee on Training to serve as an advisory board to the Department of Criminal Justice Services for addressing the compulsory minimum training standards for law-enforcement professionals. DJCS is the agency that works on planning and carrying out programs and initiatives to improve our criminal justice system. This legislation will ensure that civil right organizations, community interests of people of color, and mental health professionals have a voice in our criminal justice system.
HB5064 (Co-Patron) — Requires a landlord who owns more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four rental dwelling units, before terminating a rental agreement due to nonpayment of rent, to serve notice to a tenant of the total amount due and offer a payment plan under which the tenant must pay the total amount due in equal monthly installments over a period of the lesser of six months or the time remaining under the rental agreement. The bill also outlines the remedies a landlord has if a tenant fails to pay the total amount due or enter into the payment arrangement within five days of receiving notice. This bill which passed the House today gives tenants the opportunity to enroll in a payment plan that will allow them to pay off their debts without fear of eviction.
HB5050 (Co-Patron) — Allows the Governor to create a centralized program to procure and distribute PPE, helping entities from Medicaid providers to Virginia small businesses obtain critical equipment and supplies.
HB5046 (Co-Patron) — Directs the Board of Medical Assistance Services to amend the state plan for medical assistance services to provide for payment of medical assistance for medically necessary health care services provided through telemedicine services, regardless of the originating site or whether the patient is accompanied by a health care provider at the time such services are provided. The bill also extends the same requirements to private insurers, corporations, and health maintenance organizations. This legislation, which unanimously passed the House today, will ensure equivalent coverage for telemedicine services and increase flexibility for patients and providers.
HB5045 (Co-Patron) — Adds law-enforcement officers to those persons who are guilty of a Class 6 felony if they are in a position of authority over and carnally know without force, threat, or intimidation any inmate, parolee, probationer, arrestee, detainee, or pretrial defendant or post trial offender, including those in the custody of a private, local, or state law-enforcement agency.
HB5043 (Co-Patron) — Mental Health Awareness Response & Community Understanding Services (MARCUS) alert systems. Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to support the development and establishment of a mental health awareness response and community understanding services (Marcus) alert system in localities and areas throughout the Commonwealth. This legislation will compel localities to respond to 911 calls involving someone facing a mental health crisis with emergency teams led by mental health professionals, with police officers serving as backup. This bill will help our communities care for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis and will provide the support of the mental health professionals to our local law enforcement.
You can see all of my sponsored legislation online here, and see a full list of bills introduced online here.
Utility Service Cut-off Moratorium
The COVID-19 pandemic has left many Virginia residents struggling to pay their utility bills. The State Corporation Commission announced this Monday that they will extend the moratorium on utility disconnections through September 15th to give our legislature more time to address the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on utility customers. The new deadline will bring the moratorium’s total duration to six months.
The House and Senate are considering legislation introduced by Delegate Aird (HB5117) and Senator McClellan (SB5118) that would require utility providers to create an emergency debt repayment plan for residential customers that would cap monthly payments at $45.50 or four percent of household income.
If you are struggling to pay your utility bills, you may be eligible for Energy Assistance from the Department of Social Services. See more information and apply online here.
Hurricane Laura
Hurricane Laura made landfall as a category 4 storm early Thursday morning in Louisiana, devastating the shoreline with 150 mph winds. The storm has since weakened to a tropical depression and is expected to move through Virginia late Friday evening through Saturday night. Wind speeds have substantially decreased to 30 mph, however there is still concern that brief but potentially heavy rainfall could trigger flash flooding, particularly in the areas west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Please visit the Department of Emergency Management Website with more information and tips on how to prepare yourself, your loved ones, and your home for any potential severe weather.
State-Based Health Care Exchange
Last week, Governor Northam announced that Virginia has been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to proceed with a state-based health insurance exchange. This approval will allow Virginia to take over some functions of our current federal exchange beginning with open enrollment this November and puts the Commonwealth on a path to full control by 2023.
The establishment of a Virginia Exchange will allow the Commonwealth to work directly with insurance companies to meet the health coverage needs of all Virginians purchasing coverage, including small employers. Virginia also will be able to provide more targeted outreach and enrollment services and extend the time Virginians have to enroll in coverage, if needed. These strategies will expand access to health care and help increase overall affordability. You can read more information on the Governor’s announcement online here.
Virginia FEMA Funding
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Virginia for a grant under its Lost Wages Assistance program. The funding received from this grant will allow Virginia to provide an additional $300 per week to individuals who are unemployed due to COVID-19. See more information on the FEMA Lost Wages Supplemental Payment Assistance grants online here.
Job Fairs and Training Opportunities
Many Virginians are currently unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Virginia Employment Commission is working to promote job fairs and training opportunities to help Virginians who are able to return to work obtain employment. View all upcoming job fairs online here.
The Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) is hosting a virtual job fair on Tuesday, September 1st at 2:15pm. This is a great opportunity to network and learn more about the GRTC application process. See more information online here.
The New College Institute is partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to offer unemployed or underemployed individuals in Virginia the opportunity to participate in a 12 week free program that will prepare them to successfully pass the AWS cloud practitioner exam. In addition to the technical skills, the program also provides life skills training and job placement assistance. See more information and apply for the program online here. The program is available to all Virginians, but preference will be given to individuals from the South and Southwest.
The Old Dominion Jobs Corps Center is a no-cost education and career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor that helps young people ages 16 to 24 improve the quality of their lives through career technical and academic training. Visit their website at https://www.jobcorps.gov/ to see more information on their programs and apply for career training opportunities.
If you are struggling to receive unemployment benefits, please contact my office at DelRWillett@house.virginia.gov and we can help assist you with your claim.
Affordable Childcare Support
Henrico County has allocated $500,000 in CARES Act funding to the YMCA, the Henrico Education Foundation, and the Henrico Police Athletic League to lower the cost of child-care for low-income families who need it once school begins virtually on September 8th. These organizations have reworked their traditional “after-school” models to “full-day” programs to meet the community needs posed by remote learning.
I am thrilled to see Henrico County utilize funding from the CARES act to create low cost child-care opportunities for our residents. Working parents have made significant sacrifices to allow our schools to open virtually this fall. This funding will help essential workers and working families who need child-care once school begins. See more information on available programs here:
Henrico Education Foundation: https://henricogives.org/after-school-enrichment-program/
Henrico Police Athletic League: www.henricopal.org/after-school-program.html
Garbage Pick-up Delays
Some residents in Henrico County may experience delays in garbage pick-up over the next several weeks due to an increase in trash volume and a temporary shortage of trucks because a number are undergoing repairs. If your garbage is not collected on its typical schedule please leave you containers at the curb. If garbage is still not collected 48 hours after the expected time, email solidwaste@henrico.us.
