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UPDATED 1/15/2020

Each tracking report will include the basic information on the bill as it appears on the Legislative Information System (LIS) plus a section on VDDHH Comments, if any, to explain our interest in the bill.  For each bill, we have provided a link to the actual LIS page for that bill so that you can see the actual bill language and track the bill yourself.  After the initial report on any bill included here, the information provided will be limited to the bill number (linked to the LIS) and a brief update statement. 

Bills included in the VDDHH tracking report will be separated into groups of bills as follows:

1.     VDDHH – Lead Agency:  These are bills which directly impact VDDHH and for which VDDHH is the primary contact agency for the administration.  There should only be a few bills in this category.

2.     VDDHH – Actively Tracking/Commenting: These are bills that VDDHH will actively track and will provide specific, factual information and comments on to ensure that issues in the bill which relate to this agency and the consumers we serve are identified.  “Actively Tracking” means that VDDHH will consistently check on the status of these bills. The agency may, if necessary and appropriate, testify at committee meetings on these bills or provide input to either the patron of the bill or to the lead agency responsible for the bill. VDDHH is NOT the lead agency on these bills and our level of involvement may be limited. 

3.     VDDHH – Not Actively Tracking/General Interest: These are bills that may be of general interest to consumers, family members or professionals who receive our tracking reports.   VDDHH is not actively tracking these bills and will not be providing comment or attending committee meetings on these bills. 

PLEASE NOTE:  VDDHH will only report a “position” on a bill when the Governor’s office has taken a position on that bill.  Please do not assume that VDDHH “supports” or “opposes” a bill based on the information provided in this report.  This report is only intended to provide the facts of a bill as VDDHH knows them.

If a bill is “killed” during the session, it will be removed from the tracking list.  VDDHH may also remove bills from the list if changes are made to the bill which eliminate the specific issues of interest to this agency or the consumers we serve. 


VDDHH – Lead Agency

VDDHH is the lead agency on the following bills as of 1/15/2020

SB 274 Motion picture theaters; required open-captioned showings. 

Introduced by: George L. Barker | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles 

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED: Motion picture theaters; required open-captioned showings. Requires any motion picture theater that has four or more separate auditoriums to provide two scheduled showings of a motion picture that engages open captions for a particular showing of an open-captioned-available motion picture each week in any auditorium showing any open-captioned-available motion picture. The measure requires one showing in each auditorium to be during peak weekend motion picture attendance hours, and at least half of the other open-captioned showings to be during peak weekday motion picture attendance hours. If any auditorium is showing more than one motion picture during a week, the theater may select the motion picture to offer as open-captioned showings, but shall show a different motion picture on the weekend than it shows during the week. The measure prohibits a theater from providing more than one open-captioned showing at overlapping times unless the theater has more auditoriums than available showtimes. Persons suffering loss or injury resulting from a violation may bring an action to recover damages and reasonable attorney fees or injunctive relief. 

FULL TEXT
01/03/20  Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20101030D  pdf

HISTORY

·        01/03/20  Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20101030D 
·        01/03/20  Senate: Referred to Committee on Education and Health


HB 747 Movie theaters; open captioning on any film that is regularly shown. 

Introduced by: Vivian E. Watts | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles 

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED: Open captioning at movie theaters. Requires all movie theaters that have four or more screens and are open to the general public to provide open captioning at least twice per week on any film that is regularly shown, provided that open captioning is available for such film. The bill requires such movie theaters to provide notice to the general public regarding the availability of open captioning and schedule at least one viewing during peak viewing time. 

FULL TEXT

·        01/06/20  House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20105058D  pdf

HISTORY

·        01/06/20  House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20105058D 

·        01/06/20  House: Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions

·        01/14/20  House: Assigned HWI sub: Welfare 
BILL IS ON THE DOCKET IN SUBCOMMITTEE ON 1/16/2020 at 9:00 a.m.


VDDHH Comments on SB274 and HB747 – VDDHH does not have a position on these bills at this time.  Note that SB274 puts the language into the Code section dealing with Commerce and Labor while the HB747 puts it in the section of Persons with Disabilities.  

VDDHH – Actively Tracking/Commenting: 

As of 1/15/2020, VDDHH is actively tracking the following items:

SB 564 Virginia Hearing Loss Identification & Monitoring System; language development for certain children. 

Introduced by: John S. Edwards | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles 

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED: Virginia Hearing Loss Identification and Monitoring System; language development for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Expands the responsibilities of the advisory committee of the Virginia Hearing Loss Identification and Monitoring System to include selecting language development milestones for educators and early intervention specialists for use in assessing the language and literacy development of children from birth to age five who are deaf or hard or hearing. The bill requires the addition of at least two language experts to the advisory committee. The bill also requires that children identified as deaf or hard of hearing in special education programs be evaluated yearly on the basis of the language development milestones established by the advisory committee. 

FULL TEXT

·        01/07/20  Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20102389D  pdf

HISTORY

·        01/07/20  Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20102389D 

·        01/07/20  Senate: Referred to Committee on Education and Health

·        VDDHH Comments on SB564 – VDDHH does not have a position on this bill.  The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is the Lead Agency on this bill.    


VDDHH – Not Actively Tracking/General Interest

As of 1/15/2020, VDDHH is following but NOT actively tracking one bill:

SB 423 Health insurance; mandated coverage for hearing aids for minors. 

Introduced by: Bill DeSteph | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles 

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED: Health insurance; mandated coverage for hearing aids for minors. Requires health insurers, health maintenance organizations, and corporations providing health care coverage subscription contracts to provide coverage for hearing aids and related services for children 18 years of age or younger when a licensed audiologist prescribes such hearing aids and related services. The coverage includes one hearing aid per hearing-impaired ear, up to a cost of $1,500, every 24 months. The measure applies to policies, contracts, and plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on and after January 1, 2021. 

FULL TEXT

·        01/07/20  Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20102201D  pdf

HISTORY

·        01/07/20  Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20102201D 

01/07/20  Senate: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor