2000
Legislative Bills
Updated April 25, 2000
House Bills | Senate Bills | Budget Amendment | Resolutions | For Your Information
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The 2000 General Assembly session convened on January 12, 2000. Nearly 4,000 bills, resolutions and budget amendments were introduced this year. The 60-day session ended on March 11, 2000.
To check the latest status of bills, resolutions, and amendments or check for your legislator's name, etc., visit the Virginia Legislative web site at
http://legis.state.va.us/online/v.htm
HB 554 – Hearing Aids
Patron: Terry G. Kilgore
To require health insurers, health maintenance organizations
and corporations providing health care coverage subscription contracts to
provide coverage for treatment of hearing loss and impairment including hearing
aids. This includes the purchase of
hearing aids, hearing examinations and related services.
This is for general public.
Status:
Referred
to Commission on Mandated Health Benefits
under House Corporations, Insurance and Banking Subcommittee for study and will
be reported back to the 2001 General Assembly session.
This bill is currently opposed by the insurance industry
and
the Virginia Department of Health.
Comment:
The VAD Board wholly supports this bill.
HB 555 – Hearing Aids
Patron: Terry
G. Kilgore
To require the state employee health care plan to provide
coverage for hearing examinations, hearing aids and related services.
This is for state employees.
Status:
Referred to Commission on Mandated Health Benefits
under House Corporations,
Insurance and Banking Subcommittee for study and will be reported back to the
2001 General Assembly session. This
bill is currently opposed by the insurance industry and the Virginia
Department of Health.
Comment:
The VAD Board wholly supports this bill.
For Your Information
House of Representatives Bill 2321 Hearing Aid Bill at the Federal level providing coverage for treatment of hearing loss and impairment including hearing
aids is awaiting action.
Only two states, California and Minnesota, now have the health insurance
coverage for hearing aids.
Rhodes Island passed a bill covering $1,000 of the cost of a hearing aid this
year.
HB 1054 – Virginia Relay
Patron: Robert G. Marshall
To create the Consumer Advisory Board for Virginia Relay
within the Department for the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) to provide consumer advice on
Virginia’s telecommunications relay
service to state agencies as to whether it is meeting the needs of its clients
and to assist in providing information about access to services.
This bill contains a technical amendment to the Code of Virginia.
Status:
Passed in the House (Block vote) (98-Y, 0-N);
recommitted to
the Senate Finance Committee for further study due to some concerns about the
cost of the bill and will be reported back to the 2001 General Assembly 3/9/00.
Comment:
The VAD Board fully supports this bill.
HB 1001 – Regulations Governing Special Education
Patron: John A. (Jack) Rollison III
In Section H,
this bill prohibits the Virginia Board of Education from promulgating
regulations for special education programs that require any local school board
to exceed the requirements of state law or federal law or regulations, unless,
in the case of federal law or regulations, state law directs the Board to exceed
federal requirements.
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Education (23-Y 0-N)
2/9/00.
This will be reported back
to the 2001 General Assembly.
Special Note: A local parent is concerned that this amendment would strip away existing parental rights for Virginia parents such as (1) requiring parental consent before making a change in placement of their special education child; and (2) obtaining parental consent before changing a special education child’s IEP. ….”I am all for minimizing education regulations, but IDEA only provides minimum parental rights such as requiring schools to obtain parental consent for evaluation of their children for special education. In addition, other education groups such as local special education advisory committees would no longer exist.”
SB 271 – Hearing Aids
Patron: R. Edward Houck
To require the state employee health care plan to provide
coverage for hearing examinations, hearing aids and related services as same as
HB 555 above.
Status:
Referred to Commission on Mandated Health Benefits under Committee on
Finance same as HB 555 above 2/1/00.
Comment:
The VAD Board fully endorses this bill.
SB 272 – Hearing Aids
Patron: R. Edward Houck
To require health insurers, health maintenance
organizations and corporations providing Health care coverage subscription
contracts to provide coverage for treatment of hearing Loss and impairment,
including hearing aids. This
includes the purchase of hearing aids, hearing examinations and related services
as same as HB 554 above.
Status:
Referred to Commission on Mandated Health Benefits under Senate
Commerce and Labor .as same as HB 554 above 1/31/00.
It is currently opposed by
insurance industry and the Virginia Department of Health.
Comment:
The VAD Board fully endorses this bill.
SB 675 – School for the Deaf and the Blind at Hampton
Patron: Emmett W. Hanger, Jr.
To change the name of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind at
Hampton to The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind Multi-Disabled at
Hampton to reflect more accurately its mission. This bill alters the name
of the school at Hampton and does not affect the powers and duties of the Board
of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction relative to the
control, administration, supervision, and direction of the schools. This
bill contains a technical amendment to the Code of Virginia. The Hampton
school will be known as the Virginia School for Sensory Impaired Disabilities at
Hampton when the bill is signed into law.
Status: Passed in the Senate (39-Y, 0-N); passed in the House
(Block vote) (99-Y 0-N).
Comment: No action.
HB 30 – Budget Bill
Patron Vincent F. Callahan, Jr.
SB 30 – Budget Bill
Patron: John
H. Chichester
These bills are formally introduced to appropriate the public revenue for the two years, 2000 and 2001. The various amendment item numbers are assigned by the Legislative Information Services as budget amendments are processed. Among them that affect us are:
In HB and SB 30:
The General Assembly also put language back into the Budget related to the location of the Virginia Relay Center in Norton, VA. The new language provides somewhat more flexibility than the previous language by requiring only that "basic" relay service be provided from Norton. This means that a phone relay can be set up at other locations in Virginia in the near future.
HJ 371 Study: Hearing Loss
Patron: Harvey B. Morgan
To request the Virginia Department of Health to study strategies to prevent
hearing loss from loud noises. This resolution notes the loud sounds that are prevalent in
everyday life, such as television, radio, washing machines, automobiles, buses,
motorcycles, lawnmowers, vacuum cleaners, garbage disposals, trucks and music.
The harmful effects of many loud noises on the structures of the ear are
also described; however, noise-induced loss is preventable if individuals would
only practice good health habits to protect their hearing, such as wearing
protective gear and being sensitive to the dangers of loud noise.
The Department of Health will be advised by a task force of medical and
other experts to be appointed by the Commissioner.
The Department must report in 2001.
Status:
Passed in House Committee on Rules (17-Y, 0-N).
Will be reported back to the 2001 General Assembly.
Senate Study Resolution 135 - Hearing Officer System and
Appeals of Special Education Decisions
Patron: John S. Edwards
To request the Administrative Law Committee to study the hearing officer
system and appeals of special education decisions.
This resolution notes recent proposed revisions of the special education
system vis-à-vis special education hearings.
However, parents of disabled children and their attorneys do not believe
that these efforts are enough. The
Administrative Law Committee is to receive technical assistance from the
Department of Education, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, and
the Supreme Court. The Committee is
directed to consult with the parents of disabled children and their attorneys
concerning the problems experienced and to address any allegations of
inappropriate ex parte contact, judge shopping techniques, insufficient training
in conducting the hearings, and the lack of hearing officer expertise in the
relevant law. This resolution comes
due to the efforts of parents. The
Virginia Coalition for Students with Disabilities is advocating for a major
restructuring of the hearing officer system.
Included in the budget appropriation are as follows: (all from general fund)
$5.2 million amendment to enable the 15 Centers for Independent Living to serve an additional 4,000 individuals with disabilities statewide by providing increased independent living support services. Those served include persons who have brain injuries, are deaf or hard of hearing, and who are blind or have visual impairments.
HB 988 Vision Impaired: Board and Department
Patron: Anne G. (Panny) Rhodes
To change the name of the Department and Board for the Visually Handicapped to
the Department and Board for the Blind and Vision Impaired (VDBVI). This
was carried over from the 1999 General Assembly as HJ 571 - Study: Visually
Handicapped for a name change recommendation to amend the Code of Virginia.
Status: Passed in the House (96-Y, 2-N) 2/15/00; passed in the
Senate (39-Y, 0-N) 2/25/00.
Comment: This does not affect the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
community.
Legislative Legend
| HB - House Bill | SB - Senate Bill |
| HR - House Resolution | SR - Senate Resolution |
| HJR - House Joint Resolution | SJR - Senate Joint Resolution |
Y Yes, N No