2019 Virginia General Assembly
Legislative Highlights
January 23, 2019
This is a very busy time at the General Assembly – the deadline to file proposed legislation was last Friday, and some of those new proposals are still appearing on line. Meanwhile, committees are managing very heavy dockets in an effort to have everything out of committee by next Friday, ahead of the “crossover” deadline. Lots of excitement still to come!
There are several bills under consideration that deal with Assisted Living Facilities, and especially those ALFs that house a majority of individuals under auxiliary grants. Here are some examples:
SB 1326 (McClellan) would allow some assisted living facilities to increase their capacity by placing more than two people to a bedroom. We have expressed our opposition to the patron. The bill will be heard in the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services, probably this Friday.
HB 1815 (Hope) requires Assisted Living facilities to provide notice to their residents as to whether or not they have a generator or other emergency power source available. The bill was approved by the full House of Delegates and now moves to the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services. It will probably not be heard until after crossover on February 5th.
HB 2017 (Peace) allows individuals to select permanent supportive housing without first spending a year or more in an Assisted Living Facility. The bill has been approved by the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions, but was then referred to Appropriations. There is no identified fiscal impact.
HB 2521 (Rasoul) and SB 1410 (Mason) establish minimum overnight staffing levels at Assisted Living Facilities. The House version has been approved by a subcommittee of Health Welfare and Institutions. The Senate version is assigned to the Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services, and will possibly be heard on Friday.
The disAbility Law Center of Virginia monitors the legislature for items that may be of interest to people with disabilities. We are available to educate policy makers about the potential impact of legislative proposals. Please let us know of any legislative proposals or budget issues that you think we should be following. Contact us at info@dlcv.org or by calling 1-800-552-3962 or 804-225-2042.