I arrived at Monday’s 8:30AM Senate Courts of Justice Committee meeting a few minutes late and found a PACKED house. I was there tracking six different bills and so, it seems, was everyone else. Every single seat and every spot against the wall was taken. There was even a healthy crowd outside the entrance of the committee room. This is pretty typical so close to the end of the legislative session. If a bill isn’t heard and passed out of committee by today, it’s most likely dead.
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Last Friday Feb 6th I attended a House Courts of Justice meeting in the late afternoon (it didn’t start until 4PM!). I was there to support a bill that would expand the definition of human trafficking in Virginia and stiffen the penalties. This was H.B. 2016 patroned by Delegate Adam Ebbin.
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Delegate Danny Marshall has also proposed a bill (similar to that of Del. Jeff Frederick, whose bill was rolled in to Delegate Marshall’s bill) that allows more bare-bones health care plans for employees of Virginia’s small businesses. Marshall’s bill, H.B. 2024, allows health insurers to offer and sell group health insurance policies or contracts that do not include state mandated health insurance benefits to employers with 50 or fewer employees that have not offered insurance coverage for at least 6 months.
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Sen. Ken Cuccinelli patroned a bill in the State Senate to allow insurance companies from other states to sell health insurance in Virginia (filed as S.B. 1331). Ostensibly, the idea was to improve access to health insurance for customers by allowing them greater choice. If health insurers from other states were allowed to compete with Virginia’s health insurers, proponents believe the competition would reduce cost and improve services.
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