Highlights of Senator Favola’s 2021 Legislative Agenda
Health Care–Increasing Access to Health Care
In an effort to extend health care to all Virginians, I am exploring ways to offer individuals and families just above the Medicaid expansion cut-off and up to 200% of poverty an opportunity to secure health insurance at no cost to the consumer. I am directing the Joint Commission on Health Care to analyze the fiscal impact on the State of providing a Basic Health Plan to this target population using all available tools to maximize efficiency and tap Federal resources.
This analysis would assume that the State could access Federal tax credits, require patient-centered services that are delivered through a managed care plan and negotiate a reimbursement rate to providers that is reasonable but not excessive. Minnesota and New York have succeeded in covering this uninsured cohort with a similar model and a modest impact on their state budgets.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed the vulnerability of the “working poor”, those in low income jobs (earning above 200% of poverty and up to about 400% of poverty) who routinely suffer bouts of unemployment and cannot always pay even a modest insurance premium. Therefore, I will be submitting legislation to facilitate the seamless and continuous enrollment in health insurance plans offered on the Market Exchange for this target population.
Health Care–Protecting Residents in Licensed Group Homes & Facilities
The Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities would be required to report allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation to the statutorily named advocacy group for the disabled, the Disability Law Center. The purpose of this legislation is to bring an “outside” group of eyes to allegations of mistreatment in Virginia licensed facilities. We have an obligation to ensure that our most vulnerable are receiving quality care.
Climate Change
I will be co-sponsoring legislation that directs the State Air Pollution Control Board to promulgate, beginning with the 2025 model year, low-emission vehicle standards and zero-emission vehicle standards. The American Lung Association found that in Virginia alone, the transition to zero-emission vehicles, by 2050, could save more than $1.3 billion in health care costs every year. These savings include costs associated with premature deaths, asthma attacks and lost workdays. After Chairman, Dave Marsden, I am the ranking Democrat on the Senate Transportation Committee and will play a key role in ensuring the passage of this legislation.
Criminal Justice Reform–Making our Criminal Justice More Fair and Equitable
My bill would allow evidence of mental illness to be presented in non-insanity cases. Virginia follows a needlessly rigid rule barring any evidence of a defendant’s mental illness unless he pleads not guilty by reason of insanity, even if the mental illness would explain his conduct. This bill would follow the recommendations of the Model Penal Code and American Bar Association and permit defendants to introduce evidence of mental illness to negate subjective mental states (intent, malice, etc.) in non-insanity cases. I am working with an advocacy group called Justice Forward to pass this bill.
Supporting Families–Paid Family Leave
I will be asking my colleagues to require businesses that already offer sick leave to allow their full-time employees to take up to 5 days of earned sick leave to care for a family member. The most common use for such flexibility is the need to take a sick child to the doctor or to stay home with a sick child, so other children will not become infected. Asking businesses to acknowledge the importance of caring for a family member is a necessary step on the road back to normalcy.
Supporting Families–Diverting Youth from Foster Care
My budget language directs the Virginia Department of Social Services to develop the components of a “Diversion from Foster Care Program” and identity available Federal and State funding sources to support relatives and fictive kin who step up to care for at-risk youth. The Virginia Department of Social Services shall convene a work-group that includes representatives from local departments of social services and other stakeholders to assist with the creation of this Program.
Supporting Families –Gun Safety and Safe Homes
I am proposing legislation that mirrors the current Federal law which requires that a firearm be removed if an individual has been convicted of a misdemeanor assault or battery of a household member. The intent of this legislation is to protect those living in a violent and abusive home. Evidence-based analysis shows that violent behavior always escalates, so the removal of a firearm is a prevention strategy that will save lives. According to the Giffords Law Center, women in the United States are 21 times more likely to be killed by a firearm than women in other high-income countries. I am working with the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and other gun safety groups to pass this legislation. Delegate Murphy is carrying companion legislation in the House.
Making Voting Easier–Removing the Second Signature on Absentee Ballots
My bill would remove the requirement for a witness signature on the absentee ballot. I strongly believe that such a requirement is an undue burden on those who desire to vote by mail. The ACLU and others have indicated that they would like further changes made to my initial legislation and I am happy to incorporate additional evidence-based “good practice” changes. We should strive to make the governing process as representative and inclusive as possible by enabling more people to vote in a convenient and safe way. A democracy thrives best when everyone participates.