2019 Virginia General Assembly
Legislative Highlights
February 8, 2019
There are several bills in the legislature that deal with Assisted Living Facilities, and especially those ALFs that house a majority of individuals under auxiliary grants. Here are some examples:
HB 2017 (Peace) and SB 1286 (Barker) allow individuals to select permanent supportive housing without first spending a year or more in an Assisted Living Facility. The House bill has been approved by the House and by the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services. The Senate bill has been approved by the Senate and will be heard by the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions.
SB 1326 (McClellan) would have allowed some assisted living facilities to increase their capacity by placing more than two people to a bedroom. The bill was approved the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services, but then removed by the patron before final passage in the full Senate.
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 House of Delegates and by the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services, with technical amendments.
SB 1077 (Howell) also relates to emergency power sources at Assisted Living Facilities, but as amended it requires the facilities to test such emergency generator monthly, if they have one, or to enter into an agreement with a vendor capable of providing the ALF with an emergency generator. The bill was approved by the Senate and by the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions. It has been read twice in the House.
HB 2521 (Rasoul) and SB 1410 (Mason) establish minimum overnight staffing levels at Assisted Living Facilities. The House version has been approved by the House and by the Senate Committee of Rehabilitation and Social Services, with amendments. The Senate version was approved by the Senate and by the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions. It has been read twice in the House.
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 feel free to contact us at info@dlcv.org or by calling 1-800-552-3962 or 804-225-2042.