2019 Virginia General Assembly
Legislative Highlights
January 28, 2019
There are a number of bills being considered by Virginia’s legislature that would address the fate of Virginia’s training centers for people with intellectual disabilities:
HB 1951 (Campbell) instructs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to use Southwest Virginia Training Center as either a facility for children in foster care or as a juvenile treatment facility. The bill has been assigned to the Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Health and Human Resources.
SB 1071 (Peake) prohibits the closure of Central Virginia Training Center. The bill has a substantial fiscal impact. The bill was approved by the Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services and referred to Senate Finance.
SB 1072 (Peake) seeks to change the definition of a “training center” in Virginia. The purpose of the bill is to prohibit the Department of Behavioral Health from being able to transfer someone to Hiram Davis Medical Center in order to receive medical care. The bill has a substantial fiscal impact. The bill was approved by the Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services and referred to Senate Finance.
SB 1509 (Carrico) instructs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to use Southwest Virginia Training Center as either a facility for children in foster care or as a juvenile treatment facility. The bill was approved by the Committee on Courts of Justice and referred to Senate Finance.
The mission of the disAbility Law Center of Virginia is to advance independence, choice and self-determination; protect legal, human and civil rights; and eliminate abuse, neglect and discrimination of people with disabilities through zealous and uncompromising legal advocacy and representation. We monitor developments in the legislature 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.