House Appropriations Committee reports dozens of bills across health, general government and K‑12; most advance with unanimous or strong support

The House Appropriations Committee met Feb. 10 and moved a slate of bills out of committee across Health & Human Resources, General Government & Capital Outlay, Compensation & Retirement and K‑12 subcommittees. The chair opened the session, the subcommittees presented their reports and members voted to report most bills to the full House for further consideration.

Among the measures advanced, the committee reported House Bill 66 (Delegate Fagan), directing the Department of Social Services (DSS) and the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) to contract with a third‑party vendor to create a modernization plan for IT systems that administer federal benefits; the chair noted a first‑year general‑fund cost to DSS of about $318,000. “That bill reports 19 to 0,” the chair said after the vote.

The committee also reported House Bill 470 (Delegate Cohen) to modify DMAS’s consumer‑directed services available through certain waivers, House Bill 794 (Delegate Reeser) — as substituted — to require the Virginia Department of Health to develop a strategic opioid response plan, and House Bill 1357 (Delegate McQuinn) — as substituted — directing the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services to conduct a study. Most of these measures were reported with unanimous or large‑margin voice or recorded votes.

A number of general‑government bills were advanced, including House Bill 28 (Delegate Henson) addressing completion of removal of ineligible voters and several personnel and procurement bills. The committee adopted substitutes or amendments where noted (for example to House Bill 494 and House Bill 580) before reporting the measures.

Education‑related bills from the K‑12 subcommittee included House Bill 195 (Delegate McQuinn) to expand eligible uses of risk add‑on funds (reported), House Bill 592 (Delegate Simons, as substituted) permitting school divisions to provide staff with wearable panic alarms (reported as substituted), and House Bill 1113 (Delegate Navarre) directing the Department of Education to distribute guidance on culturally responsive policies. House Bill 1278 (Delegate Reeser), requiring school boards to implement language access plans, and House Bill 1367, directing DOE to collect expenditure data for English learner students, were reported with recorded tallies.

Votes at a glance (committee action and recorded tallies where noted): - HB 66 (Fagan) — IT modernization planning for DSS/DMAS; fiscal note to DSS ~ $318,000 first year; reported 19‑0. - HB 470 (Cohen) — DMAS consumer‑directed services modification; reported 17‑0. - HB 483 (Delaney) — Prescription Drug Affordability Board (status); reported (final tally in room recorded as 13‑5 after on‑floor clarification). - HB 794 (Reeser) — VDH opioid strategic plan (substitute adopted); reported 18‑0. - HB 1284 (Downey) — no fiscal impact reported; reported 18‑0. - HB 1357 (McQuinn) — DARS comprehensive study (substitute adopted); reported 17‑0. - HB 28 (Henson) — elections/ineligible voters; reported 10‑7. - HB 127 — persons not free on bail/court appearance (amended); reported as amended (verbal tally noted in committee record). - HB 247 (Watts) — deferred disposition for persons with autism/developmental disabilities; reported 10‑7. - HB 494 — Virginia Personnel Hiring Act (substitute adopted); reported 10‑7. - HB 580 (Glass / listed as 5 80) — Attorney General guidance provisions (amendments); reported as amended 17‑0. - HB 777 (Hayes) — VPPA/procurement for privately owned commercial vessels; reported (voice records show minor tally confusion in the transcript). - HB 797 (Hayes) — framework for independent verification organizations (substitute adopted); reported 17‑0. - HB 833 (McClure) — local ordinances and electric vehicle supply equipment; reported 10‑7. - HB 852 (Cousins) — work group on fee reduction (substitute adopted); reported 10‑7. - HB 885 — court reminder program; reported 17‑0. - HB 1142 — deferred/installment payment agreements for fines/fees/taxes (amended); reported 17‑0. - HB 1472 (Sullivan) — wrongful incarceration claim (Messiah Johnson); reported 17‑0. - HB 795 — prescription drug coverage requirement (Compensation & Retirement); reported 17‑0. - HB 865 — expands workers’ comp cancer presumption for firefighters; reported (verbal record indicates committee support). - HB 1317 (13 17, Willett) — carried over by motion. - HB 195 (McQuinn) — risk add‑on eligible uses; reported 17‑0. - HB 362 (Dougherty) — printed textbook pilot (carried over). - HB 592 (Simons) — wearable panic alarms for staff (substitute); reported 17‑0. - HB 670 (Maldonado) — labor/employment protections applying to public/school employees (substitute); reported 10‑7. - HB 1113 (Navarre) — DOE guidance on culturally responsive policies; reported 14‑3. - HB 1278 (Reeser) — language access plans for school boards (substitute accepted); reported 11‑6. - HB 1367 — DOE data collection on EL expenditures (amended); reported 11‑6.

What happens next: Reported bills move to the next House calendar for further consideration. Several items were carried over for later consideration by the committee. The committee adjourned after completing the docket.

Speakers quoted in the committee record are identified generically in the transcript (e.g., the chair and numbered speakers); the article attributes procedural statements such as vote calls to the chair where the transcript clearly indicates that role.