AARP Virginia Celebrates General Assembly Successes

By: States: Virginia | Source: AARP.org

Virginians 50+ will benefit from AARP Virginia supported legislation enacted during the 2008 General Assembly session. These included legislation for the coordination of long-term care services, strengthening safeguards against identity theft, expanding utility-rate setting oversight, and authorization of a study of support systems for family caregivers.
 
Members of AARP Virginia’s volunteer advocacy team traveled from all over the Commonwealth to be present in Richmond for the session. Members assisted AARP state advocacy staff testifying before committees and explaining the bills to the General Assembly. Below is a brief summary of each bill.

Payday Loans Action
With strong support from AARP Virginia, the General Assembly passed legislation to begin the process of making meaningful reform to the payday lending industry.

Under the legislation,
—if a borrower has five loans within six months, the borrower has to wait 45-90 days to get another;
—repayment terms are extended from two weeks to four;
—a 36 percent cap is placed on payday loans; and
—borrowers can only have one payday loan at one time.

While these are significant steps, AARP Virginia and other member of the Virginia Partnership for Responsible Lending (VPERL) believes that the legislation should have reduced significantly the fees payday lenders are allowed to charge.

The legislation now goes to Governor Tim Kaine who can sign it as is, veto it, or amend it and send it back to the General Assembly where his changes can be sustained or defeated.

Department for the Aging; Coordination of Local, Long-term Care Services
This bill adds representatives of housing, transportation, and other appropriate local organizations that provide long-term care services to the membership of local, long-term care coordination committees. The legislation was introduced by Senator Louise L. Lucas and Delegate Riley E. Ingram.

Freezing Access to Credit Reporters
This bill authorizes any consumer to freeze access to his credit report. If a consumer has placed a freeze on his credit report, a consumer reporting agency is prohibited from releasing the credit report, or any information in it, without the consumer’s express authorization. The bill was introduced by Delegate Kathy J. Byron and Senator Richard L. Saslaw.

Database Breach Notification
This bill requires that the consumer be notified when a security breach arises which could result in misuse of personal database information. The legislation was introduced by Senator W. Roscoe Reynolds and Delegate Kathy J. Byron.

Electric Utility Planning
The legislation requires that utilities file a 15-year Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with the State Corporation Commission outlining their plans to meet customer needs while promoting reasonable rates, reliable service, energy independence, and environmental responsibility. This bill will require more oversight and transparency within the industry, and has implications for seniors in that it will promote reasonable electricity rates, helping seniors afford to be able to remain in their homes. An updated IRP will be filed every two years thereafter. The bill was introduced by Delegate Robert D. Orrock Sr. and Senator W. Roscoe Reynolds.

Support Services for Caregivers
A bill to direct the Joint Commission on Health Care to study support services for family caregivers of the frail, elderly, and disabled and community-based caregiver support organizations was introduced by Senator Walter A. Stosch.
 
At press time, two AARP Virginia-supported budget items were still mired in the spirited state budget debate:
—A budget amendment to provide $280,000 for the Virginia Triad Partnership (By Delegate John O’Bannon)
—$2 million for Virginia Share an effort to reduce the number of Virginians without health insurance (By Senators Richard Saslaw and John Watkins).