COVID Presumption Bills Now on Life Support

A Senate bill that would provide a COVID-19 presumption for first responders, health workers and teachers appears to have died in a special session of the Virginia legislature, and a House measure is facing uncertainty. The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee declined to act on Senate Bill 5066, sponsored by Sen. Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed concerns about the cost of additional claims to local governments. The move means that the bill has been left to die as the session turns to budget legislation, according to news reports. A similar ...