Transparency News, 5/6/20

Members of Virginia’s General Assembly say there’s growing bipartisan frustration over the lack of public information about nursing homes with outbreaks of COVID-19. The push for more transparency comes as the state continues to battle a growing number of outbreaks at long-term care facilities, which account for a significant portion of Virginia’s known coronavirus cases and more than half of the state’s — as of Tuesday — 713 deaths.  Many legislators say the administration is relying on an overly strict interpretation of state law that shrouds vital information from the public eye. With no statewide reporting requirement, individual facilities are given the choice of whether to publicly disclose outbreaks. In some cases, staff members have identified sites by name when owners and managers have failed to come forward. And with no clear guidelines, there’s no guarantee that facilities will voluntarily share the information, said Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Salem. Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver previously told the Mercury that publicly disclosing the names of individual facilities with outbreaks wouldn’t advance efforts to track and contain the virus, and might unintentionally reveal patient-specific medical information.
Virginia Mercury
Several Virginia legislators are calling for the release of information regarding specific long-term care facilities, saying the public has a right to know how many residents and staff have tested positive or died at each location. The Virginia Department of Health is compiling that information but withholding it from public release, citing wording in a state law that has been deemed to prohibit that release. Several legislators have questioned that interpretation but say even if the state won't share the data, the individual facilities should. "In a situation like this, transparency is very important," said Del. Patrick Hope, D-47th District, of Arlington. Hope said it's unacceptable for homes that care for our elderly loved ones to keep secret the number of  COVID-19 cases and deaths among their residents and staff.
NBC 4

Virginia lottery officials unveiled the schedule for casino and sports betting approvals Tuesday and launched an online website with information about its processes to eventually regulate those gaming entities. The new microsite includes information about the rulemaking process and estimated timelines for when expanded gaming will become available for Virginia consumers.
Bristol Herald Courier

One chamber was inside an air-conditioned museum space. The other, under a large tent on the Capitol grounds. One cost taxpayers $20,000. The other, more than $46,000. The temporary move wasn’t an easy feat — or an inexpensive one. The House and Senate clerks provided The Virginian-Pilot with the total costs for the daylong session, which is borne by taxpayers.
The Virginian-Pilot

Hanover County officials say they will observe social distancing and limit participation on Wednesday during a long-awaited public hearing where 28 people are expected to attend to speak. In the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s hearing, the county has struggled with when to schedule the vote after a March 25 hearing was postponed. Residents and two of the county’s supervisors, Faye Prichard and Angela Kelly-Wiecek, have argued that the county should suspend the hearing until state officials say large gatherings are safe again. The Board of Supervisors initially declined to postpone a hearing and vote scheduled for April 22, but later moved it to this Wednesday as a compromise between concerned residents and Wegmans, which had asked the county to hold it as soon as possible. In addition to permitting in-person comments, county officials will read from emails and voicemails it solicited for Wednesday’s hearing. Hanover spokesman Tom Harris said the county has received about 70 emails that will be entered into the meeting record. Supervisor Canova Peterson said the county has about 30 pending zoning cases and that it must handle each one without special consideration. Brian Buniva, a lawyer representing the residents, says the decision to hold the hearing and vote now infringes on the rights of citizens because the county is restricting participation based on Gov. Ralph Northam’s order banning gatherings of more than 10 people.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Chesterfield Planning Commission has deferred action on the Courthouse Landing mixed-use development until later this month, giving citizens an opportunity to review the most recent changes to the rezoning proposal and provide feedback. “As a commission, we felt another 30 days would give people time to go back and look at all of the information that has been posted,” said LeQuan Hylton, the Dale District’s new planning commissioner, who made the motion to defer the case during the commission’s April 21 virtual meeting. “We’re trying to be transparent and inclusive with our decision about whether to go forward with this case.” The commission met remotely for the first time last month, using the same Microsoft platform under which both the Board of Supervisors and School Board have conducted monthly business meetings. The county received more than 50 citizen comments on the Courthouse Landing case via an online portal it created to facilitate public input during the current health emergency.
Chesterfield Observer