Senate committee approves bill to allow electronic delivery of letter mail at certain state facilities

The Senate Health Committee on the Senate of Virginia’s Health docket reported SB580, an agency-sponsored bill, after adopting a substitute that allows state facilities operated by the department to process letter mail for electronic delivery under approved policies and human-rights regulations.

Sen. Peake, sponsor of SB580, said the change is intended to speed delivery and improve safety in facilities where mail has sometimes contained illicit materials. "This was the prior governor's administration requested [because of] concern about drugs being sent to certain facilities," the sponsor said during the hearing.

Colleen Miller of the Disability Law Center of Virginia told the committee the House version of the bill had appeared to allow staff to read residents’ mail, which raised privacy concerns. "When you look at it ... they actually want to read that mail," Miller said, adding that she had worked with DBHDS and that the amended language "satisfies our concern" that staff will not be reading people’s mail.

Angela Torres, chief forensic officer at the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), described SB580 as an agency bill and said the agency supports the substitute. The chair clarified that patients would retain the ability to receive paper mail or electronic mail and to send mail.

The substitute text discussed by the committee specifies that "state facilities operated by the department may process letter mail for electronic delivery in accordance with approved policies and procedures and human rights regulations." The sponsor said the substitute is not a "massive change" but provides a process for addressing illicit materials in incoming mail while protecting residents’ privacy.

Sen. Peake moved to report SB580 as amended and the committee voted to report the bill (Ayes 13, No 0). The committee did not record individual roll-call names in the transcript for this action.

The next procedural step for SB580 is that it was reported from committee as amended; any further amendments or floor action will be scheduled according to Senate rules.