# Virginia HB1254: Professional & Occupational Regulation, Department of; amendments for purposes of regulatory boards.

Virginia HB1254, Professional & Occupational Regulation, Department of; amendments for purposes of regulatory boards., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Jackie H. Glass (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-08 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0460)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1254-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB1254
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Professional & Occupational Regulation, Department of; amendments for purposes of regulatory boards.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-14
- Last action: 2026-04-08, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0460)
- Sponsor: Jackie H. Glass (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 7 (220 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 6

## Summary

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. Makes several amendments for the purposes of regulatory boards within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to include (i) removing the exemption for a person engaged in the practice of engineering, architecture, or land surveying as a full-time, salaried employee of the Commonwealth on March 8, 1992, from certain licensure requirements provided the employee does not furnish advisory service for compensation to the public in connection with engineering, architecture, or land surveying; (ii) providing that any state agency or political subdivision that is unable to employ a qualified licensed engineer, architect, or land surveyor to fill a responsible charge position, after a reasonable and unsuccessful search, may fill the position with an unlicensed person upon the determination by the chief administrative officer of the agency or political subdivision that the person, by virtue of education, experience, and expertise, can perform the work required of the position; (iii) directing the Board for Hearing Aid Specialists and Opticians to promulgate regulations for the issuance of training permits and work permits; and (iv) repealing provisions of the Code allowing for the waiver of examinations for wax technicians and estheticians. The bill contains technical amendments.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Licensing exemption for optician apprentices: benefit, medium. People enrolled in a Board-approved, registered optician apprenticeship are exempt from the optician chapter's requirements. The program must follow standards set by Virginia's Department of Workforce Development and Advancement. The law does not specify a payment or fee change.
- More licensing paths for geologists: benefit, medium. Geologist applicants can meet the coursework-based education requirement with at least 30 semester hours, or equivalent, in geological science. Those courses no longer need to lead to a geology major. The Board must also license people with an unexpired geologist certification issued before July 1,…
- Permit paths for hearing aid trainees: benefit, low. The Board can issue training permits to people training to become licensed hearing aid specialists. It can issue work permits to people eligible to take the licensing exam. The Board must set rules and time periods for both permits, and work-permit holders must follow Board rules. The provided text…
- Soil scientists get cycle-based education cap: benefit, low. The continuing-education cap for professional soil scientists changes from eight hours per year to eight contact hours per renewal cycle. The Board sets the requirements, and continuing education remains required to maintain and renew a license. The provided text does not state the renewal cycle's…
- Contractors face changed building design exemptions: mixed, low. Design-license exemptions for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical installations expand to building-code Use Group A-4 buildings. They end for Use Group A-3 buildings other than churches. Electrical systems must stay at or below 600 volts and 800 amps and comply with applicable codes. Electrical de…
- Two professional licensing sections repealed: mixed, low. The law repeals Virginia Code sections 54.1-703.1 and 54.1-703.3. The provided text does not describe what those sections covered. Their effects on license holders, applicants, and households cannot be determined from this provision alone.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Jackie H. Glass (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-23 | Senate | Passed Senate Block Vote | pass | 38 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-20 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-20 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-18 | Senate | Reported from General Laws and Technology | pass | 14 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-09 | House | Read third time and passed House Block Vote | pass | 98 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-03 | House | Reported from General Laws with substitute | pass | 21 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-29 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute | pass | 9 | 0 |   |

## Actions (30)

- 2026-04-08: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0460) (Governor)
- 2026-04-08: Approved by Governor-Chapter 460 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-03-10: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-10: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 (House)
- 2026-02-25: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1254) (House)
- 2026-02-25: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1254ER) (House)
- 2026-02-25: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-02-25: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-02-23: Passed Senate Block Vote (38-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-02-20: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-20: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-20: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-02-18: Reported from General Laws and Technology (14-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-10: Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology (Senate)
- 2026-02-10: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: Read third time and passed House Block Vote (98-Y 0-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-06: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House)
- 2026-02-06: committee substitute agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-06: Read second time (House)
- 2026-02-05: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-05: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1254) (House)
- 2026-02-03: Committee substitute printed 26106513D-H1 (House)
- 2026-02-03: Reported from General Laws with substitute (21-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-29: House subcommittee offered (House)
- 2026-01-29: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (9-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-26: Assigned HGL sub: Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process (House)
- 2026-01-14: Referred to Committee on General Laws (House)
- 2026-01-14: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101487D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-08: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217967.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217966.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-02-25: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177991.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177990.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-03: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115328.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115327.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-01-29: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1102043.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103338.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1102042.PDF), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103337.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1087910.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1087909.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217967.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217966.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177991.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177990.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115328.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115327.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1102043.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103338.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1102042.PDF)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103337.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1087910.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1087909.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1254-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).