# Virginia SB291: Health, State Board of, regulations; standards for levels of neonatal care. Virginia SB291, Health, State Board of, regulations; standards for levels of neonatal care., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Lashrecse D. Aird (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-06 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0146)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB291-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Virginia SB291 - State: Virginia - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: Health, State Board of, regulations; standards for levels of neonatal care. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-13 - Last action: 2026-04-06, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0146) - Sponsor: Lashrecse D. Aird (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 8 (251 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 10 ## Summary State Board of Health regulations; standards for levels of neonatal care. Directs the State Board of Health to establish standards for designation of care in neonatal services consistent with, but not necessarily identical to, standards published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The bill directs the Board of Health to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of the bill by July 1, 2027, and prohibits enforcement of such regulations until July 1, 2029. This bill is identical to HB 456. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Hospital workers gain violence reporting protections: benefit, medium. Hospitals must track and analyze reported violence against employees working on hospital property, then use findings to improve prevention. Employee reporting is voluntary, and retaliation for reporting or seeking help is prohibited. Hospitals must keep incident records for at least two years. Data… - Hemophilia patients get contaminated product alerts: benefit, low. Facilities treating people with hemophilia and stocking clotting factors must track product lots so recipients can be identified. When a lot is contaminated with an infectious agent, the facility must notify the recipient's attending doctor. It must ask the doctor to notify the recipient. If the do… - Hospitals can offer adult day care: benefit, low. Licensed hospitals, nursing homes, and certified nursing facilities can operate adult day centers after getting any required license. The law does not require them to open a center or set what families pay. - More overdose medicine access after emergencies: benefit, low. After substance use-related emergencies, hospital protocols must provide overdose-reversal medicine at discharge, or a prescription and information on getting it. This includes naloxone and access through pharmacies or community groups using statewide standing orders. Protocols may also refer patie… - Parents gain online hospital record access: benefit, low. Hospitals that offer a minor patient's records on a secure website must also give parents or guardians access there. Access is not required when the hospital cannot keep legally withheld information from being disclosed. It is also not required when needed consent is missing. - Patient visits protected during health emergencies: benefit, low. During COVID-19 public health emergencies, nursing homes and certified nursing facilities must offer each patient visits every 10 calendar days. Visits may be virtual or in person where appropriate; patients or their representatives may waive or limit them. Facilities must communicate their visitat… - Patients get policies for assistant devices: benefit, low. Hospitals, nursing homes, and certified nursing facilities must have policies for permitted use of patient-provided intelligent personal assistants. These policies cover patients receiving inpatient services. They must protect health information under federal privacy law and follow applicable rules… - Hospitals must remove smoke during surgery: benefit, low. Hospitals that perform surgery must adopt a policy requiring smoke removal systems. The policy must cover every planned surgery likely to create surgical smoke. - New standards for newborn hospital care: benefit, low. Virginia's Board of Health must set standards and maintain a process for naming levels of newborn care. Standards must match the approach of the latest American Academy of Pediatrics standards for levels II, III, and IV. They do not have to be identical. The law's implementing rules are due July 1,… - Hospital and nursing home fees reviewed: mixed, low. The Board of Health must set hospital and nursing home license fees to cover licensing and inspection costs equitably. Fees must support timely inspections, with hospitals and nursing homes analyzed separately. Fees can rise or fall, but no more than once a year. Changes require program expenses an… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Lashrecse D. Aird (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-02-26 | Senate | House substitute agreed to by Senate | pass | 40 | 0 | | | 2026-02-24 | House | Passed House with substitute Block Vote | pass | 98 | 0 | | | 2026-02-19 | House | Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute | pass | 21 | 0 | | | 2026-01-27 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote | pass | 39 | 0 | | | 2026-01-26 | Senate | Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-01-23 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-01-23 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) | pass | 39 | 0 | | | 2026-01-22 | Senate | Reported from Education and Health with amendment | pass | 14 | 0 | | ## Actions (35) - 2026-04-06: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0146) (Governor) - 2026-04-06: Approved by Governor-Chapter 146 (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 (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB291) (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB291ER) (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Enrolled (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Signed by President (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2026-02-26: House substitute agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Passed House with substitute Block Vote (98-Y 0-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-24: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House) - 2026-02-24: committee substitute agreed to (House) - 2026-02-24: Read third time (House) - 2026-02-23: Read second time (House) - 2026-02-20: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB291) (Senate) - 2026-02-19: Committee substitute printed 26108254D-H1 (House) - 2026-02-19: Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute (21-Y 0-N) (House) - 2026-02-13: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB291) (Senate) - 2026-02-03: Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services (House) - 2026-02-03: Read first time (House) - 2026-02-03: Placed on Calendar (House) - 2026-01-27: Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-01-26: Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-01-26: Education and Health Amendment agreed to (Senate) - 2026-01-26: Read second time (Senate) - 2026-01-23: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB291) (Senate) - 2026-01-23: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-01-23: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-01-23: Passed by for the day (Senate) - 2026-01-23: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2026-01-22: Reported from Education and Health with amendment (14-Y 0-N) (Senate) - 2026-01-20: Assigned Education sub: Health (Senate) - 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Education and Health (Senate) - 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104866D (Senate) ## Bill text - Chaptered, 2026-04-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216682.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216681.PDF) - Enrolled, 2026-03-02: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1186734.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1186733.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-02-19: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1169911.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1169910.PDF) - Engrossed, 2026-01-26: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1096482.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1096481.PDF) - Amendment, 2026-01-23: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1095511.HTML) - Amendment, 2026-01-22: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1092427.HTML) - Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088553.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088551.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/1216682.HTML) - [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216681.PDF) - [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1186734.HTML) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1186733.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1169911.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1169910.PDF) - [Engrossed (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1096482.HTML) - [Engrossed (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1096481.PDF) - [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1095511.HTML) - [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1092427.HTML) - [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088553.HTML) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088551.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) - [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB291-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).