All Roll Calls
Yes: 247 • No: 4
Sponsored By: Barbara A. Favola (Democratic)
Became Law
Medical cannabis; administration to terminally ill patients; report. Directs the Department of Health to promulgate regulations specifying that hospital staff may store, dispense, and administer cannabis oil when a patient has valid certification and exempts such staff from criminal penalties for possession of cannabis oil. The bill directs the Department of Health to convene a work group to discuss the implementation process for providing cannabis products to patients in medical care facilities and report on its discussion to the Chairs of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 75.
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11 provisions identified: 10 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Hospitals with obstetrics must follow a written plan for admitting or transferring anyone who arrives in labor. Hospitals must make written discharge plans for substance-abusing postpartum women and their infants, document referrals, involve family when appropriate, and notify the local community services board when federal law allows so it can manage the plan. The Board sets and maintains clear levels of neonatal care, including staffing, equipment, and medical protocols.
Hospitals that can provide life-sustaining treatment must have a policy to review if proposed care is medically and ethically appropriate. The policy must allow a second opinion, require review by a medical committee, and place a written decision in the patient record. Patients or their agents can get records and seek legal help if they give written notice to the hospital CEO within 14 days of the doctor’s documented determination.
Staff in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, and assisted living who can handle medicines may store, dispense, and give medical cannabis oil to patients who have a valid written certification under § 4.1-1601. Those staff are not prosecuted under state drug laws for doing this. The Health Department runs a work group to write guidance and must report to the House and Senate health committee chairs by November 1, 2026.
Hospitals must give you a written list of patient rights at admission and must let adult patients choose their visitors, with reasonable medical limits. Nursing homes must allow in-person or virtual visits during a COVID-19 public health emergency at least once every 10 days, and hospitals and nursing homes must allow clergy visits during declared communicable-disease emergencies with safety steps. Hospitals, nursing homes, and certified facilities must let inpatients use their own smart assistant devices while protecting health privacy. If a hospital posts a minor’s records on a secure website, a parent or guardian must also get access unless the law blocks it or consent is missing. Nursing homes must disclose their admissions rules and send family-council notices to a resident’s contact up to six times a year and cannot bar family from meetings.
Nursing homes must train mandated reporters on how to report elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Homes must offer residents annual flu shots and pneumococcal shots unless a doctor says no or the resident refuses. Facilities must register for nearby sex-offender registry notices and check a prospective resident’s registry status if the stay will be longer than three days. Each facility must keep at least $1,000,000 in general liability coverage per occurrence and professional liability coverage at least equal to the state recovery limit. After discharge or death, homes must refund any unspent patient funds within 30 days of a written request, except certain entrance fees to continuing care providers.
Emergency departments must have a licensed doctor on duty and physically present at all times. When the ER runs a urine drug screen to help diagnose you, it must test for fentanyl. Hospitals must have a refusal-to-admit protocol for psychiatric patients that includes direct doctor-to-doctor talks and, when toxicology is in doubt, poison control input if requested. ERs must use discharge plans for substance-use emergencies, including screening, follow-up care, and giving or prescribing naloxone when appropriate; hospitals may also provide naloxone to uninsured patients through agreements with the Health Department. Each ER must keep a security plan based on a risk review and have trained security or an off-duty officer if the risk shows it; the Commissioner can approve a different level of security.
Hospitals must keep a workplace-violence reporting system, record all employee reports, and ban retaliation. They must keep records at least two years with key details, send quarterly reports to the chief medical and nursing officers, and file a de-identified annual report with the Health Department that includes the number of incidents.
The Board sets statewide health, safety, staffing, and construction standards for hospitals and nursing homes, and may license facilities by bed count and by specialty. During disasters or emergency orders, hospitals and nursing homes can add temporary beds without a new license for the length of the emergency plus 30 days if they can staff safely. The Board sets hospital and nursing-home license fees to cover inspection program costs; fees can change no more than once a year and only after a cost analysis shows expenses differ by at least 10 percent, with separate analyses for hospitals and nursing homes. Licensed hospitals, nursing homes, and certified facilities may also run adult day centers if they get the proper license.
Before discharge, if an elective surgery is expected to need outpatient physical therapy, the hospital must tell the patient and have them pick a therapy provider. Before arranging non-emergency air transport, hospitals must give written or electronic notice that ground transport may be an option and that out-of-network air transport may leave the patient with the bill. This notice applies only when there is no emergency medical condition as defined by federal law.
Hospitals must use a smoke-evacuation system for planned surgeries that create surgical smoke. In emergencies, staff may take verbal medication or treatment orders, but the prescriber must sign within 72 hours, or another authorized person must co-sign if the original is unavailable.
Hospitals must run an organ- and tissue-donation program that follows federal and CMS rules. They must have agreements with an organ-procurement group, a tissue bank, and an eye bank, give timely death notices, train staff, and follow steps for contacting families and managing potential donors.
Barbara A. Favola
Democratic • Senate
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
All Roll Calls
Yes: 247 • No: 4
Senate vote • 2/26/2026
House substitute agreed to by Senate
Yes: 39 • No: 1
House vote • 2/24/2026
Passed House with substitute
Yes: 97 • No: 1
House vote • 2/19/2026
Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute
Yes: 20 • No: 1
Senate vote • 2/10/2026
Read third time and passed Senate
Yes: 39 • No: 1
Senate vote • 2/9/2026
Education and Health Substitute agreed to
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • 2/6/2026
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • 2/6/2026
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading)
Yes: 39 • No: 0
Senate vote • 2/5/2026
Reported from Education and Health with substitute
Yes: 13 • No: 0 • Other: 2
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0556)
Approved by Governor-Chapter 556 (effective 7/1/2026)
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB332)
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB332ER)
Enrolled
Signed by President
Signed by Speaker
House substitute agreed to by Senate (39-Y 1-N 0-A)
Passed House with substitute (97-Y 1-N 0-A)
Engrossed by House - committee substitute
committee substitute agreed to
Read third time
Read second time
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB332)
Committee substitute printed 26108200D-H1
House committee offered
Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute (20-Y 1-N)
Read first time
Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services
Placed on Calendar
Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 1-N 0-A)
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB332)
Education and Health Substitute agreed to
Chaptered
4/13/2026
Enrolled
3/2/2026
Substitute
2/19/2026
Substitute
2/6/2026
Substitute
2/3/2026
Introduced
1/13/2026
SB767 — Motor vehicles; glass repair and replacement, emissions inspections, penalties, repeals.
Motor vehicle glass repair and replacement; emissions inspection; penalties. Establishes various notice requirements for motor vehicle glass repair shops, defined in the bill, and provides that a violation of such requirements is a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill permits a motor vehicle to qualify for an emissions inspection waiver if such vehicle has failed an inspection and the vehicle's onboard diagnostic system is in a not-ready condition to be tested when presented for reinspection. This bill is identical to HB 312.
SB803 — Virginia Fair Housing Law; regulations defining terms related to unlawful conduct.
Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful conduct. Directs the Fair Housing Board to promulgate regulations defining "quid pro quo harassment," "hostile environment harassment," and other terms related to unlawful conduct under the Virginia Fair Housing Law. The bill directs the Fair Housing Board to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.
SB731 — Private companies providing public transportation services; employee protections.
Private companies providing public transportation services; employee protections; report. Requires the governing body of any county or city that contracts with a private company to provide transportation services to (i) require such company to provide any employee of such company providing such services compensation and benefits that are, at a minimum, equivalent to the compensation and benefits provided to a public employee, as defined in the bill, with a position requiring equivalent qualifications and years of service; (ii) provide transportation services through such company's own employees; and (iii) if such county or city subsequently elects to provide its own system of public transportation, adopt an ordinance or resolution providing for collective bargaining and ensure all employees of such private company are offered employment with such subsequent public transportation system without loss of compensation or benefits. The bill clarifies that the bill only applies to actions occurring on or after the effective date and excludes any action taken, contract signed, liability incurred, or right accrued prior to July 1, 2026, from the requirements. Finally, the bill directs the Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to convene a work group to develop recommendations on how to implement the provisions of the bill and requires the work group to report its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Labor and Commerce and Senate Committee on Local Government by November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 547.
SB620 — Va. ABC Authority; permitting of retail tobacco product retailers, etc.
Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority; permitting of retail tobacco product retailers; purchase, possession, and sale of retail tobacco products; penalties; report. Transitions and provides a more comprehensive structure for the current licensing and enforcement responsibilities related to liquid nicotine and retail tobacco products from the Department of Taxation to a permitting system administered by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. The bill requires the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage and Control Authority to conduct an unannounced buyer operation at least once every 24 months to verify that a permittee, defined in the bill, is not selling retail tobacco products to persons under 21 years of age. Portions of the bill have a delayed effective date of October 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 308.
SB666 — Residential land development and construction; fee transparency, local housing development.
Department of Housing and Community Development; housing development database. Requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to collect from each locality and make available to the public, localities, state agencies, and other state and regional public entities in a centralized, machine-readable, screen reader compatible database various data for each new and existing housing development in each locality in the Commonwealth, including data related to the number of housing development plans submitted and approved by the locality and the average approval timeline for housing development plans.
SB599 — Va. Opioid Use Red. & Jail-Based Substance Use Disorder Trtmt. and Transition Fund; grant procedure.
Virginia Opioid Use Reduction and Jail-Based Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Transition Fund; grant procedures. Requires the grant procedure to govern funds awarded to local and regional jails for the planning or operation of substance use disorder treatment services and transition services for persons with substance use disorder who are incarcerated in local and regional jails to include requirements that (i) any grant awarded shall be made for up to three years and (ii) an applicant for a grant submit a plan demonstrating how such applicant will become independently financially viable within the time period for which the grant is awarded. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care and is identical to HB 455.