Bills & Legislation

Health insurance; requirements for certain opioid antagonists.

Health insurance; requirements for certain opioid antagonists. Requires each health insurer, corporation providing health care subscription plans, and health maintenance organization whose policy, contract, or plan includes coverage for prescription drugs to include coverage for at least one opioid antagonist used for overdose reversal dispensed pursuant to an oral, written, or standing order of a prescriber and ensure that cost-sharing for at least one opioid antagonist used for overdose reversal is included on the lowest cost tier of the insurer's, corporation's, or health maintenance organization's prescription drug formulary. The bill provides that such coverage shall be exempt from any prior authorization or step therapy requirement on coverage of benefits. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to HB 795.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Protection of employees; covenants not to compete, discharged employees.

Protection of employees; covenants not to compete; discharged employees. Provides that no covenant not to compete, as such term is defined in existing law, between an employer and an employee is enforceable if such employer discharges such employee from employment without providing severance benefits or other monetary payment to such employee that is disclosed upon execution of the covenant not to compete, unless the employee is discharged for cause. This bill incorporates SB 569.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Minor elementary or secondary school students admitted to inpatient treatment; discl. of discharge.

Minor elementary or secondary school students admitted to inpatient treatment; certain disclosures to certain school personnel upon discharge. Provides that in the event that the facility to which a minor elementary or secondary school student is admitted to inpatient treatment determines that such minor student requires additional educational services upon discharge from the facility, the parents of such student may opt in to the disclosure, prior to or at the time of such minor student's discharge from the facility, of such determination by the facility to a mental health professional employed in such minor student's school or, if applicable, by the school division in which the student is enrolled. The bill also provides that, in the event that the facility to which a minor elementary or secondary school student is admitted to inpatient treatment determines, based on communications from such minor student to a mental health service provider at such facility, that the student poses a specific and immediate threat to cause serious bodily injury or death to an identified or readily identifiable person or persons at the time of the student's discharge from the facility, the facility shall disclose, prior to or at the time of discharge in accordance with the requirements set forth in relevant law, such determination to a mental health professional employed in such minor student's school or, if applicable, by the school division. The bill also prohibits any such facility from withholding discharge of such a student for the purpose of making any such disclosure. The provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Health insurance claims; electronic information or attachments accepted, delayed effective date.

Health insurance; carrier business practices; electronic attachments. Provides that, in the following contexts, information may be submitted by a provider to a health insurance carrier through electronic attachment, as defined in the bill: (i) information related to services rendered as required by the carrier in its provider contract; (ii) information related to any defect or impropriety that prevents the carrier from deeming a health insurance claim a clean claim, as defined in existing law; and (iii) information required to establish medical necessity, benefit coverage, or prior authorization of services, or to conduct reconsideration activities. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 676.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Renewable energy portfolio standard program; requirements, power purchase agreements.

Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements; power purchase agreements. Amends certain renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements for Dominion Energy Virginia, including the annual percentage of program requirements to be met with solar, wind, or anaerobic digestion resources of one megawatt or less located in the Commonwealth. The bill changes from 2025 to 2027 the compliance year beginning in which at least 75 percent of renewable energy certificates used by Dominion Energy Virginia shall come from eligible resources located in the Commonwealth. The bill also removes the requirement for a solar-powered or wind-powered generation facility to have a capacity of no less than 50 kilowatts to qualify for a third party power purchase agreement under a pilot program. The bill directs the State Corporation Commission, by July 1, 2033, to initiate a proceeding to evaluate the future availability of renewable energy certificates from certain resources and permits the Commission to increase or decrease by up to one percentage point the percentage of program requirements to be met by such resources in future compliance years. The bill provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage development on previously developed project sites, as defined in existing law, to reduce the land use impacts of solar development. This bill is identical to HB 628.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Va. Consumer Protection Act; prohibited practices, consumer reproductive/sexual health information.

Virginia Consumer Protection Act; prohibited practices; consumer reproductive or sexual health information. Provides that, for the Virginia Consumer Protection Act prohibition on obtaining, disclosing, selling, or disseminating any personally identifiable reproductive or sexual health information without consumer consent, such prohibition does not apply to nonpublic personal information subject to the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Dental assistants; supragingival scaling and coronal polishing, certification.

Dental assistants; additional treatments; certification. Permits any dental assistant I or dental assistant II with a minimum of 1,800 hours of clinical experience to obtain certification pursuant to the requirements of the bill to perform supragingival scaling and coronal polishing. This bill is identical to HB 970.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Fines and costs; period of limitations on collection, responsibility for collections.

Fines and costs; period of limitations on collection; deferred payment agreement. Changes the period of limitations for the collection of court fines and costs from within 60 years from the date of the offense or delinquency giving rise to imposition of such penalty if imposed by a circuit court or within 30 years if imposed by a general district court to within 10 years from the date of the judgment whether imposed by a circuit court or general district court. The bill provides that upon the expiration of the period of limitations, no action shall be brought to collect the debt.The bill extends the time period for commencing collection activity from 90 days to 180 days after judgment, but provides that no collection activity shall be commenced while a defendant is incarcerated on an active term of imprisonment and subject to a deferred payment agreement.The bill also provides that for any defendant sentenced to an active term of incarceration and ordered to pay any fine, cost, forfeiture, or penalty related to the charge that such defendant is incarcerated for, or any other charge for which such defendant was sentenced on the same day, the court shall enter such defendant into a deferred payment agreement for such fines, costs, forfeitures, or penalties. The bill requires the due date for such deferred payment agreement to be set no earlier than 180 days after the defendant's scheduled release from incarceration on the charge for which such defendant was sentenced on the same day. This bill incorporates SB 185 and SB 810 and is identical to HB 17. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Real property tax; partial exemption for repurposing underutilized structures for residential use.

Real property tax; partial exemption for repurposing underutilized structures for residential use; local incentives. Permits localities to provide partial real estate taxation exemptions for converted real property where such conversion establishes a residential structure that has set aside at least 30 percent of the structure for households with a per capita income at or below 80 percent of the locality's median income or where the building owner is subject to an agreement with the Commonwealth or the locality regarding the provision of affordable housing. Localities have discretion to determine (i) whether a converted building qualifies for the partial exemption, (ii) any additional restrictions and conditions, (iii) whether the exemption is the amount equal to the increase in assessed value or a percentage of such increase resulting from the repurposing of the structure, and (iv) the length of time the exemption will run with the land, not to exceed 15 years. The bill provides that, at any time a building for which its owner claims a partial exemption no longer meets the requirements to receive such exemption, the locality may recapture all or a portion of the exemption granted in the immediately preceding year. Further, if a building owner that claims an exemption as described by the bill sells the building for which he is claiming the exemption and, after the sale, the property no longer meets the requirements described by the bill, the purchaser shall be subject to a penalty. The building owner shall provide written notification of the partial exemption to the purchaser. The bill also permits localities to grant tax incentives or provide regulatory flexibility to qualifying converted real property.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Restaurants; identifying markers on delivery/carry out food due to consumer-identified food allergy.

Board of Health; restaurants; major food allergen labeling. Directs the Board of Health to promulgate regulations requiring all restaurants that alter or substitute food due to a consumer-identified food allergy or sensitivity to place an identifying marker on any food item prepared for delivery or carry out service that has been altered or substituted.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Virginia Consumer Protection Act; shipping goods without certain information.

Virginia Consumer Protection Act; shipping goods without certain information. Provides that it is a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act for a supplier to ship goods to a consumer in the Commonwealth in accordance with an automatic renewal or continuous service offer without including a shipping invoice stating (i) the amount the consumer was charged for shipping, if any; (ii) information on how to return the goods, if returns are accepted by the supplier; and (iii) information on how to cancel the automatic renewal or continuous service offer. The bill exempts any supplier that provides such information to a consumer by a timely electronic confirmation of purchase or by otherwise making such information readily available.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Misbranded food; manufactured-protein food products, civil penalty.

Misbranded food; manufactured-protein food products; civil penalty. Provides that a food is misbranded if it purports to be or is represented as a meat food product or poultry product and such food product (i) bears or contains a manufactured-protein food product, as defined in the bill; (ii) is offered for sale; and (iii) has a label that is part of or placed on the food product package or other container storing such product that identifies the food as a meat food product or poultry product, unless such label bears a conspicuous and prominent qualifying term and is in close proximity to an identifying meat term, as such terms are defined in the bill. The bill exempts a meat food product that the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services determines contains a trace amount of a manufactured-protein food product, prohibits the sale or offering for sale of a food product that is misbranded pursuant to the provisions of the bill, and makes doing so a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill provides that a person who violates the provisions of the bill is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $500 and allows the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services to adopt increased civil penalties not to exceed $500 for first, second, and subsequent violations of the bill. This bill is identical to HB 322.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Consumer debt collection proceedings; signing of pleadings, motions, and other papers.

Consumer debt collection proceedings; signing of pleadings, motions, and other papers. Requires the attorney of record in any civil action to collect or enforce a consumer debt, as defined in the bill, to include in the initial pleading or any subsequent filing such attorney's (i) full name; (ii) business address; and (iii) business telephone number. The bill provides that any such pleading, motion, or other paper not in compliance with such provisions is defective and provides that if such defect is not properly cured within 21 days after it is brought to the attention of the pleader or movant, such pleading, motion, or other paper is invalid and shall be stricken. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Railroad safety; minimum train crew used in movement of freight.

Railroad safety; minimum train crew; movement of freight. Requires a crew of at least two qualified individuals on all trains, locomotives, or light engines used in connection with moving freight except in use for hostler or utility service. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission to include in an existing report the number of probable violations of federal regulations related to railroad safety investigated by the Commission's Division of Utility and Railroad Safety and reported to the Federal Railroad Administration for enforcement. This bill is identical to HB 25.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Electronic death reg. system; requiring certain applicants for licensure to complete training.

Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing; licensure renewal; electronic death registration system; death certificates. Requires the Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing to amend their applications for licensure and licensure renewal to require doctors of medicine and osteopathic medicine, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants to indicate if they expect their scope of practice to include signing death certificates and, if so, to indicate that they have completed the online tutorial for the Electronic Death Registration System on the Department of Health website. This bill is identical to HB 156.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Program; permissible use of scholarship funds.

Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Program; permissible use of scholarship funds. Expands the permissible uses of scholarship funds under the Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Program by permitting eligible students and their lineal descendants to use such funds to attend an accredited two-year or four-year institution of higher education outside of the Commonwealth but establishes an initial annual cap of $5,000 for any such scholarship.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund; loan and grant program, deferment of interest accrual.

Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund; loan and grant program; deferment of interest accrual and repayment obligations. Provides that for funds disbursed to localities, federally recognized tribes, and Virginia recognized tribes primarily for the purpose of implementing flood prevention and protection projects and studies in areas that are subject to recurrent flooding, interest on loans shall not accrue and repayment obligations shall not come into effect for loans or grants until completion of the project or study for which such funds are disbursed. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee on Recurrent Flooding.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.

Employment; paid sick leave; civil penalties; civil actions. Requires one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked for all employees of private employers and state and local governments, with certain exceptions. The bill requires that employees who are employed and compensated on a fee-for-service basis accrue paid sick leave in accordance with regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry. The bill provides that employees transferred to a separate division or location remain entitled to previously accrued paid sick leave and that employees retain their accrued paid sick leave under any successor employer. The bill allows employers to provide a more generous paid sick leave policy than prescribed by its provisions and specifies that employees, in addition to using paid sick leave for their physical or mental illness or to care for a family member, may use paid sick leave to seek or obtain certain services or to relocate or secure an existing home due to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. The bill requires the Commissioner to promulgate regulations for the implementation and enforcement of the bill's provisions by July 1, 2027. The bill authorizes the Commissioner, in the case of a knowing violation, to subject an employer to a civil penalty not to exceed $150 for the first violation, $300 for the second violation, and $500 for each successive violation. The Commissioner or Attorney General may commence administrative proceedings or bring a civil action to enforce the bill's provisions. Additionally, the bill authorizes an aggrieved employee to bring a civil action against the employer in which he may recover double the amount of any unpaid sick leave and the amount of any actual damages suffered as the result of the employer's violation. Certain provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill incorporates SB 372 and is identical to HB 5.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

SOL assessments and related assessment methods; development, administration, scoring, and release.

Board of Education; Standards of Learning assessments and related assessment methods; development, administration, scoring, and release. Makes several clarifying revisions to applicable law relating to the development, administration, and scoring of Standards of Learning assessments and related assessment methods for determining the level of achievement of Standards of Learning objectives by all students, including (i) clarifying that students who are children with disabilities, as that term is defined by applicable law, who participate in alternative methods of Standards of Learning assessment administration or in alternate assessments through the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program are exempt from several requirements set forth in applicable law relating to the administration and grading of Standards of Learning assessments and related assessments and (ii) repealing the provisions requiring the Board of Education to establish a through-year growth assessment system in lieu of a one-time end-of-year assessment. The provisions of the bill limiting the number of end-of-course assessments that may be administered to students in grades seven through 12 and requiring the score received by each student in grades seven through 12 on an end-of-course assessment to account for at least 10 percent of the student's final grade in such course are subject to a contingent and delayed effective date. This bill is identical to HB 299.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Teacher licensure; career and technical education or dual enrollment, three-year licenses.

Teacher licensure; three-year renewable license to teach career and technical education or dual enrollment courses at public high schools. Requires the Board of Education to provide for the issuance of a three-year renewable license to teach solely career and technical education courses or dual enrollment courses that are creditable toward the completion of an undergraduate course, degree, or credential offered in and accepted at a public institution of higher education at public high schools in the Commonwealth to any individual who (i) is employed as an instructor by an institution of higher education that is accredited by a nationally recognized regional accreditation body, (ii) is teaching in the specific career and technical education or dual enrollment subject area at such institution in which the individual seeks to teach at a public high school, and (iii) complies with certain requirements set forth in relevant law enumerated by the bill. The bill requires the Board to require any such instructor to maintain continuous employment in such position at the institution of higher education as a condition of continued licensure. The bill also requires each school board that employs an individual issued such a three-year license to provide such instructor training on instruction and assessment during his first year of employment. Finally, the bill directs the Board to amend its regulations in accordance with the provisions of the bill. This bill is identical to HB 332.

David R. SuetterleinRepublican

Schedule VI controlled substances; TPA-certified optometrists permitted to sell and dispense.

TPA-certified optometrists; sale and dispensation of Schedule VI controlled substances; requirements. Permits TPA-certified optometrists to sell and dispense Schedule VI controlled substances to their own patients provided that they obtain a license to do so from the Board of Pharmacy and comply with requirements related to dispensation, storage, packaging, labeling, recordkeeping, and reporting of the controlled substances sold and dispensed. The bill permits the Board of Optometry and the Board of Pharmacy to adopt regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and establish a limited-use license for TPA-certified optometrists pursuant to the bill. The bill exempts such initial regulations from the APA requirements. This bill is identical to HB 1006.

Jennifer B. BoyskoDemocrat

Civic Education, Commission on; required to develop and include certain enumerated items on website.

Commission on Civic Education; website. Requires the Commission on Civic Education to develop and include certain enumerated items on a website. Current law requires the Commission on Civic Education to develop an electronic clearinghouse that includes such items but requires such clearinghouse to be accessible on the Department of Education's website. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Civic Education.

Jennifer B. BoyskoDemocrat

Prospective employer; prohibited from seeking wage or salary history of prospective employees.

Prohibiting employer seeking wage or salary history of prospective employees; wage or salary range transparency; cause of action. Prohibits a prospective employer from (i) seeking the wage or salary history of a prospective employee; (ii) relying on the wage or salary history of a prospective employee in considering the prospective employee for employment; (iii) relying on the wage or salary history of a prospective employee in determining the wages or salary the prospective employee is to be paid upon hire; (iv) refusing to interview, hire, employ, or promote or otherwise retaliating against a prospective or current employee for not providing wage or salary history or requesting a wage or salary range; (v) failing or refusing to disclose in each public and internal posting for each job, promotion, transfer, or other employment opportunity the wage, salary, or wage or salary range; and (vi) failing to set a wage or salary range in good faith. The bill establishes a cause of action for an aggrieved prospective employee or employee and provides that an employer that violates such prohibitions is liable to the aggrieved prospective employee or employee for statutory damages between $1,000 and $10,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater, reasonable attorney fees and costs, and any other legal and equitable relief as may be appropriate. This bill is identical to HB 636.

Jennifer B. BoyskoDemocrat

Minimum wage; farm laborers or farm employees, temporary foreign workers.

Minimum wage; farm laborers or farm employees. Eliminates the exemption from Virginia's minimum wage requirements for persons employed as farm laborers or farm employees. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027, and is identical to HB 20.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

School boards; student diabetes care & management in schools, division wide plan required.

Public elementary and secondary schools; student diabetes medical care and management. Establishes several provisions relating to student diabetes medical care and management in public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth, including requiring divisionwide plans for the care of students who are diagnosed with diabetes in each school division, effective beginning with the 2028–2029 school year. This bill is identical to HB 1301.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Poquoson, City of; amending charter, relating to school boards, terms of membership.

Charter; City of Poquoson. Amends the charter for the City of Poquoson to clarify the name and appointment process for the City's school board. The bill changes the term length from three years to four years, alters the composition of the school board from two members of each district and one at-large member to seven at-large members, and prohibits school board appointees from serving on any other city board, committee, or commission.

J.D. "Danny" DiggsRepublican

Towing, impoundment, etc.; payments or reimbursements by the Commonwealth.

Towing, impoundment, immobilization, and storage costs; payments or reimbursements by the Commonwealth. Clarifies that the payments or reimbursements owed by the Commonwealth to the owner or lienholder of a vehicle under existing law for the cost of towing, impounding, immobilizing, or storing certain vehicles involved in criminal offenses shall be paid through the state treasury from the appropriation for criminal charges. The bill requires such requests to be on a form developed specifically for such purpose by the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court.

J.D. "Danny" DiggsRepublican

Chatham, Town of; amending charter, updating or removing outdated provisions.

Charter; Town of Chatham. Amends the charter for the Town of Chatham in Pittsylvania County by updating or removing outdated provisions. This bill is identical to HB 1050.

Tammy Brankley MulchiRepublican

Covenants not to compete; includes health care professionals, civil penalty.

Covenants not to compete; health care professionals; civil penalty. Adds health care professionals as a category of employee with or upon whom no employer shall enter into, enforce, or threaten to enforce a covenant not to compete. The bill defines "health care professional" as any person licensed, registered, or certified by the Board of Medicine, Nursing, Counseling, Optometry, Psychology, or Social Work. The bill provides that any employer that violates the prohibition against covenants not to compete with a health care professional is subject to the civil penalty in current law of $10,000 for each violation. This bill is identical to HB 627.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Fantasy contests; regulation and taxation, civil penalty, repeals Fantasy Contests Act.

Fantasy contests; regulation and taxation. Imposes (i) a 10 percent tax on a fantasy contest operator's fantasy contest revenue, with 2.5 percent of the tax revenue being allocated to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund and the remaining 97.5 percent being allocated to the general fund, and (ii) a 2.6 percent fee on a fantasy contests operator's fantasy contest revenue to be utilized by the Virginia Lottery to cover the costs of administration and regulation of fantasy contests in the Commonwealth. The bill also limits the definition of "fantasy contest" and requires fantasy contest operators to apply to the Virginia Lottery for a permit before offering any fantasy contest in the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to HB 145.

Adam P. EbbinDemocrat

Agritourism purposes; Bd. of HCD to review regulations for temporary tents.

Board of Housing and Community Development; Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code; temporary tents used for agritourism purposes. Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development to review the relevant regulations of the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code and consider amending such regulations to allow temporary tents used for agritourism purposes to remain in place for up to 12 months on a single site. This bill is identical to HB 735.

Christie New CraigRepublican

Public education; early childhood care and education, child care access calculations, report.

Public education; early childhood care and education; child care access calculations; report. Requires the Department of Education to establish and maintain calculations for the provision of early childhood care and education services based on cost of quality rate per child, actual data from the prior year, an estimate of parental demand and choice preferences based on historic growth trends and current eligibility criteria, and an estimate of the number of slots to be added to support local or regional economic development efforts and public-private partnerships focused on increasing the supply of child care services, giving priority to localities or regions identified as child care deserts, as determined by the Department. The bill also contains several provisions relating to the use and appropriation of funds as applicable to such calculations, including (i) providing that the calculations shall not obligate the General Assembly to a specific appropriation, (ii) requiring the calculations to be used to provide information to guide the General Assembly in making decisions about the proportion of parental demand for and supply of early childhood care and education services to be addressed and level of appropriation required to address such demand, and (iii) providing that the annual overall funding available for slots shall be subject to appropriation as determined by the General Assembly. The bill also provides that if waitlists for slots at early childhood care and education sites remain, up to $5 million from prior-year unexpended state general funds appropriated for such purpose in a general appropriation act may be carried forward to the current fiscal year to temporarily provide additional slots during the current fiscal year solely to reduce or eliminate waitlists, unless the general appropriation act authorizes a greater amount to be carried forward and that such prior-year funds shall not be used to increase the base amount of funding required in the subsequent fiscal year and the Department shall monitor program utilization and attrition to ensure that no families will lose access at the end of the current fiscal year. Finally, the bill requires the Department to annually submit to the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education and post on its website a report on the data used to calculate the minimum funding and number of slots for the calculations in accordance with the provisions of the bill. This bill is identical to HB 1208.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Fire Programs, Department of; development of mental health awareness training.

Department of Fire Programs; mental health awareness training. Provides that the Department of Fire Programs shall develop a standardized, two-hour virtual asynchronous training program on mental health awareness tailored to firefighters that includes training on each subject matter set forth in current law. The bill provides the option for each fire department to use such standardized training program as guidance in developing its own mental health awareness training for its personnel. This bill is identical to HB 325.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Delinquent children; loss of driving privileges for alcohol, firearm, and drug offenses, truancy.

Delinquent children; loss of driving privileges for alcohol, firearm, and drug offenses; truancy. Allows the court discretion in ordering the denial of a child's driving privileges in instances when the child has failed to comply with school attendance and meeting requirements as provided in relevant law. Under current law, the court is required to order the denial of such child's driving privileges. The bill also provides that if the court has ordered the denial of a child's driving privileges, the court shall order such child to surrender his driver's license, which shall be held in the physical custody of the court during any period of license denial. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts and is identical to HB 123.

Ryan T. McDougleRepublican

State-facilitated IRA savings program; various changes to the program.

State-facilitated IRA savings program. Makes various changes to the state-facilitated IRA savings program administered by the Commonwealth Savers Plan. For purposes of defining an eligible employer, the bill (i) reduces the minimum number of eligible employees an organization must have in its employ from 25 to five for the period ending December 31 of the preceding calendar year prior to the program's open enrollment period for that calendar year and (ii) clarifies that such term does not include employers offering and sponsoring a qualified retirement plan, including 401(k) plans. The bill also removes the requirement that an eligible employee, for purposes of the program, works at least 30 hours a week and adds the requirement that participating individuals enrolling in the program independent of an employment relationship with an eligible employer be at least 18 years of age. The bill also expands the powers and duties of the governing board of the Commonwealth Savers Plan to include (a) procedures for reenrollment of participating employees and participating individuals; (b) allowing program participants to invest in a lifetime income option; (c) establishing the resources, tools, and incentives to promote greater financial education and literacy; (d) procedures for receiving and crediting federal matching contributions to an IRA or qualified retirement savings account; and (e) exploring and establishing incentives that encourage participation by eligible employers and eligible employees, including initiatives that incentivize compliance or that defray any costs incurred by an eligible employer to facilitate participation.The bill also requires eligible employers that withhold a program contribution from a participating employee's wages to remit such contribution not later than 10 business days following the date upon which such withholding was made and notes that eligible employers who fail to submit contributions to the program may be in violation of law and incur penalties. This bill is identical to HB 176.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Health Ed. SOL & Curriculum Framework; Board of Education to include water safety instruction.

Board of Education; Health Standards of Learning; water safety. Requires the Board of Education, during its next regularly scheduled revision of the Health Education Standards of Learning and Curriculum Framework, to develop and make available to each school board guidelines for a program of instruction on water safety to be provided as a part of any health education instruction provided to elementary school students. This bill is identical to HB 705.

Christie New CraigRepublican

Health insurance; limit on cost-sharing payments for prescription drugs under certain plans.

Health insurance; limit on cost-sharing payments for prescription drugs under certain plans. Requires each carrier that offers a health plan in either the individual or small group market to ensure that at least one health plan in each of the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels of coverage in each rating area in the individual and small group market conform with the following: (i) a plan that offers a platinum level of coverage shall limit a person's cost-sharing payment for prescription drugs covered under the plan to an amount that does not exceed $150 per 30-day supply of the prescription drug; (ii) a plan that offers a gold level of coverage shall limit a person's cost-sharing payment for prescription drugs covered under the plan to an amount that does not exceed $200 per 30-day supply of the prescription drug; (iii) a plan that offers a silver level of coverage shall limit a person's cost-sharing payment for prescription drugs covered under the plan to an amount that does not exceed $250 per 30-day supply of the prescription drug; and (iv) a plan that offers a bronze level of coverage shall limit a person's cost-sharing payment for prescription drugs covered under the plan to an amount that does not exceed $300 per 30-day supply of the prescription drug. The bill requires that any plans offered to meet its requirements are (a) clearly and appropriately named to aid the consumer or plan sponsor in the plan selection process and (b) marketed in the same manner as other plans offered by the carrier. The bill's provisions apply to any individual or group accident and sickness insurance policy, any individual or group accident and sickness subscription contract, and any health care plan for health care services delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on or after January 1, 2028. This bill is identical to HB 625.

Russet PerryDemocrat

Pesticide control; agencies or persons exempt or partially exempt.

Pesticide control; agencies or persons exempt or partially exempt. Provides that volunteers associated with state agencies, municipal corporations, or other governmental agencies shall be certified as commercial applicators or registered technicians for the use of pesticides, provided that such certification is valid only when applying or supervising application of pesticides used by such governmental agencies. The bill also exempts from applicator certification requirements any unpaid volunteer who uses any nonrestricted herbicide with the express authorization of a state agency for the sole purpose of controlling invasive plants or noxious weeds on properties owned by such state agency.

Ryan T. McDougleRepublican

Health insurance; ethics and fairness in carrier business practices, downcoded claims.

Health insurance; ethics and fairness in carrier business practices; downcoded claims. Prohibits a carrier, intermediary, administrator, or representative of a carrier from downcoding a claim unless the decision to downcode is determined by a person or electronic system that reflects correct coding standards and considers all relevant patient data from the billing provider in making the determination. The bill requires a carrier, intermediary, administrator, or representative that downcodes a claim to provide certain notice to the provider. The bill requires that all downcoding dispute decisions are reviewed and adjudicated by a natural person.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Contracts; retainage bonds permitted in construction contracts, effective clause.

Contracts; retainage bonds permitted in construction contracts. Allows, in any construction contract between an owner and a general contractor or between a general contractor and a subcontractor, such contractor or subcontractor to tender a retainage bond, defined in the bill, as a substitute for retainage withheld as security in such contracts. The provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2027 Session of the General Assembly.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Insurance; contingent deferred annuities, nonforfeiture benefits.

Insurance; contingent deferred annuities; nonforfeiture benefits. Permits the State Corporation Commission to adopt reasonable standards for contingent deferred annuities, as defined in the bill, including nonforfeiture benefits. The bill subjects contingent deferred annuities to certain requirements applicable under current law to other types of insurance contracts.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Higher ed. financial aid programs; amends provisions, Va. Commonwealth Award established, report.

Public institutions of higher education; financial aid review and consolidation; Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program and Fund; Virginia Commonwealth Award established; work group; report. Amends several provisions relating to higher education financial aid programs for the purpose of establishing the Virginia Commonwealth Award in the Code of Virginia and consolidating the Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program and Fund with the Virginia Commonwealth Award. Currently, the Virginia Commonwealth Award is established and administered only in the Virginia Administrative Code. In consolidating and establishing such financial aid programs as the Virginia Commonwealth Award, the bill codifies several definitions and provisions relating to award eligibility and renewal for undergraduate students and graduate students. The bill also repeals a provision of law establishing the Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Fund. The bill directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to promulgate emergency regulations for the administration of financial aid in accordance with the provisions of the bill by April 1, 2027. The bill also directs the Secretary of Education to (i) establish a work group to conduct a comprehensive review of higher education financial aid systems and processes in the Commonwealth and make recommendations on strategies for maximizing the efficacy and impact of state financial aid appropriations on accessibility and affordability of and student outcomes in higher education in the Commonwealth and (ii) submit to the chairs of the applicable committees of the General Assembly by July 1, 2027, a report on the work group's findings and recommendations. Finally, the bill provides for the gradual phase-out of the award of grants under the Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program by (a) prohibiting any first-time students from being offered a grant under the Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program beginning with first-time students enrolled in the fall semester of 2027 and (b) permitting any public institution of higher education to provide for the annual renewal of grant awards under such program for no more than three subsequent award years, or up to a total of four award years, to any student who receives a grant during the 2026–2027 school year and continues to meet the requirements for grant renewal set forth in applicable law. This bill is identical to HB 1221.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Volunteer emergency responders; protection of employees, civil action.

Protection of employees; volunteer emergency responders; civil action. Prohibits an employer from discharging, disciplining, threatening, discriminating against, or penalizing an employee or taking other retaliatory action regarding an employee's compensation, terms, conditions, location, or privileges of employment solely because the employee fails to report for work because such employee is serving as a voluntary emergency responder, as defined in the bill, and is actively responding to an emergency alarm or during a state of emergency, provided that certain requirements are met. The bill provides that no employer shall be required to pay an employee for work time missed while serving as a voluntary emergency responder but permits such employee to use vacation or sick leave instead of unpaid time off if such employee has accrued such leave. The bill permits a person who alleges a violation of its provisions to bring a civil action seeking injunctive relief, reinstatement, and compensation for lost wages, benefits, and other remuneration.

William M. Stanley, Jr.Republican

STEM+C competition team grants; DOE to consider changes to application and eligibility guidelines.

Department of Education; STEM+C Competition Grant Program eligibility. Requires the Department of Education, prior to the 2026 application period for grants pursuant to the STEM+C Competition Team Grant Program (the Program), to consider making the following changes to the grant application and eligibility guidelines: (i) clarify that, in accordance with the provision of relevant law that provides that the purpose of the Program is to provide grants for use in establishing or supporting STEM+C competition teams, grants may be awarded to establish new STEM+C competition teams or support existing STEM+C competition teams and (ii) provide that, in the event that grant applications exceed available funds, priority shall be given to applications for the establishment of new STEM+C competition teams with demonstrated financial need.

William M. Stanley, Jr.Republican

Tianeptine product; selling, giving, or distributing, civil penalty.

Selling, giving, or distributing a tianeptine product; civil penalty. Provides that a retail establishment that sells, gives, or distributes a tianeptine product, without a prescription, is subject to a civil penalty in the amount of $2,500 for a first violation and a civil penalty in the amount of $5,000 for a second or subsequent violation within a three-year period. The bill also provides that such provisions shall not preclude prosecution under any other statute.

William M. Stanley, Jr.Republican

School boards; student cell phone and smart device possession and use policies, prohibition.

School boards; student cell phone and smart device possession and use policies. Amends the requirements for the student cell phone and smart device possession and use policies that each school board is required to develop and each public elementary and secondary school is required to implement pursuant to applicable law to require such policies to, except as provided in applicable law, restrict student cell phone and smart device possession and prohibit student cell phone and smart device use on school property from bell to bell. Current law only requires such policies to restrict student cell phone and smart device possession and use on school property from bell to bell.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

School boards; safe storage of prescription drugs and firearms in the household.

School board policies; parental notification; safe storage of prescription drugs and firearms in the household. Requires each school board to develop and implement a policy to require the annual notification of the parent of each student enrolled in the school division, to be sent by email and, if applicable, SMS text message, of (i) the importance of securely storing any prescription drug, as defined in relevant law, present in the household and (ii) the parent's legal responsibility to safely store any firearm present in the household. The bill also requires each parental notification to include information on (a) relevant state laws and regulations relating to safe firearm storage and child access to firearms and (b) firearm-related accidents, injuries, and deaths, including current statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or an equivalent nationally recognized entity or organization on youth firearm fatality rates. Finally, the bill requires each school board to make such parental notification available in multiple languages on its website. This bill is identical to HB 201.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Public school teachers; reemployment of teacher who has not received continuing contract status.

Public school teachers; terms of employment; reemployment of teacher who has received continuing contract status; written notice required. Requires written notice of noncontinuation of a continuing teacher contract to be given by the teacher by June 15 of each year; otherwise, the contract continues in effect for the ensuing year in conformity with local salary stipulations, including increments. Current law requires such written notice of noncontinuation of a continuing teacher contract to be given by either the teacher or the school board by June 15 of each year. This bill is identical to HB 125.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat