Bills & Legislation

Retail sales and use tax; exemption for prescription medicine and drugs purchased by veterinarians; sunset.

Retail sales and use tax; exemption for prescription medicine and drugs purchased by veterinarians; sunset. Extends to July 1, 2028, the exemption from sales and use tax available for the purchase by veterinarians of prescription medicines and drugs that are administered or dispensed to patients within a veterinarian-client-patient relationship that is currently set to expire on July 1, 2025. This bill is identical to SB 1369.

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

School boards; bleeding control programs, bleeding control kits.

School boards; bleeding control programs; bleeding control kits. Requires each school board to develop and implement a bleeding control program in each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division whereby the school board, among other things, requires bleeding control kits with certain enumerated contents such as bandages and tourniquets to be placed in each public elementary and secondary school building in easily accessible locations and requires annual inspection and restocking of each such bleeding control kit.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Involuntary temporary detention orders; amends definition of "psychiatric emergency department."

Involuntary temporary detention orders; definition of "psychiatric emergency department." Amends the definition of "psychiatric emergency department" as it relates to involuntary temporary detention orders to remove the requirement that a psychiatric emergency department be located adjacent to a facility licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and to add requirements that a psychiatric emergency department (i) be licensed by either the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or the Department of Health and (ii) provide that at least one physician who is primarily responsible for the emergency department be on duty and physically present at all times that the hospital is operating as an emergency service. This bill applies to hospitals with a psychiatric emergency department located in the City of Hampton for the purpose of employing certain trained individuals to perform evaluations to determine whether a person meets the criteria for temporary detention for behavioral health treatment and has an expiration date of July 1, 2026, and is identical to HB 1895.

Emily M. JordanRepublican

Long-acting injectable or extended-release prescription drugs; correctional facilities.

Board of Pharmacy; long-acting injectable or extended-release prescription drugs; correctional facilities. Allows the Board of Pharmacy to register a correctional facility to maintain a floor stock of long-acting injectable or extended-release prescription drugs for the treatment of mental illness or substance use disorder. The bill requires such long-acting injectable or extended-release prescription drugs to be stored in an area accessible only to persons who are licensed to administer such prescription drugs, regardless of whether the prescriber is on site. The bill provides that each correctional facility shall maintain an ongoing perpetual inventory of all such drugs in Schedules II through V and that such perpetual inventory shall (i) accurately indicate the physical count of each drug on hand at the time the inventory is performed and (ii) no less than once per month, include a reconciliation of each drug with a written explanation for any difference between the physical count and the theoretical count. This bill is identical to HB 2473.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

Division superintendents, etc.; annual meetings on school grounds with local law enforcement.

School safety audit committees; annual meetings on school grounds with local law enforcement permitted. Permits each division superintendent or his designee and the school safety audit committee established by the division superintendent to meet annually on the grounds of any public school in the local school division with the chief law-enforcement officer of the locality or a designee from the local law-enforcement agency to discuss the annual school safety audit completed for such school.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

Alcoholic beverage control; delivery of mixed beverages.

Alcoholic beverage control; delivery of mixed beverages; repeal. Clarifies that under current law, mixed beverage restaurant and limited mixed beverage restaurant licensees may sell for off-premises consumption or deliver up to two mixed beverages per meal served, but shall in no event sell for off-premises consumption or deliver more than four mixed beverages at any one time. The bill also provides clarification as to where delivery of such mixed beverages may be made. The bill maintains alcoholic beverage control third-party delivery licenses by eliminating the repeal of such licenses that is set to go into effect July 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 811.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

Virginia Retirement System; disability benefits for certain emergency dispatchers.

Virginia Retirement System; disability benefits; emergency dispatchers. Requires that, beginning July 1, 2026, emergency dispatchers who are not members of the hybrid retirement program become participants in the disability program for hybrid retirement plan members if the locality employing such dispatcher participates in such program. The employers of such dispatchers shall provide the costs required for funding participation in such program.

David L. BulovaDemocrat

School employees; reports of certain arrests and convictions.

Reports of certain arrests and convictions of school employees; timing; method. Removes the requirement to report certain arrests and convictions of school employees enumerated in law via fax to the fax number identified for the division superintendent or the designated division safety official, as the case may be. However, the requirements in current law to make such reports via certified mail and email are preserved.

Thomas A. Garrett, Jr.Republican

Nonhospitalized individuals; crisis stabilization services.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; state plan for medical assistance services; crisis stabilization services for nonhospitalized individuals; emergency. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to seek the necessary federal approvals to remove the prohibition against the use of crisis stabilization services for nonhospitalized individuals in institutions for mental disease and, upon receiving federal approval, (i) authorizes the Department of Medical Assistance Services to implement such change through agency guidance documents prior to the completion of any regulatory review process and (ii) directs it to promulgate regulations to implement such change to be effective within 280 days of receiving federal approval. This bill is identical to HB 2534.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Dam Safety Act; powers and duties of DCR, rights and requirements of dam owners, civil penalty.

Dam Safety, Flood Prevention and Protection Assistance; Dam Safety Act; powers and duties of the Department of Conservation and Recreation; rights and requirements of dam owners; civil penalty. Amends various provisions of the Dam Safety Act to streamline the Department of Conservation and Recreation's enforcement powers for impounding structures under the Act and clarifies the Department's powers and duties during an active dam failure. The bill also makes changes to a dam owner's responsibilities under the Act, including adding requirements to obtain a general permit for a low hazard impounding structure, making a dam owner responsible for ensuring that his impounding structure that presents an imminent danger has a safety inspection performed as provided in the bill, and allowing a dam owner to identify the dam break inundation zone of his impounding structure by providing the limits of the dam break inundation zone in lieu of filing a map. The bill also changes certain criteria for applicants to receive funds from the Dam Safety, Flood Prevention and Protection Assistance Fund, including the project match requirements for grants or loans. Finally, the bill repeals the provisions providing civil penalties for violating the provisions of the Act and makes technical amendments related to such repeal. This bill is identical to HB 2000.

Timmy FrenchRepublican

Reckless driving; improper driving as a lesser included offense.

Improper driving as a lesser included offense of reckless driving. Permits a jury to find an accused, where the degree of culpability is slight, not guilty of reckless driving but guilty of improper driving. Current law only permits the trial court to do so or the attorney for the Commonwealth to reduce a charge of reckless driving to improper driving at any time prior to the court's decision.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Out-of-school time programs; exemptions from licensure.

Board of Education; out-of-school time programs; exemptions from licensure. Exempts from licensure any out-of-school time program, defined as any program that (i) serves only school-age children; (ii) operates primarily before or after regular school hours, during the summer, or at times when school is not normally in session; and (iii) is offered for the purpose of promoting expanded childhood learning and enrichment, child and youth development, or educational, recreational, or character-building activities, that (a) is affiliated with a national organization with established health and safety requirements and is in compliance with such health and safety requirements; (b) has adopted standards and requirements relating to staff training and qualifications that are consistent with those of the Board of Education; (c) requires all applicants for employment or volunteers to undergo background checks in accordance with applicable law; and (d) has policies and procedures relating to emergency preparedness and response, child abuse prevention and response, and internal incident reporting and investigation.

Christie New CraigRepublican

Standards of Learning; incorporation of media literacy and digital citizenship.

Board of Education; Standards of Learning; incorporation of media literacy and digital citizenship. Requires the Board of Education to consider, during each regularly scheduled revision to the Standards of Learning and any associated curriculum framework, including the Digital Learning Integration Standards of Learning, incorporating media literacy and digital citizenship standards, as such terms are defined in the bill, at each grade level.

Phillip A. ScottRepublican

Civil immunity; health care professionals, professional prog. related to career fatigue & wellness.

Civil immunity; health care professionals; professional programs related to career fatigue and wellness. Expands civil immunity for persons who participate in professional programs related to career fatigue and wellness for health care professionals to include those who participate in programs for (i) any health care professionals licensed, registered, or certified by the Department of Health Professions or (ii) students enrolled in programs that are prerequisites to licensure, registration, or certification by the Department of Health Professions. Under current law, civil immunity extends only to persons participating in programs for (a) professionals licensed, registered, or certified by the Boards of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, or Pharmacy or (b) students enrolled in a school of dentistry, dental hygiene, medicine, osteopathic medicine, nursing, or pharmacy.

Patrick A. HopeDemocrat

Sexual extortion; penalty.

Sexual extortion; penalty. Makes it a Class 5 felony for any person to maliciously threaten eviction, loss of housing, property damage, or any financial loss with the intent to cause the complaining witness to engage in sexual intercourse, cunnilingus, fellatio, anilingus, anal intercourse, inanimate or animate object sexual penetration, or an act of sexual abuse and thereby engage in sexual intercourse, cunnilingus, fellatio, anilingus, anal intercourse, inanimate or animate object sexual penetration, or an act of sexual abuse. The bill also creates an unclassified felony punishable by not less than one nor more than 20 years and a fine of not more than $100,000 for any adult who violates the provisions of the bill with a person younger than 15 years of age.

Wendell S. WalkerRepublican

Practice of chiropractic; amends definition.

Vitamins, minerals, and food supplements; practice of chiropractic; definition. Amends the definition of "practice of chiropractic" to include recommending or directing patients on the use of vitamins, minerals, or food supplements. The bill also allows a chiropractor to recommend or direct patients on the use of vitamins, minerals, or food supplements, provided that the rationale for such recommendation is (i) documented in a patient's record and (ii) based on a reasonable expectation that the use of such vitamins, minerals, or food supplements will result in a favorable patient outcome, including preventive practices, and that a greater benefit will be achieved than that which can be expected without such use. Under the bill, such chiropractor is not permitted to sell, dispense, or recommend vitamins, minerals, or food supplements for use if such use will negatively impact any of the patient's existing medical conditions. This bill is identical to SB 1015.

C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr.Democrat

Assault and battery; Class 1 misdemeanor against sports official.

Assault and battery; sports official; penalty. Makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for a person to commit a battery against another knowing or having reason to know that such individual is a sports official, defined in the bill, for an entity sponsoring an interscholastic or intercollegiate sports event or any person performing services as a sports official for a public entity or a private, nonprofit organization that sponsors an amateur sports event who (i) is engaged in the performance of his duties or (ii) is on the premises of such event prior to engaging in his duties or upon conclusion of his duties. The bill provides that such person, upon conviction, may be prohibited from attending any such sports event operated by the entity or organization that employed such sports official for a period of not less than six months as a term and condition of such sentence.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Barbers and Cosmetology, Board for; employment prohibition, children 16 years of age or older.

Board for Barbers and Cosmetology; employment prohibition exceptions; children 16 years of age or older. Allows children 16 years of age or older to serve in a licensed barbershop or cosmetology salon, provided that (i) the child is an apprentice, (ii) the child is employed in a work-training program as provided by relevant law and in accordance with relevant regulations, or (iii) the child has obtained a cosmetology or barber license from the Board for Barbers and Cosmetology. This bill is identical to SB 1228.

Michael J. JonesDemocrat

Intercollegiate athletics program coaches; Mental Health First Aid or similar training required.

Public institutions of higher education; intercollegiate athletics program coaches; Mental Health First Aid or similar training required. Requires each coach of an intercollegiate athletics program at a public institution of higher education to participate in Mental Health First Aid training or a similar program within one year of the commencement of his duties.

Michael J. WebertRepublican

Retired or former law-enforcement officers; definition, publication of personal information.

Publication of personal information of retired or former law-enforcement officers. Adds retired or former law-enforcement officers, defined in the bill, to the definition of "public official" for the purposes of prohibiting the Commonwealth from publishing a public official's personal information on the Internet. The bill clarifies that such retired or former law-enforcement officer be in good standing with no pending investigations or disciplinary actions. The bill provides that the demand in writing required to prohibit the publication of such personal information shall be effective for a period of four years, provided that such retired or former law-enforcement officer was retired or ended his service within four years of filing a petition with a circuit court. This bill is identical to SB 781.

Rozia A. Henson, Jr.Democrat

Protective orders; military protective orders.

Protective orders; Military Protective Orders. Permits a court to issue a preliminary protective order upon evidence of a Military Protective Order issued by a commanding officer in the Armed Forces of the United States, the Virginia National Guard, or the National Guard of any other state in favor of the petitioner or the petitioner's family or household members. The bill provides that a Military Protective Order issued between the parties shall only be admissible or considered as evidence in accordance with the Code of Virginia, the Rules of Evidence of the Supreme Court of Virginia, or other relevant Virginia case law. The bill requires a law-enforcement agency, upon a defendant's violation of a protective order, if such Military Protective Order was issued against the same defendant as a protective order in a Virginia court and registered with the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), to inform the military law-enforcement officer or agency that issued and entered the Military Protective Order into NCIC of such violation. This bill is identical to SB 957.

Briana D. SewellDemocrat

Notarial act; definition.

Electronic notarial acts. Specifies that, for the purposes of notarial acts being performed outside the Commonwealth for use in the Commonwealth, a "notarial act" means an act, whether performed with respect to a tangible or electronic document, that a notary public commissioned in the Commonwealth may perform under the laws and regulations of the Commonwealth.

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

Dam Safety Act; powers and duties of DCR, rights and requirements of dam owners, civil penalty.

Dam Safety, Flood Prevention and Protection Assistance; Dam Safety Act; powers and duties of the Department of Conservation and Recreation; rights and requirements of dam owners; civil penalty. Amends various provisions of the Dam Safety Act to streamline the Department of Conservation and Recreation's enforcement powers for impounding structures under the Act and clarifies the Department's powers and duties during an active dam failure. The bill also makes changes to a dam owner's responsibilities under the Act, including adding requirements to obtain a general permit for a low hazard impounding structure, making a dam owner responsible for ensuring that his impounding structure that presents an imminent danger has a safety inspection performed as provided in the bill, and allowing a dam owner to identify the dam break inundation zone of his impounding structure by providing the limits of the dam break inundation zone in lieu of filing a map. The bill also changes certain criteria for applicants to receive funds from the Dam Safety, Flood Prevention and Protection Assistance Fund, including the project match requirements for grants or loans. Finally, the bill repeals the provisions providing civil penalties for violating the provisions of the Act and makes technical amendments related to such repeal. This bill is identical to SB 857.

Amy J. LauferDemocrat

Health insurance; carrier business practices, method of payment for claims.

Health insurance; carrier business practices; method of payment for transactions. Requires a health insurance carrier to notify the provider in a provider contract if the carrier, or entity completing a transaction on behalf of the carrier, uses a payment method that imposes a transaction or processing fee or similar charge on the provider and to offer the provider an alternative payment method that does not impose such a fee or similar charge. If the provider elects to accept the alternative payment method and has provided all required information to the carrier to enroll in such alternative method, the bill specifies that the carrier is required to pay the claim using such alternative payment method. This bill is identical to HB 2085.

Christopher T. HeadRepublican

Medical malpractice; certification of expert witness, written opinion.

Medical malpractice; certification of expert witness; written opinion. Provides that at the time of service of process of every complaint, counter claim, third party claim, or warrant in debt in a medical malpractice action or every complaint, counter claim, or third party claim in an action for wrongful death against a health care provider, the plaintiff shall be deemed to have obtained a written opinion signed by an expert witness stating that the defendant in the action deviated from the applicable standard of care and the deviation was a proximate cause of the injuries claimed. The bill provides that a plaintiff may have separate certifications for standard of care and causation. The bill also requires a plaintiff to certify to the defendant upon whom service of process has been requested to certify within 21 days of the defendant's answer being filed that such plaintiff obtained the necessary expert opinion at the time service was requested or affirming that such plaintiff did not need to obtain a certifying expert witness opinion in accordance with relevant law.

Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.Republican

Long-acting injectable or extended-release prescription drugs; correctional facilities.

Board of Pharmacy; long-acting injectable or extended-release prescription drugs; correctional facilities. Allows the Board of Pharmacy to register a correctional facility to maintain a floor stock of long-acting injectable or extended-release prescription drugs for the treatment of mental illness or substance use disorder. The bill requires such long-acting injectable or extended-release prescription drugs to be stored in an area accessible only to persons who are licensed to administer such prescription drugs, regardless of whether the prescriber is on site. The bill provides that each correctional facility shall maintain an ongoing perpetual inventory of all such drugs in Schedules II through V and that such perpetual inventory shall (i) accurately indicate the physical count of each drug on hand at the time the inventory is performed and (ii) no less than once per month, include a reconciliation of each drug with a written explanation for any difference between the physical count and the theoretical count. This bill is identical to SB 1367.

Mark D. SicklesDemocrat

Involuntary temporary detention orders; amends definition of "psychiatric emergency department."

Involuntary temporary detention orders; definition of "psychiatric emergency department." Amends the definition of "psychiatric emergency department" as it relates to involuntary temporary detention orders to remove the requirement that a psychiatric emergency department be located adjacent to a facility licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and to add requirements that a psychiatric emergency department (i) be licensed by either the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or the Department of Health and (ii) provide that at least one physician who is primarily responsible for the emergency department be on duty and physically present at all times that the hospital is operating as an emergency service. This bill applies to hospitals with a psychiatric emergency department located in the City of Hampton for the purpose of employing certain trained individuals to perform evaluations to determine whether a person meets the criteria for temporary detention for behavioral health treatment and has an expiration date of July 1, 2026, and is identical to SB 1094.

Rodney T. WillettDemocrat

Alcoholic beverage control retail licensees and employees; training on human trafficking.

Department of Criminal Justice Services; alcoholic beverage control retail licensees and employees; training on human trafficking. Directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to develop an online course for the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to offer to retail licensees and their employees to train such licensees and employees to recognize and report instances of suspected human trafficking. The bill also requires the certified alcohol server or seller training that a retail licensee may offer its employees that allows a reduction in the length of any suspension or the amount of any civil penalty imposed for a license violation to include a course developed or approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Services on recognizing and reporting instances of suspected human trafficking.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

Six-year capital outlay plan and funding; removes certain requirement.

Six-year capital outlay plan and funding. Repeals the requirement that the Six-Year Capital Outlay Plan Advisory Committee meet on the day the Governor presents his preliminary financial report.

L. Louise LucasDemocrat

Dentists & dental hygienists; work group to assess expedited pathways for licensure, report.

Board of Dentistry; expedited licensure. Directs the Board of Dentistry to convene a work group including the Virginia Dental Association and the Virginia Dental Hygienists' Association to assess expedited pathways for licensure for dentists and dental hygienists. The bill specifies that the work group shall (i) review the licensure by credentialing statutes governing dentists and the licensure statutes governing dental hygienists and make recommendations on how such statutes can be updated to reflect an expedited pathway for licensure and (ii) study options for and make recommendations on a pathway for qualified internationally trained dentists to practice dental hygiene under the supervision of a licensed dentist.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

Line of Duty Act; benefits for campus police and private police officers, definitions.

Line of Duty Act; campus police officers; private police officers. Provides employees of contributing nonprofit private institutions of higher education and contributing private police departments, as those terms are defined in the bill, with the benefits granted to employees of participating employers under the Line of Duty Act. The bill clarifies that the Line of Duty Act shall not apply to any (i) private institution of higher education that is not a contributing nonprofit private institution of higher education or (ii) private police department that is not a contributing private police department. The bill requires each contributing nonprofit private institution of higher education and contributing private police department to pay its pro rata share of the initial costs to implement the bill, as determined by the Virginia Retirement System. This bill is identical to HB 1815.

Mark D. ObenshainRepublican

Drug paraphernalia and controlled paraphernalia; drug checking products.

Drug paraphernalia and controlled paraphernalia; drug checking products. Clarifies that drug checking products used to determine the presence or concentration of a contaminant that can cause physical harm or death are not drug paraphernalia or controlled paraphernalia.

Christopher T. HeadRepublican

Shenandoah, Town of; new charter (previous charter repealed).

Charter; Town of Shenandoah. Establishes a new charter for the Town of Shenandoah in Page County and repeals the current charter, which was created in 1926. The proposed charter sets out the organization of the town's government and contains powers typically granted to towns. This bill is identical to SB 1150.

C. Todd GilbertRepublican

School admission documents, certain; street address or route number requirement.

Street address requirement on certain school admission documents; limitations on further use for certain students. Provides that if a pupil or his parent participates in the Address Confidentiality Program established in law, the street address or route number shall be provided to establish residency as required by law but shall not otherwise be made part of the student's educational records.

Amy J. LauferDemocrat

Model policy for law-enforcement officer investigating overdose; notification to prescriber.

Model policy for law-enforcement officer investigating overdose; notification to prescriber. Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish a model policy for best practices for law-enforcement officers responding to or investigating an overdose to notify the prescriber of any controlled substance found to be in the possession of or ingested by the victim that such prescription was involved in an overdose.

Michael J. WebertRepublican

Students from foreign countries; student exchange programs, tuition and fee waivers.

Public institutions of higher education; student exchange programs; tuition and mandatory fee waivers; conditions. Clarifies that tuition and mandatory fees may be waived for a student from a foreign country enrolled in a public institution of higher education through a formalized student exchange program between such institution and another institution of higher education, provided that the number of full-time equivalent inbound students from a foreign country for whom tuition and mandatory fees has been waived does not exceed during any three-year period the number of full-time equivalent outbound students who are enrolled through such student exchange program and who pay full tuition and mandatory fees to the institution. Current law permits tuition and mandatory fees to be waived for a student from a foreign country enrolled in a public institution of higher education through a student exchange program approved by such institution, provided that the number of students from a foreign country for whom tuition and mandatory fees has been waived does not exceed during any three-year period the number of students from a foreign country who are enrolled through such student exchange program and who pay full tuition and mandatory fees to the institution. This bill is identical to HB 2156.

Lashrecse D. AirdDemocrat

Bail and recognizance; appeal of conviction.

Bail and recognizance; appeal of conviction. Provides that the court shall not require any new bond for the release of a person who has been convicted of an offense in a district court and has noted an appeal.

Will DavisRepublican

Qualified equity and subordinated debt investments tax credit; sunset.

Qualified equity and subordinated debt investments tax credit; sunset. Provides that the qualified equity and subordinated debt investments tax credit expires after taxable year 2025.

Elizabeth B. Bennett-ParkerDemocrat

Domestic and foreign corporations; corporations transacting business in Commonwealth, etc.

Search warrants; electronic records; commercial enterprise; domestic and foreign corporations. Provides that, for the purposes of search warrants, "any object, thing, or person" includes electronic records stored within or outside the Commonwealth of a commercial enterprise, whether a domestic corporation or a foreign corporation, that is transacting or has transacted any business in the Commonwealth that constitute evidence of the commission of crime. The bill requires the affidavit for any search warrant issued for such records of a foreign corporation to contain a statement that the complainant believes such records are actually or constructively possessed by such foreign corporation and provides that, in order to comply with relevant law, any search of the records of a foreign corporation shall be deemed to have been made in the same place where the search warrant was issued.The bill establishes a procedure for the execution of a search warrant for such records or other information stored outside of the Commonwealth by a commercial enterprise, whether a domestic corporation or a foreign corporation, that is transacting or has transacted any business in the Commonwealth. The bill also provides that (i) for the purposes of responding to a subpoena served pursuant to relevant law, a foreign corporation transacting business in the Commonwealth that has a registered agent in the Commonwealth shall be deemed to have consented to service and (ii) the provisions of the bill are intended to reverse the holding in Yelp, Inc. v. Hadeed Carpet Cleaning, Inc., 289 Va. 426 (2015). Lastly, the bill directs the Joint Commission on Technology and Science and the Virginia State Crime Commission to (a) review existing statutes on service of process and subpoenas relating to electronic records and (b) provide recommendations to update such statutes relating to the use of technology in the criminal justice system. Such recommendations shall be made to the General Assembly by November 15, 2025.

Ryan T. McDougleRepublican

Hospitals and nursing homes; licensure and inspection fees.

Hospitals and nursing homes; licensure and inspection fees; Hospital and Nursing Home Licensure and Inspection Program Fund established. Directs the State Board of Health to require in its regulations the establishment of fees for the issuance, change, or renewal of a hospital or nursing home license to cover the costs of operating the hospital and nursing home licensure and inspection program in a manner that ensures timely completion of inspections. The bill requires the Board to distribute the costs of operating the hospital and nursing home licensure and inspection program in an equitable manner across all hospitals and nursing homes and specifies that the amount of such fees shall change no more frequently than annually. Such fee changes shall only be initiated under the bill if the expenses are more than 10 percent greater or less than the annual costs of operating the licensure and inspection program in a manner that ensures timely completion of inspections. The bill also creates the Hospital and Nursing Home Licensure and Inspection Program Fund to be used for the purposes of supporting the activities of the licensure and inspections requirements administered pursuant to current law. The bill directs the Board to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill related to the establishment of such fees and specifies that the provisions pertaining to the creation of the Fund shall not become effective until the Board adopts such emergency regulations. This bill is identical to SB 1484.

H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.Republican

Ear-piercers and ear-piercing salons and schools; licensure by the Board of Barbers and Cosmetology.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; regulation of ear-piercers and ear-piercing salons and schools. Provides for the licensure of ear-piercing salons, ear-piercing schools, and ear-piercers by the Board for Barbers and Cosmetology. The bill distinguishes ear-piercing salons from body-piercing salons by definition and requires the Board to adopt regulations establishing the requirements for licensure of ear-piercing salons, ear-piercing schools, and ear-piercers. Additionally, the bill requires the Board to develop specific training and apprenticeship programs for ear-piercers and permits localities to regulate the sanitary conditions of ear-piercing salons. This bill is identical to HB 2680.

Lashrecse D. AirdDemocrat

Bureau of Insurance of SCC; step therapy protocols for health benefit plans, report.

Bureau of Insurance; step therapy protocols; study; report. Directs the Bureau of Insurance of the State Corporation Commission to study step therapy protocols for health benefit plans developed by insurance companies pursuant to existing law by conducting a data call of health carriers. The bill directs the Bureau to submit a summary and report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by November 1, 2026.

Karrie K. DelaneyDemocrat

Therapeutically equivalent drug products; provisions for return of outdated drugs.

Therapeutically equivalent drug products; provisions for return of outdated drugs. Requires drug manufacturers to implement provisions for the return of drugs past their expiration date by pharmacies in order for their products to be eligible for dispensing as a therapeutically equivalent drug.

M. Keith HodgesRepublican

Prescription drug price transparency; pharmacy services administrative organizations.

Prescription drug price transparency; pharmacy services administrative organizations. Requires pharmacy services administrative organizations to submit information on reimbursement rates and fees to the nonprofit data services organization that contracts with the Department of Health to provide prescription drug price transparency information. Under the bill, a pharmacy services administrative organization that solely generates revenue from charging flat service fees to pharmacies and does not charge pharmacies for services based on prescription drug prices or volume is exempt from submitting such information.

Mark D. SicklesDemocrat

Retail Sales and Use Tax; media-related exemptions, sunset.

Retail sales and use tax; media-related exemptions; sunset. Extends from 2025 to 2028 the expiration of the retail sales and use tax exemption for certain printed materials purchased by an advertising business from a printer in the Commonwealth, so long as such materials are distributed outside of the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to SB 871.

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

Sale of real estate for delinquent taxes; procedure, enforcement of liens, orders of publication.

Sale of real estate for delinquent taxes; procedure; enforcement of liens; orders of publication. Amends certain procedures relating to the sale of real estate to recover delinquent real estate taxes, including the enforcement of liens for taxes assessed upon real estate. The bill clarifies that any party or entity with an interest in the subject real estate, including a lienor, a person with a claim of title, or the beneficiary and trustees under a deed of trust, shall be named as party defendants in a proceeding for the sale of such real estate. The bill also makes the process by which notice by publication is given for a proceeding to enforce a lien for delinquent real estate taxes consistent with other actions where notice by publication is authorized. This bill is a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference.

Candi Mundon KingDemocrat

Assignment of causes of action; limitations.

Assignment of causes of action. Provides that the limitations on assignable causes of action shall not prohibit any injured party or his estate from making a voluntary assignment of the proceeds or anticipated proceeds into a self-settled trust for which the injured party is the beneficiary, including self-settled trusts for the charitable purpose of one or more charitable organizations.

Michael J. WebertRepublican

Mental Health First Aid Program; DOE, et al., to develop, participation by school staff & students.

Department of Education; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; mental health first aid training program; development of plan to incentivize and facilitate participation. Directs the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, to develop and implement a plan to incentivize and facilitate participation in the Commonwealth Mental Health First Aid Program, established pursuant to applicable law, by public school staff and students. As introduced, the bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to SB 1377.

Destiny LeVere BollingDemocrat