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2024 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Education and Health

Chair: Ghazala F. Hashmi

Clerk: Hobie Lehman, Madison Odallo
Staff: Julia Carlton
Date of Meeting: January 25, 2024
Time and Place: 8:30 AM / Senate Room A, 3rd floor, General Assembly Building
Updated to remove SB 579 and to add SB 35

S.B. 21

Patron: Salim

Public institutions of higher education; policies; individuals with disabilities. Requires each public institution of higher education to adopt a policy that makes certain documentation or evidence enumerated in the bill that is submitted by an enrolled or admitted student sufficient to establish that the student is an individual with a disability. The bill requires each such policy to include a transparent and explicit process by which the institution determines eligibility for accommodations for an individual with a disability and requires each such institution to disseminate information about such process to students, the parents of students as appropriate, and faculty in accessible formats, including during any student orientation, and make such information available on a conspicuous and publicly accessible page on the institution's website.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 23.1-401.3, relating to public institutions of higher education; policies; individuals with disabilities.

24102839D

S.B. 22

Patron: Locke

Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. The Compact increases public access to dental services by permitting eligible licensed dentists and dental hygienists to practice in Compact participating states, provided that they are licensed in at least one participating state. The Compact has been passed in three states and takes effect when it is enacted by a seventh participating state or upon the effective date of the bill, whichever is later.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 27 of Title 54.1 an article numbered 5, consisting of a section numbered 54.1-2729.02, relating to the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact.

24101204D

S.B. 24

Patron: Locke

Long-term services and supports screening; expedited screening; screening exemption; emergency. Modifies existing provisions regarding the required long-term services and supports screening under the state plan for medical assistance services by creating greater flexibility for how screening are completed under certain circumstances. Under the bill, any individual receiving inpatient services in an acute care hospital discharged to a nursing facility for skilled care is not required to be screened prior to discharge from the hospital unless the individual requests the screening. The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill contains an emergency clause.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 32.1-330 of the Code of Virginia, relating to long-term services and supports screening; expedited screening; screening exemption; emergency.

24101200D

EMERGENCY

S.B. 33

Patron: Locke

Supervision of certified registered nurse anesthetists; work group; report. Clarifies that supervision of a certified registered nurse anesthetist requires that a licensed doctor of medicine, osteopathy, podiatry, or dentistry is present during an operation or procedure or is immediately available to respond and provide patient care as needed. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, in collaboration with the Board of Medicine, Board of Nursing, and Department of Health Professions, to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to evaluate and make recommendations to increase the anesthesia provider workforce in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the work group to report its recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions by November 1, 2024.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 54.1-2957 of the Code of Virginia, relating to supervision of certified registered nurse anesthetists; work group; report.

24101199D

S.B. 35

Patron: Locke

Board of Medicine; Board of Nursing; continuing education; continuing competency; unconscious bias and cultural competency. Directs the Board of Medicine and the Board of Nursing to require unconscious bias and cultural competency training as part of the continuing education and continuing competency requirements for renewal of licensure. The bill specifies requirements for the training and requires the Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing to report on the training to the Department of Health and the Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative.

A BILL to direct the Board of Medicine and the Board of Nursing to require completion of training on unconscious bias and cultural competency as part of their continuing education and continuing competency requirements for licensure.

24101202D

S.B. 54

Patron: Locke

Early childhood care and education system; publicly funded providers; funding formula; educator incentive; nonreverting fund to capture unspent Virginia Preschool Initiative balances. Requires the Department of Education to (i) establish and maintain a funding formula for publicly funded early childhood care and education providers that establishes the minimum funding and number of slots per biennium for such providers based on a cost of quality rate per child, actual data from the prior year, unserved waitlists, and a growth rate differential based on growth in prior biennia; (ii) administer an early childhood educator incentive program to be known as RecognizeB5 whereby a monetary incentive is provided to teachers who work directly with children for at least 30 hours per week at publicly funded providers that participate in the uniform measurement and improvement system known as VQB5, with the exception of teachers who are employed by local school boards; and (iii) administer and make distributions, for the purpose of providing early childhood care and education services, from the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund established in the bill, to which all unspent balances from the Virginia Preschool Initiative at the end of each fiscal year are required to be credited instead of reverting to the general fund.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-289.03 of the Code of Virginia, relating to early childhood care and education system; publicly funded providers; funding formula; educator incentive; nonreverting fund to capture unspent Virginia Preschool Initiative balances.

24101513D

S.B. 139

Patron: Carroll Foy

Board of Education; high school graduation; alternative pathways to the advanced studies diploma and associated diploma seals. Directs the Board of Education to establish two pathways to the advanced studies high school diploma, and associated diploma seals for students who successfully follow and demonstrate excellence on such pathways: one pathway that requires advanced coursework in a career and technical education field but does not require coursework in world language and another pathway that requires advanced coursework in world language but does not require coursework in a career and technical education field. The bill requires such pathways and associated diploma seals to become effective for the 2025-2026 school year and to be available to any student, regardless of the school year during which the student enters ninth grade.

A BILL to require the Board of Education to establish multiple pathways to the advanced studies diploma and associated diploma seals.

24101497D

S.B. 161

Patron: McGuire

Board of Education; high school graduation; alternative pathway to advanced studies diploma and associated diploma seal; career and technical education. Directs the Board of Education to establish an alternative pathway to the advanced studies high school diploma and an associated diploma seal for students who successfully follow and demonstrate excellence on such pathway, that requires advanced coursework in a career and technical education field but does not require coursework in laboratory science. Under current law, one computer science course credit may count as one of the laboratory science course credits required for an advanced studies high school diploma but there is no pathway to an advanced studies diploma that does not require any laboratory science coursework. The bill requires such pathway and associated diploma seal to become effective for the 2025-2026 school year and to be available to any student, regardless of the school year during which the student enters ninth grade.

A BILL to require the Board of Education to establish an alternative pathway to the advanced studies diploma and associated diploma seal; career and technical education coursework.

24103827D

S.B. 170

Patron: Craig

Board of Education; out-of-school time programs; exemptions from licensure; conditions and requirements. Exempts from licensure any out-of-school time program that (i) serves only school-age children; (ii) operates primarily after or before regular school hours, during the summer, or at times when school is not normally in session; (iii) is offered for the purpose of promoting expanded childhood learning and enrichment, child and youth development, or educational, recreational, or character-building activities; and (iv) receives and maintains Board of Education certification to operate without a license.

The bill provides that any Board-certified, license-exempt out-of-school time program that fails to comply with the conditions set forth in the bill shall receive from the Superintendent notice of such noncompliance with an explanation that if such noncompliance is not resolved within a reasonable period of the time, as determined by the Board, the Superintendent may, at his discretion, deny, suspend, or revoke such program's certification and require it to be licensed.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-289.02 and 22.1-289.030 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-289.032:1, relating to Board of Education; out-of-school time programs; exemptions from licensure; conditions and requirements.

24104797D

S.B. 179

Patron: Favola

State hospitals; discharge planning. Provides that (i) when an individual is to be discharged from a state hospital in 30 days or less after admission, the state hospital shall be responsible for the individual's discharge planning and (ii) when an individual is to be discharged from a state hospital more than 30 days after admission, the appropriate community services board or behavioral health authority shall be responsible for the individual's discharge planning. Under current law, community services boards and behavioral health authorities provide discharge planning for all individuals discharged from state hospitals, regardless of the duration of their stay. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 37.2-505 and 37.2-837 of the Code of Virginia, relating to state hospitals; discharge planning.

24103985D

S.B. 219

Patron: Sturtevant

Institutions of higher education; tuition grants; Virginia National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program. Makes several changes to the Virginia National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program, including (i) making the provisions relating to the requirements and conditions for eligibility for and award of grants under the Program subject to regulations as prescribed by the Adjutant General, (ii) eliminating the requirement to satisfy financial obligations with the institution of higher education at the beginning of each semester, (iii) simplifying the requirements relating to academic performance and good standing, and (iv) providing that any grant awarded shall be in an amount equivalent to the difference between the full cost of tuition and fees at the institution of higher education less any other educational benefits for which an individual is eligible as a member of the National Guard.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 23.1-610 of the Code of Virginia, relating to institutions of higher education; tuition grants; Virginia National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program.

24104580D

S.B. 229

Patron: Hashmi

Advisory Council on Breakthrough Therapies for Veteran Suicide Prevention; established; report. Establishes the Advisory Council on Breakthrough Therapies for Veteran Suicide Prevention to advise the State Health Commissioner on the regulations and infrastructure necessary to support clinical access to and provider training for the use of rapid-acting therapies that have been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, or treatment-resistant depression and whose active ingredients are currently controlled under Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act. The bill requires the State Health Commissioner to report annually by December 1 to the Governor and the General Assembly regarding its activities and recommendations. The Council sunsets on July 1, 2027.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 2 of Title 32.1 an article numbered 21, consisting of sections numbered 32.1-73.21 and 32.1-73.22, relating to Advisory Council on Breakthrough Therapies for Veteran Suicide Prevention; established; report.

24104894D

S.B. 235

Patron: Hashmi

Policies on parental notification of instructional material that includes sexually explicit content; scope and use. Provides that nothing in the law requiring the Department of Education to develop and make available to each school board model policies for ensuring parental notification of any instructional material that includes sexually explicit content and requiring each school board to adopt policies that are consistent with but may be more comprehensive than such model policies or that is in such model policies or school board policies shall be construed to permit the censoring of books in any public elementary or secondary school.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-16.8 of the Code of Virginia, relating to policies on parental notification of instructional material that includes sexually explicit content; scope and use.

24104437D

S.B. 239

Patron: Hashmi

Social Work Licensure Compact. Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Social Work Licensure Compact. The Compact allows social workers who have or are eligible for an active, unencumbered license in the compact member state where they reside to apply for a multistate license. After verifying eligibility, the social worker is granted a multistate license that authorizes practice in all other compact member states. The Compact takes effect when it is enacted by a seventh member state.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 37 of Title 54.1 an article numbered 3, consisting of a section numbered 54.1-3709.4, relating to Social Work Licensure Compact.

24101999D

S.B. 278

Patron: Hashmi


Virginia Abortion Care and Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act; reproductive and gender-affirming health care services; prohibitions on extradition for certain crimes; civil penalties. Establishes the Virginia Abortion Care and Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act. The bill provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth that all persons are entitled to provide, receive, and help others provide or receive abortion care and gender-affirming health care services not prohibited under the laws of the Commonwealth, and that such provision, receipt, and assistance is not diminished, chilled, or infringed by public or private actors.

The bill provides that no law-enforcement officer acting in the Commonwealth or employed by the Commonwealth or any of its localities or political subdivisions may investigate, arrest, or detain any person, seek the issuance of a warrant, or otherwise assist in or provide support for any investigation regarding either the provision or receipt of abortion care or gender-affirming care not prohibited under the laws of the Commonwealth or any person's menstrual health data. The bill creates a private right of action for any person who is aggrieved by such unlawful investigation to obtain an injunction or other equitable relief against such law-enforcement officer.

The bill also creates a private right of action for any person who sustains any injury, damages, or other harm resulting from another person who, under the law of a jurisdiction other than the Commonwealth, engages or attempts to engage in abusive litigation, as defined in the bill.

The bill also provides that no demand for extradition of a person charged with a criminal violation of law of another state shall be recognized by the Governor if such alleged violation involves the receipt of or assistance with protected health care activity, as defined in the bill, within the Commonwealth unless the alleged criminal violation would also constitute a criminal offense under the laws of the Commonwealth.

The bill provides that any subpoena under the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act or any summons for a witness for another state in a criminal case shall include an attestation, made under penalty of perjury, stating whether the subpoena or summons seeks documents, information, or testimony related to the provision, receipt, attempted provision or receipt, assistance in the provision or receipt, or attempted assistance in the provision or receipt of protected health care activity, as defined in the bill.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 8.01-412.10, 19.2-99, 19.2-100, 19.2-273, and 19.2-274 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 19.2-87.1 and by adding in Title 32.1 a chapter numbered 21, consisting of sections numbered 32.1-376 through 32.1-380, relating to the Virginia Abortion Care and Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act; reproductive and gender-affirming health care services; prohibitions on extradition for certain crimes; penalties.

24102762D

S.B. 279

Patron: Sturtevant

Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority; board of directors membership; powers and duties; capital projects; issuance of bonds. Provides for a number of reforms related to the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority. The bill reduces the number of members serving on the Authority's board of directors and the number of physician-faculty members that are required to serve on the board, requires persons who are appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the Senate Committee on Rules to be nonlegislative citizen members, and changes the term of office for board members. Additionally, the bill amends the Authority's powers and duties to provide outside oversight of certain actions taken or contemplated by the Authority. The Authority is required to notify the Governor, the Secretary of Finance, and the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees prior to seeking financing or incurring debt or entering into a contract related to hospital facilities and other projects. Further, the Authority is required to conduct a comprehensive financial and risk analysis for every proposed capital project and, for capital projects exceeding $15 million, to consult with the Secretary of Finance and the Department of Planning and Budget on various details, in addition to notifying the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees and providing specific information related to the capital project.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 23.1-2402, 23.1-2404, 23.1-2413, and 23.1-2418 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority; board of directors membership; powers and duties; capital projects; issuance of bonds.

24104928D

S.B. 280

Patron: Hashmi


Health care; decision-making; end of life; penalties. Allows an adult diagnosed with a terminal condition to request and an attending health care provider to prescribe a self-administered controlled substance for the purpose of ending the patient's life. The bill requires that a patient's request for a self-administered controlled substance to end his life must be given orally on two occasions and in writing, signed by the patient and one witness, and that the patient be given an express opportunity to rescind his request at any time. The bill makes it a Class 2 felony (i) to willfully and deliberately alter, forge, conceal, or destroy a patient's request, or rescission of request, for a self-administered controlled substance to end his life with the intent and effect of causing the patient's death; (ii) to coerce, intimidate, or exert undue influence on a patient to request a self-administered controlled substance for the purpose of ending his life or to destroy the patient's rescission of such request with the intent and effect of causing the patient's death; or (iii) to coerce, intimidate, or exert undue influence on a patient to forgo a self-administered controlled substance for the purpose of ending the patient's life. The bill also grants immunity from civil or criminal liability and professional disciplinary action to any person who complies with the provisions of the bill and allows health care providers to refuse to participate in the provision of a self-administered controlled substance to a patient for the purpose of ending the patient's life.

 

A BILL to amend and reenact § 8.01-622.1 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 29 of Title 54.1 an article numbered 11, consisting of sections numbered 54.1-2999 through 54.1-2999.9, relating to health care; decision-making; end of life; penalties.

24101159D

S.B. 287

Patron: Sturtevant

Comprehensive community colleges; authority to offer and confer certain baccalaureate degrees. Authorizes the State Board for Community Colleges, subject to approval and certification by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia of a proposal submitted for such purpose, to establish an upper division of any comprehensive community college consisting of the third and fourth years of baccalaureate degree programs that lead to occupations in a high-demand field and confer baccalaureate degrees in such degree programs. The bill requires any proposal submitted to the Council for such purpose to include (i) the information required for application for Council certification pursuant to relevant law; (ii) any information necessary to establish that the applicable comprehensive community college meets the requirements for Council certification and accreditation by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; (iii) the specific baccalaureate degree programs for which the State Board is seeking approval to offer at the applicable comprehensive community college and to establish that such baccalaureate degree programs lead to occupations in a field that meets the criteria of a high-demand field, as set forth in the bill; and (iv) any other information that the Council deems necessary.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 23.1-100, 23.1-203, and 23.1-2905 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 23.1-2907.3, relating to comprehensive community colleges; authority to offer and confer certain baccalaureate degrees.

24101846D

S.B. 380

Patron: Sturtevant

School board policies; alternative educational opportunities. Requires each school board to create a process allowing a qualified student, as defined in the bill, to access funding set aside for alternative educational opportunities, as defined in the bill. The bill provides that the school boards must also determine if an alternative educational program qualifies as a means to earn class credit or satisfy a graduation requirement.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-253.13:7 of the Code of Virginia, relating to school board policies; alternative educational opportunities.

24101492D

S.B. 392

Patron: Pekarsky

Hospitals; emergency departments; licensed physicians.Requires any hospital with an emergency department to have at least one licensed physician on duty and physically present at all times. Current law requires such hospitals to have a licensed physician on call, though not necessarily physically present on the premises, at all times.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 32.1-127, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia, relating to hospitals; emergency departments; licensed physicians.

24103092D

S.B. 421

Patron: Sturtevant


Foster Child Scholarship Program; established. Establishes the Foster Child Scholarship Program (the Program), to be administered by the Department of Education, for the purpose of providing school-age children in foster care the option to attend the participating public or private school of their caregiver's choice. The bill provides that any student is eligible to participate in the Program who (i) is a foster child, (ii) resides in a school division in the Commonwealth, (iii) is subject to compulsory attendance requirements, and (iv) is entering kindergarten or was eligible to enroll at a public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth during the semester immediately preceding the semester or term for which the child's parent initially applies for the Program or who is entering kindergarten. The bill provides that the caregiver of any eligible student may apply for the Program and, upon approval of such application, receive an annual scholarship, through quarterly disbursements into such eligible student's Foster Child Scholarship Account (FCSA), for the purposes of paying for education-related expenses, as set forth in the bill, at the participating school of the caregiver's choice in which the eligible student enrolls under the Program. The bill contains provisions relating to (a) the Department's powers and duties in administering the Program, including establishing and implementing policies and procedures for reviewing and approving applications, conducting public awareness campaigns, establishing procedures for audit and review of FCSAs and of participating schools, and establishing procedures and requirements for the management of and disbursing of funds into FCSAs; (b) the duties of participating schools in the Program relating to the acceptance of eligible students participating in the Program; (c) requirements for the division superintendent of each school division to report each year to the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to report each year to the Governor and the Chairs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, on data relating to participation in the Program by eligible students and participating schools; and (d) the conditions and limitations to which caregivers of eligible students must agree in order to participate in the Program.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 13 of Title 22.1 an article numbered 2.1, consisting of sections numbered 22.1-222.1 through 22.1-222.4, relating to Foster Child Scholarship Program; established.

24102023D

S.B. 431

Patron: Suetterlein


Schools boards; pupil transportation; alternatives; requirements. Expands the availability of allowable alternatives to traditional school bus transportation services relating to the transportation of students to and from school or school-related activities.

The bill expands the entities with whom and the purposes for which a school board may enter into agreements to provide transportation of pupils to include other school boards and comprehensive community colleges for the purposes of transporting students to and from concurrent or dual enrollment programs, career and technical education programs, joint and regional schools, and college partnership laboratory schools. The bill permits any school board to (i) provide, or contract with a privately operated entity to provide, for the purpose of transporting students to and from schools on a regularly scheduled basis a vehicle designed (a) to carry between 11 and 15 passengers, (b) as a specific type of school bus, in accordance with relevant federal and state laws and regulations, and (c) to carry nine passengers or fewer and (ii) in accordance with the provisions set forth in the bill, adopt a resolution to utilize alternative transportation providers, coordinators, and management services to supplement traditional school bus service. The bill requires any vehicle provided or obtained pursuant to clause (i) to comply with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations and undergo scheduled and random inspections by the Department of State Police. The bill establishes requirements for the contents of police reports relating to any school transportation-related accident to account for the use of alternative modes of school transportation to supplement traditional school bus service. The bill contains provisions prohibiting any school board from hiring, employing, or entering into any agreement with any person for the purposes of operating any vehicle to transport students unless such person meets certain requirements, including those requirements specific to persons who operate school busses.

Finally, the bill permits any school board of a school division for which providing transportation by school bus is not cost effective to use a portion of its transportation funding to provide a grant to any parent of a student who provides student transportation to and from school and establishes several conditions in relation to such provision, including directing the Board to adopt policies and procedures relating to the award of such grants.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-176, 22.1-176.1, 22.1-177, 22.1-178, and 22.1-186 of the Code of Virginia, relating to school boards; pupil transportation; alternatives; requirements.

24103264D

S.B. 533

Patron: Jordan

Education Excellence for All Program established. Permits the parents of qualified students, defined in the bill, to apply for a one-year, renewable Education Excellence for All Savings Account, defined in the bill, that consists of an amount that is equivalent to a certain percentage of all applicable annual Standards of Quality per pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposes and apportioned to the school division in which the qualified student resides, including the per pupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and any per pupil share of state special education funding for which the qualified student is eligible. The bill permits the parent of the qualified student to use the moneys in such account for certain qualified expenses of the qualified student, including tuition, deposits, fees, and required textbooks at a private elementary school or secondary school that is located in the Commonwealth. The bill also contains provisions relating to program and account administration by the Department of the Treasury and a third party that serves as program administrator pursuant to a contract with the Department.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 13 of Title 22.1 an article numbered 2.1, consisting of sections numbered 22.1-222.1 through 22.1-222.7, relating to Education Excellence for All Program established.

24104800D

S.B. 537

Patron: Bagby

Board of Health; hospital regulations; use of smoke evacuation systems during surgical procedures. Requires the Board of Health to amend its regulations to require that every hospital where surgical procedures are performed adopt a policy requiring the use of a smoke evacuation system for all planned surgical procedures. The bill defines "smoke evacuation system" as smoke evacuation equipment and technologies designed to capture, filter, and remove surgical smoke at the site of origin and to prevent surgical smoke from making ocular contact or contact with a person's respiratory tract.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 32.1-127, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia, relating to Board of Health; hospital regulations; use of smoke evacuation systems during surgical procedures.

24102777D

S.B. 558

Patron: DeSteph


School choice educational savings accounts. Permits the parents of qualified students to apply to the Department of Education for a renewable school choice education savings account, consisting of a monetary amount that is equivalent to a certain percentage of all applicable annual Standards of Quality per pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposes and apportioned to the resident school division in which the qualified student resides, from which the parent of such student may use the funds to make education-related qualifying expenditures, including tuition, deposits, fees, and required textbooks and instructional materials, at (i) a private elementary or secondary school located in the Commonwealth, (ii) certain nonpublic online learning programs, and (iii) institutions of higher education and requires the Department of Education to establish certain policies, procedures, and processes relating to the savings accounts. The bill defines the term "qualified student" to provide for the annual expansion of the students who are eligible to receive savings accounts, from including for the 2024–2025 school year only students who meet a limited set of criteria and gradually expanding to declare eligible for the 2028–2029 school year and each year thereafter any student who (a) is deemed to reside in a school division in the Commonwealth, (b) for whom compulsory attendance is required pursuant to relevant law, (c) is eligible to enroll in a public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth, and (d) is entering kindergarten or was enrolled at and attended a public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth during the two semesters immediately preceding the semester for which the child's parent initially applies for a savings account. The bill contains several provisions relating to the terms and conditions to which the parent of any qualified student is required to agree to receive a savings account, requirements relating to renewal of savings accounts and the management of funds remaining when accounts are closed or become inactive, and the consequences of noncompliance with the terms and conditions. The bill also provides that the Department of Education shall be responsible for the administration of the savings accounts, including (1) making quarterly disbursements in the appropriate amount to each savings account and managing retained savings; (2) developing informational materials for interested parents relating to the savings accounts; and (3) developing policies and procedures relating to the administration and management of the savings accounts, the application process, quarterly reviews and annual audits of each savings account, and addressing incidents of intentional and substantial misrepresentation, fraud, or noncompliance in relation to expenditures from savings accounts.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 13 of Title 22.1 an article numbered 2.1, consisting of sections numbered 22.1-222.1 through 22.1-222.5, relating to school choice educational savings accounts.

24102028D

S.B. 620

Patron: Pillion

Long-term services and support screening; PACE programs. Allows qualified staff of programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) to conduct the required long-term services and supports screening in accordance with requirements established by the Department of Medical Assistance Services. The bill directs the Department to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 32.1-330 of the Code of Virginia, relating to long-term services and support screening; PACE programs.

24100955D

S.B. 629

Patron: Pillion

Civil immunity; dentists and dental hygienists; mental health treatment for health care professionals; reporting requirements. Adds dentists and dental hygienists to the list of providers who are immune from civil liability for any act done or made in performance of his duties while serving as a member of or consultant to an entity that functions primarily to review, evaluate, or make recommendations on a professional program to address issues related to career fatigue and wellness in health care professionals. The bill also extends civil immunity to certain providers for any act done or made in performance of his duties while serving as a member of or consultant to an entity that functions primarily to arrange for or provide outpatient health care for health care professionals. The bill also revises the Board of Medicine reporting requirements when a health care professional is admitted for mental health treatment. Under the bill, if a health care professional is voluntarily admitted to a health care institution for treatment of a substance abuse or psychiatric illness and is no longer believed to be a danger within 30 days then no report will be made to the Board of Medicine.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 8.01-581.16 and 54.1-2400.6 of the Code of Virginia, relating to civil immunity; dentists and dental hygienists; mental health treatment for health care professionals; reporting requirements.

24101385D

S.B. 716

Patron: Carroll Foy


Virginia Contraception and Reproductive Health Care Protection Act. Establishes the Virginia Contraception and Reproductive Health Care Protection Act. The bill provides that no law-enforcement officer acting in the Commonwealth or employed by the Commonwealth or any of its localities or political subdivisions may investigate, arrest, or detain any person, seek the issuance of a warrant, or otherwise assist in or provide support for any investigation regarding either the provision or receipt of reproductive health care services, as defined in the bill, not prohibited under the laws of the Commonwealth or any person's menstrual health data. The bill creates a private right of action for any person who is aggrieved by such unlawful investigation to obtain an injunction or other equitable relief against such law-enforcement officer.

The bill also allows a health care provider to bring an action to recover damages, costs, and attorney fees against the underlying plaintiff in any case in which an action against the health care provider lawfully providing reproductive health care services is dismissed, and such an action was found to be frivolous, vexatious, primarily for the purposes of harassment, or otherwise sanctionable.

Lastly, the bill also prohibits the Board of Medicine from taking disciplinary action against a doctor based on the alleged provision or receipt of abortion care that is not prohibited under the laws of the Commonwealth, regardless of where such abortion care was provided or received. The bill also specifies that grounds for refusal to issue a certificate or license to any applicant or to take disciplinary action for procuring or performing an abortion apply to such action only as it is prohibited by the laws of the Commonwealth. Under current law, such grounds for refusal or disciplinary action apply for procuring or performing a criminal abortion.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 54.1-2915 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 8.01-225.04 and by adding a section numbered 19.2-10.5, relating to the Virginia Contraception and Reproductive Health Care Protection Act.

24104822D

S.J.R. 49

Patron: Mulchi

Recognizing rights of women; affirming biological differences between the sexes for purposes of laws of the Commonwealth. Recognizes the rights of women by affirming that for purposes of the laws of the Commonwealth, a person's sex is defined as his or her biological sex, either male or female, at birth.

Recognizing the rights of women by affirming that for purposes of the laws of the Commonwealth, a person's sex is defined as his or her biological sex, either male or female, at birth.

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