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 SB 925.
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.
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 SB 1304.
Certain individuals to be deemed licensed as teachers with an endorsement in special education early childhood (birth–age five years). Provides that any individual who has been employed in the Commonwealth as a preschool special education teacher licensed with an endorsement in special education - general curriculum K-12 for at least 15 school years shall be deemed licensed as a teacher with an endorsement in special education early childhood (birth–age five years) upon the recommendation of the division superintendent in the local school division in which such individual is employed to the Department of Education that such teacher is well-qualified to continue to teach preschool special education in such school division. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Local department of social services; children in foster care; federal benefits; notice of eligibility. Provides that, if the local department of social services serves as representative payee for a child receiving certain federal benefits, specified in the bill, the local department of social services shall provide written notice, in person or by certified mail, that it is acting as the child's representative payee within 30 days after receiving the first benefit payment on behalf of the child to (i) the child, if the child is 12 years of age or older; (ii) the child's parent, prior guardian, or prior custodian, or, if there is no legal parent or prior guardian or custodian, the child's next of kin; (iii) the guardian ad litem, if applicable; and (iv) the counsel appointed for the child, if applicable.
Enterprise zone grant program; work group; report. Changes provisions related to enterprise zone real property investment grants by (i) creating an elevated grant tier on and after July 1, 2025, for major qualified zone investors, defined in the bill, and capping grants for such major qualified zone investors at $300,000 within any five-year period for any individual building or facility and (ii) including child day centers in the definition of qualified real property investments for purposes of enterprise zone real property investment grants. The bill directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to collaborate with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority to convene a work group to review the utilization of currently designated enterprise zones, make recommendations on renewals or termination of such zones, and report its findings by November 1, 2025. The bill contains technical amendments.
Department of Housing and Community Development; broadband access services for mobile health clinics. Requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to, as part of its broader initiative to support the development and implementation of programs that support telehealth, include broadband access services for mobile health clinics as a priority for broadband nondeployment programs using federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program funding to the extent approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care.
Commissioner of Social Services; appeal of provisional licenses. Requires that corrective action of an applicant for provisional licensure, acceptable to the Commissioner of Social Services and on a schedule determined by the Commissioner, shall be required prior to any appeal of the provisional license issued to an assisted living facility or adult day center. This bill is identical to SB 937.
Claims; Marvin Leon Grimm, Jr.; compensation for wrongful incarceration. Grants relief in an amount to be appropriated to Marvin Leon Grimm, Jr., who was wrongly convicted in 1976 of murder, sodomy by force, and abduction with the intent to defile and, as a result of such wrongful conviction, was subjected to 45 years of imprisonment and when released on parole was required to register on the sex offender registry for an additional four years before receiving a writ of actual innocence in 2024.
Inhaling drugs or other noxious chemical substances or causing, etc., others to do so; distribution of nitrous oxide to persons under 18 prohibited; penalties. Prohibits the sale or distribution of a device that is designed or intended to deliver a gas containing nitrous oxide to persons under 18 years of age with exceptions as defined in the bill. Any person who fails to make diligent inquiry as to whether the person trying to obtain such a device is 18 years of age or older or sells, distributes, or attempts to sell or distribute such a device to a person under 18 years of age is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill also adds nitrous oxide to the list of noxious chemical substances for which it is unlawful to deliberately smell or inhale with the intent to become intoxicated, inebriated, excited, or stupefied or to dull the brain or nervous system, or to deliberately cause another person to do so. This bill is identical to HB 2308.
State Air Pollution Control Board; permit exemptions; poultry or swine incinerators; bovine incinerators; emergency. Directs the State Air Pollution Control Board to amend its regulations relating to permit exemptions for poultry or swine incinerators to include bovine incinerators. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Virginia Housing Development Authority; technical advisory group; report. Directs the Virginia Housing Development Authority to convene a technical advisory group to (i) evaluate the prevalence of deed fraud, including notary fraud, seller impersonation, owner impersonation, and fraudulent lien filing; (ii) develop recommendations for the prevention of deed fraud; and (iii) develop measures to enhance protections for property owners from such crimes. The bill also requires the technical advisory group to give consideration to certain policy proposals stated in the bill. The bill requires the technical advisory group to submit its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology no later than November 1, 2025. This bill is identical to HB 2396.
