Pensions; enhanced retirement benefits for juvenile detention specialists. Requires each political subdivision participating in the Virginia Retirement System and each county or city participating in the Virginia Retirement System to provide retirement benefits comparable to the benefits provided to state police officers to juvenile detention specialists.
C-PACE loans; residential dwellings and condominiums. Removes an exclusion for residential dwellings with fewer than five dwelling units and condominium projects from certain requirements related to a voluntary special assessment lien that secures a loan for the initial acquisition and installation of clean energy, resiliency, or stormwater management improvements.
Affordable housing; City of Richmond. Adds the City of Richmond to the list of localities with authority to provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program.
Health insurance; coverage for diabetes. Requires that each insurer providing coverage for diabetes shall include benefits for FDA-approved insulin, continuous blood glucose monitoring, and regular foot care and eye care exams in addition to equipment, supplies, and self-management training and education. The bill allows for such self-management training and education to be provided either in-person outpatient or through telemedicine. Under the bill, such coverage for self-management training and education shall include up to three outpatient visits upon an individual receiving an initial diagnosis of diabetes and up to two medically necessary visits to a qualified provider upon a significant change in the patient's symptoms or medical condition. The bill also repeals certain provisions of law related to cost-sharing for insulin and provides that the coverage required by the bill shall be exempt from any deductible or cost-sharing payment requirement. The provisions of the bill apply to insurance policies, contracts, and plans issued for delivery, reissued, extended, or amended on and after January 1, 2025.
Firearms instructors and safety programs; National Rifle Association and United States Concealed Carry Association. Removes references to the National Rifle Association (the NRA) and the United States Concealed Carry Association from the Code that allow the organizations to certify ranges and instructors and for courses offered by them to serve as proof of demonstrated competence in firearms safety and training for the purpose of obtaining a concealed handgun permit or receiving training as a minor in the use of pneumatic guns. The bill also repeals authority for special license plates in support of the NRA.
County manager plan of government; powers. Broadens several powers available to counties that have adopted the county manager plan of government by giving such counties the option of following general law rather than the provisions specified in this optional form of county government. The bill also allows for the direct election of the board chairman if approved by referendum, rather than having the board chairman chosen by other members of the county board. Currently, only Arlington County has adopted the county manager plan of government.
Artificial Intelligence Developer Act established; civil penalty. Creates operating standards for developers and deployers, as those terms are defined in the bill, relating to artificial intelligence, including (i) avoiding certain risks, (ii) protecting against discrimination, (iii) providing disclosures, and (iv) conducting impact assessments and provides that the Office of the Attorney General shall enforce the provisions of the bill. The provisions of the bill related to operating standards for deployers have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.
Behavioral health; nursing; work group; report. Directs the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority to convene a work group to identify and propose revisions to current regulations and policies that hinder the development, retention, and productivity of the health care workforce in behavioral health and nursing.
HB 1536 would exempt certain baby products, such as diapers and baby food, from state retail sales tax. This policy change directly affects parents and caregivers who purchase these items, reducing their out-of-pocket costs. The key provision removes the existing sales tax requirement for qualifying baby products listed in the bill. The bill is currently pending in the Finance Committee with no final action taken as of November 2024.
Absentee voting in person; voter satellite offices; establishment on the campus of certain public institutions of higher education. Requires, for any general election, at least one voter satellite office to be established on the campus of any baccalaureate public institution of higher education that has more than 3,000 enrolled students. The bill directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to report each year to the State Board of Elections the number of enrolled students, as defined by the bill, at each baccalaureate public institution of higher education and requires the State Board to use this number to determine which institutions meet the enrollment threshold for requiring an on-campus voter satellite office for the general election held the following year. The governing body of a county or city where a baccalaureate public institution of higher education meeting the enrollment threshold is located, or the general registrar serving such county or city, shall collaborate with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to select a location for the establishment and operation of a voter satellite office on such institution's campus. The location selected shall be within the student activity center on the institution's campus, unless such placement creates an undue burden on the operation of such institution, in which case the location selected shall be centrally located on the institution's campus.
Public education; dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment; high school graduation. Makes several changes relating to graduation from a public high school in the Commonwealth, including (i) eliminating the requirement for a student to complete one virtual course in order to graduate from high school and (ii) specifying that various options and requirements relating to earning career and technical education credentials for the purpose of satisfying high school graduation requirements are required to be high-demand career and technical education credentials. The bill also defines and thereby distinguishes the concepts of dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment in the context of high school students' participation in college-level coursework and requires the agreements for postsecondary attainment between school boards and comprehensive community colleges to specify the credit available for dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment courses.
Permit applications for natural gas pipelines; State Water Control Law. Requires applicants for federal licenses or permits for natural gas transmission pipelines with an inside diameter of at least 24 inches to submit a separate application, erosion and sediment control plan, and stormwater management plan to the Department of Environmental Quality concurrently with a Joint Permit Application. Current law requires such application standards for pipelines with an inside diameter of greater than 36 inches. The provisions of the bill apply to any natural gas transmission pipeline project of at least 24 inches in inside diameter that is subject to a certificate of public convenience and necessity under the federal Natural Gas Act and that has not commenced construction by July 1, 2024, notwithstanding any previous certification previously issued or waived by the Department of Environmental Quality or the State Water Control Board.
