Department of Energy; State Corporation Commission;federal funding resources for electric utilities; report. Directsthe Department of Energy, in collaboration with the State CorporationCommission, to estimate and analyze total and discrete federal fundingresources available to electric utilities in the Commonwealth fortransmission, generation, distribution, or grid transformation projects.The bill directs the Department to develop a benchmarking and trackingsystem to encourage the maximum leveraging of federal funding resourcesby electric utilities no later than October 1, 2025. The bill requiresthe Department and the Commission to complete their meetings by November30, 2024, and to submit an executive summary and report of theirfindings to the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.
Nursing homes and certified nursing facilities;professional liability insurance. Specifies that the requiredminimum amount of professional liability coverage for nursing homesand certified nursing facilities is the amount per occurrence. Thebill also requires such coverage to be noneroding, i.e., the coveragelimits are not reduced by legal costs.
Study; JLARC; waiver of tuition and mandatoryfees at certain comprehensive community colleges; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the feasibilityof waiving tuition and mandatory fees for Virginia students who attendMountain Empire Community College, Southwest Virginia Community College,and Virginia Highlands Community College and report its findingsand recommendations to the General Assembly no later than November30, 2024.
Department of Energy; work group on criticalinfrastructure sectors; report. Directs the Director of the Departmentof Energy to convene a work group to evaluate the Commonwealth'scritical infrastructure sectors' usage of fuel for energy and feedstockand impact on jobs, capital investments, and state and local revenue.The bill requires the work group to also assess (i) the impact ofthe Commonwealth's critical infrastructure sectors on natural gasservice or retail natural gas supply choice as provided in relevantlaw and individually metered propane service or non-utility gas servicein accordance with relevant law and (ii) the impact of any publicentity enacting an ordinance, building code, contractual provision,fee, permit, or other requirement that limits, prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting, or prevents critical infrastructure sectorswithin their boundaries from acquiring fuel. The bill requires thework group to complete its evaluation and submit its findings and any recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Laborand Commerce and Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor by November1, 2024.
JLARC; Department of Human Resource Management;Grievance Procedure Manual; report. Directs the Joint LegislativeAudit and Review Commission (JLARC) to conduct a review of the Departmentof Human Resource Management's Grievance Procedure Manual as it relatesto the Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice. The bill requires that JLARC evaluate the effectiveness of such proceduresand report its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of theSenate Committee on General Laws and Technology and the House Committeeon General Laws by November 1, 2024.
Physicians; informed consent; procedure observationby students or trainees for teaching purposes. Requires physiciansto notify patients that students or trainees may observe a procedureand requires physicians to obtain informed consent before such observationmay occur.
Study; JLARC; rate of accidents that causefatalities on roads maintained and managed by the Virginia Departmentof Transportation and localities; report. Directs the Joint LegislativeAudit and Review Commission to study the rate of accidents that causefatalities on roads maintained and managed by the Virginia Departmentof Transportation and roads maintained and managed by localities.
Board of Pharmacy; pharmacy technician profession;work group; report. Requires the Board of Pharmacy to convenea work group of relevant stakeholders to review and make recommendationsrelated to the regulatory framework for the pharmacy technician profession,educational barriers to the pharmacy technician profession, compensationof pharmacy technicians, and the educational requirements of pharmacytechnicians. The bill requires the Board to report its findings andrecommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Healthand Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Healthby November 1, 2024. The bill also requires the Board to promulgateemergency regulations within 280 days of the work group's completion based on the work group's recommendations.
Behavioral health; nursing; work group; report.Directs the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority to convenea work group to identify and propose revisions to current regulationsand policies that hinder the development, retention, and productivityof the health care workforce in behavioral health and nursing.
Public utilities; classification of customers.Requires that a public electric utility or a public utility authorizedto furnish water or water and sewer service include a separate classificationfor data centers when satisfying the existing requirement that anyrate, toll, charge, or schedule of a public utility is only consideredto be just and reasonable by the State Corporation Commission ifthe public utility has demonstrated that such rates, tolls, charges,or schedules contain reasonable classifications of customers.
Constitutional officers; dual office holding;prohibited for deputies and other persons. Provides that thecurrent prohibition on dual office holding that is applicable toconstitutional officers also applies to deputies of such officersand any persons serving in such officer's absence until a specialelection to fill the vacancy is held.
Virginia Minority Business Commission; report;sunset. Establishes the 13-member Virginia Minority Business Commission in the legislative branch of government for the purposeof promoting the growth and competitiveness of Virginia minority-ownedbusinesses. The bill provides that the Commission sunsets on July1, 2026.
