Licensed substance abuse treatment practitioners; licensure by endorsement; licensure without examination. Directs the Board of Counseling to establish a pathway to licensure by endorsement as a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner for applicants who have held certification as a certified substance abuse counselor for at least 10 years without a history of disciplinary action, have completed at least five years of documented supervised experience, hold at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of counseling, and hold a Master Addiction Counselor credential issued by NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. The bill provides that such pathway to licensure by endorsement does not require examination.
Clerks of circuit court; restitution; fees; online payment systems; report. Provides that if a clerk's office allows payment to occur via an already established online payment system for the collection of court fines and fees or costs, it shall offer such payment method for all restitution payments.
Commercial motor vehicle; definition. Expands the definition of a commercial motor vehicle to include vehicles inclusive of a towed vehicle with a gross vehicle weight or a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds. Currently, the definition includes, in relevant part, a towed vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds. The new definition is consistent with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations.
Board of Veterinary Medicine; applications for licensure or renewal; indication of interest to serve as a veterinarian for a public or private animal shelter. Directs the Board of Veterinary Medicine to amend its applications for licensure and renewal of licensure to allow applicants to indicate interest in serving as a veterinarian for public or private animal shelters and to provide disclosure that, if the applicant indicates such interest, the Board shall provide the applicant's name and contact information to the State Veterinarian for inclusion on a list distributed to animal shelters quarterly.
Notaries; prohibition on certain advertising; investigation by Attorney General; civil penalties. Provides that the Attorney General may issue a civil investigative demand whenever he has reasonable cause to believe that any notary public has, in violation of law, (i) offered or provided legal advice on immigration or other legal matters or represented any person in immigration proceedings or (ii) has assumed, used, or advertised the title "notario," "notario publico," or "licenciado," or other term in a language other than English that indicates that such notary is authorized or licensed to practice law. The bill increases the civil penalties for a violation of clause (ii) from up to $500 to up to $2,500 for a first violation and from up to $1,000 to up to $5,000 for a second or subsequent violation. The bill also provides that the Attorney General may seek to enjoin any such violation and may recover restitution, reasonable expenses, and reasonable attorney fees.
Department of Education; use of seclusion and restraint in public schools; certain actions; report. Requires the Department of Education to (i) provide to each local school board a link to or a copy of the Board of Education's Regulations Governing the Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in Virginia and encourage each such board to fully comply with such regulations and (ii) submit to the Chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health no later than October 1, 2026, a report on the current implementation and utilization of such regulations that shall include (a) a detailed summary of the Department's current processes and procedures for enforcing such regulations and (b) a compilation and analysis of data relating to how such regulations are currently being implemented and utilized by public schools in each school division.
Department of Education; culturally responsive and language-appropriate mental health support and services; guidance and policies. Requires, no later than October 1, 2027, the Department of Education to develop, adopt, and provide to each local school board guidance on the adoption of policies governing the provision of culturally responsive and language-appropriate mental health support and services for students in the local school division and permits any school board to develop and adopt policies in the local school division that are consistent with the guidelines adopted and provided by the Department of Education.
Small lot residential zoning districts. Requires any locality with a population of 50,000 or more to adopt, maintain, and apply to land within its boundaries at least one zoning district classification that permits a single-family dwelling on a lot with a minimum lot area not exceeding 3,000 square feet. The bill provides that such zoning district classifications shall not impose minimum lot widths exceeding 30 feet or setback, lot coverage, or density requirements that would preclude construction of eligible dwellings on conforming lots. The bill's provisions do not apply to areas within a historic district.
Net energy metering; standby charge; facility capacity. Increases the minimum capacity from 15 kilowatts to an aggregate nameplate capacity of 20 kilowatts of alternating current for an electrical generating facility for which certain electric utility customers are required to pay a monthly standby charge as part of the net energy metering program.
Commissioner of Health; feasibility of a statewide maternal health safety initiative; work group; reports. Directs the Commissioner of Health to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders, described in the bill, to evaluate the feasibility of a statewide maternal health safety initiative. The bill directs the Commissioner to submit an interim report of the work group by November 1, 2026, and a final report with the work group's recommendations no later than July 1, 2027, to the House Committee on Health and Human Services, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Commission on Women's Health.
Fishing license requirements; exemptions; free fishing days. Increases from three to six days the maximum number of free fishing days, during which a person is allowed to fish without a fishing license, that the Board of Wildlife Resources may designate for inland waters in the Commonwealth and the Commissioner of Marine Resources may designate for saltwater recreational fishing in the Commonwealth.
Owners of sewage treatment works; land application, marketing, or distribution of sewage sludge; perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances; testing requirements. Directs any owner of a sewage treatment works land applying, marketing, or distributing sewage sludge in the Commonwealth, beginning January 1, 2027, to collect representative samples of the sewage sludge intended to be land applied, marketed, or distributed and have such samples analyzed by an accredited laboratory for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The bill mandates certain outcomes for the land application of such sewage sludge depending on the concentration of PFAS in such sewage sludge. The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality to modify all Virginia Pollution Abatement permits for the land application of sewage sludge and Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for sewage treatment works that include sewage sludge prepared for land application, marketing, or distribution as soon as practicable. The bill requires the Department to utilize the PFAS Expert Advisory Committee (PEAC) or convene a work group to study and recommend approaches to reduce the occurrence of PFAS in sewage sludge intended for land application within the Commonwealth. The Department is required to report the recommendations of the PEAC or work group to the Governor and the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by November 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 386.
