State Board for Community Colleges; powers; Laurel Ridge Community College; acquisition and improvement of certain property; authorization. Authorizes the State Board of Community Colleges to acquire, by purchase, certain real property and improvements located adjacent to the Laurel Ridge Community College Campus and to execute and deliver such deeds, agreements, plats, and other instruments as necessary to carry out such acquisition in accordance with the provisions of the bill.
State Corporation Commission; reliable electricity provision. Provides that it shall be the primary duty of the State Corporation Commission, with respect to electric utility regulation, to ensure that all customers of electric power utilities and cooperatives throughout the Commonwealth are provided reliable electricity at rates that the Commission deems to be low, just, and reasonable.
Health insurance; reimbursement rates. Requires health insurance carriers to reimburse in-network providers for covered mental health services and outpatient treatment at rates negotiated between the health carrier and the in-network provider, provided that such rates are no less than 100 percent of the applicable reimbursement rate under Medicare for the same provider and service.
App Store Accountability Act; civil penalties; civil action. Requires an app store provider, defined in the bill, to verify the age category of an account holder, obtain verifiable parental consent for a minor account holder, and share such age category and consent information with the developer of an app, defined in the bill. The bill requires a developer to verify the age category of an account holder with a developer's app and notify app store providers of any significant change to a developer's app. The bill also requires a developer to provide a parental consent disclosure for each of its apps to each app store provider that makes the developer's app available on its app store, and such provider shall provide such disclosure on its app store. The bill allows the Attorney General and any minor or parent of a minor who suffers harm by reason of a violation of this bill to initiate an action. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.
State-owned bottomlands; localities; property interest. Provides that any city or county that is party to an executed project partnership agreement with the Department of the Army for a flood or storm risk management program, damage reduction project, or similar program specifically authorized by the United States Congress shall be deemed to hold a legal property interest in the use of state-owned waters, bottoms, or subsurface soils sufficient to qualify for any easements necessary for the construction or completion of the project or program.
Health professionals; mandatory suicide training required. Requires health care professionals to complete training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management. The bill requires counselors, licensed substance abuse treatment practitioners, marriage and family therapists, behavioral health technicians, qualified mental health professionals, occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers to complete such training at least once every six years and requires other health professionals to complete such training once. The bill requires the Commissioner of Health and the Department of Health Professions to develop a model list of training programs in suicide assessment, treatment, and management and update such list at least once every two years.
Adult protective services; adult abuse, neglect and exploitation central registry. Creates a central registry of substantiated complaints of adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation to be maintained by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services. The bill establishes (i) investigation requirements for local departments of social services related to reports of adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (ii) record retention and disclosure requirements for the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services and local departments of social services; (iii) notice requirements related to findings by local departments and central registry entries; and (iv) an appeals process to contest the findings of a local department related to substantiated reports of adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation. The bill directs the Commissioner for Aging and Rehabilitative Services to adopt regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and exempts the Commissioner's initial adoption of such regulations from the provisions of the Administrative Process Act. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2028.
A BILL to amend and reenact § 54.1-2957 of the Code of Virginia, relating to clinical nurse specialists; practice agreements; consultation requirements.
Liquid nicotine and nicotine vapor products; certification. Changes the date from December 31, 2025, to July 1, 2027, by which every manufacturer of liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor products that are sold for retail sale in the Commonwealth must certify to the Attorney General that the manufacturer has met certain statutory requirements.
Board of Physical Therapy; licensed massage therapists. Moves oversight and licensure of licensed massage therapists from the Board of Nursing to the Board of Physical Therapy. Directs the Board of Nursing to transfer all records related to licensed massage therapists to the Board of Physical Therapy upon enactment and directs the Board of Physical Therapy to promulgate regulations as necessary to implement the provisions of the act.
Virginia National Guard TRICARE Reimbursement Fund established. Establishes the Virginia National Guard TRICARE Reimbursement Fund for the purpose of reimbursing the costs of federal TRICARE dental insurance plan premiums and TRICARE Reserve Select health insurance plan premiums for Virginia National Guard members deemed eligible by the Adjutant General.
Long-term care insurance; premium rate increases; regulations. Requires regulations promulgated by the State Corporation Commission for long-term care insurance rates to (i) provide a cap on premium rate schedule increases; (ii) require any capped premium rate schedule increase to be spread by the insurer over a period of not less than five years, during which time no further rate schedule increases may be requested; and (iii) prohibit additional premium rate schedule increases after prior cumulative rate schedule increases amount to 250 percent of the original premium. Under the bill, no additional rate increases shall be approved for a long-term care insurance policy that has already reached or surpassed the limit of 250 percent of its original premium. The bill directs the Commission to adopt regulations to implement the provisions of this act, including by establishing a regulatory cap on premium rate schedule increase for long-term care insurance policies that is no more than 30 percent of the maximum amount of premium rate schedule increase permitted under current regulations, as calculated on the request date of the premium rate increase.
