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.
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.
Drug manufacturers; 340B Drug Pricing Program; work group; report. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a work group to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program within the Commonwealth, with emphasis on governance, transparency, and the availability of pharmacy services in rural and underserved areas. The bill requires the work group to submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health and the House Committees on Appropriations and Health and Human Services by November 1, 2026.
Department of Health; reduction of opioid overdose and opioid overdose deaths; report. Directs the Department of Health to develop a strategic plan for opioid overdose response to reduce rates of drug overdose and drug overdose deaths in the Commonwealth and to provide a report on the status of such strategic plan and its implementation to the Governor, the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and Health and Human Services and the Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations, and the Joint Commission on Health Care by November 1, 2026, and annually thereafter. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to HB 794.
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturing Grant Fund. Establishes the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturing Grant Fund to provide grant installment awards between July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2045, in an amount not to exceed $15 million per fiscal year and in an aggregate amount not to exceed $130 million, to a qualified company that (i) engages in the manufacture of pharmaceutical substances, (ii) executes a memorandum of understanding with the Commonwealth, and (iii) is expected to make a capital investment of at least $2,148,793,019 and create and maintain at least 468 new full-time jobs. This bill is identical to HB 800.
Comprehensive crisis system; Marcus alert system; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; comprehensive mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disability crisis services; written plan. Allows the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, in collaboration with the Department of Criminal Justice Services, to amend the written plan created pursuant to relevant law after the publication of such written plan, provided that (i) the stakeholders listed in relevant law are consulted during the development of any new language to be added to such written plan and (ii) a public comment period of no less than 30 days is held prior to the finalization of such written plan. The bill also provides that the written plan shall serve as the operational framework for relevant components of the comprehensive crisis system and the Marcus alert system and that state agencies and local implementing partners shall align their policies, procedures, and operations on an ongoing basis with the requirements and guidance set forth in the written plan, as amended. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Behavioral Health Commission. This bill is identical to HB 453.
Comprehensive crisis system; Marcus alert system; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; comprehensive mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disability crisis services; written plan. Allows the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, in collaboration with the Department of Criminal Justice Services, to amend the written plan created pursuant to relevant law after the publication of such written plan, provided that (i) the stakeholders listed in relevant law are consulted during the development of any new language to be added to such written plan and (ii) a public comment period of no less than 30 days is held prior to the finalization of such written plan. The bill also provides that the written plan shall serve as the operational framework for relevant components of the comprehensive crisis system and the Marcus alert system and that state agencies and local implementing partners shall align their policies, procedures, and operations on an ongoing basis with the requirements and guidance set forth in the written plan, as amended. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Behavioral Health Commission. This bill is identical to SB 513.
Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; duties; Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Advisory Committee; appointment of members. Requires the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to appoint two additional members of the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Advisory Committee: an employee of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services who specializes in recovery and treatment services and a representative from the Virginia State Police Gaming Enforcement Unit.
Medical malpractice information disclosures; report. Requires insurers who issue medical malpractice liability insurance polices covering health care providers in the Commonwealth to disclose, for the preceding calendar year, information regarding (i) premiums; (ii) claims activity; (iii) claim payments and litigation costs; and (iv) insurer financial condition. The bill further requires every hospital or health system licensed in the Commonwealth that maintains self-insurance, captive insurance, risk retention arrangements, or other retained financial risk for medical malpractice liability to disclose information regarding (a) the numbers of physicians and health care providers covered under the malpractice liability program; (b) claims activity; (c) malpractice expenditures; and (d) the total malpractice liability expenditures for the reporting year. The bill further requires such insurers, hospitals, and health care systems to provide a list of verdicts during the reporting year in medical malpractice actions in which the jury verdict exceeded the medical malpractice limitation on recovery. The bill provides that such disclosures and information be submitted to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice and to the ranking Delegate and Senator of the minority party serving on such Committees on or before September 1, 2026, for the 2025 calendar year and on or before March 31 of each year thereafter for the preceding calendar year.
Recovery residences; regulations. Establishes certain requirements for recovery residences and directs the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Board) to promulgate regulations to establish minimum certification standards for recovery residences. The bill also requires that the regulations promulgated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Department) related to the certification of recovery residences include provisions that no recovery residence, or operator, employee, or agent of a recovery residence, may require a resident to participate in medical or psychological services, including clinical substance use treatment, that such recovery residence receives financial benefit from, either directly or indirectly, as a condition of entering or continuing residence at such recovery residence. The bill requires the Department to monitor credentialing agencies providing credentials to recovery residences to ensure criteria related to certification comply with regulations and specifies that no such credentialing agency shall provide credentials to a recovery residence that is owned or operated by an individual who is employed by or in a position of authority at such credentialing agency, or an immediate family member of any such individual. The bill also requires that referrals to recovery residences made by the Department, any agency of the Commonwealth, or by a court may only be made to recovery residences that are certified. This bill is identical to HB 931.
