Healthcare

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 325: Fire Programs, Department of; development of mental health awareness training.

Department of Fire Programs; mental health awareness training. Provides that the Department of Fire Programs shall develop a standardized, two-hour virtual asynchronous training program on mental health awareness tailored to firefighters that includes training on each subject matter set forth in current law. The bill provides the option for each fire department to use such standardized training program as guidance in developing its own mental health awareness training for its personnel. This bill is identical to SB 140.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates mental health awareness training for fire personnel, directly supporting mental health services within first responder programs.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Mental Health Tags Public Safety

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1284: State plan for medical assistance; provider-to-provider consultation.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; state plan for medical assistance; provider-to-provider consultation; telemedicine. Specifies that the Medicaid provision for provider-to-provider consultation includes payment for consultations provided through telemedicine services. This bill incorporates HB 87.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAmends state plan to allow patient-initiated consultations, improving access to specialist care without referral barriers, aligning with patient access indicators.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Medicaid Telehealth

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 2, 2026

HB 195: Programs for at-risk students; permissible uses of funding.

Programs for at-risk students; permissible uses of funding. Includes as covered programs that are eligible for funding under the At-Risk Program initiatives to support both the physical and mental health of students in public schools, including the hiring of licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and advanced practice registered nurses. This bill is a recommendation of the School Health Services Committee and is identical to SB 33.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationFunds health programs for at-risk students in public schools, including hiring nurses, directly enhancing educational access and student well-being through targeted support.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareFunds school health programs including mental health services and nurse staffing, directly advancing student healthcare access through public school initiatives.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health Mental Health

in committee · Virginia · Senate Jan 30, 2026

SJ 21: Medical errors; Jt. Com. on Health Care to study options for establishing protected reporting system

Study; Joint Commission on Health Care; reporting system for medical errors; report. Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to study options for establishing a non-punitive, protected reporting system for unintended medical errors in the Commonwealth.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareDirects study of non-punitive medical error reporting system to improve transparency and patient safety, aligning with healthcare protection and patient rights indicators.95% confidence

Track

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 6, 2026

SB 738: Hospitals; emergency department physicians.

Hospitals; psychiatric emergency departments. Allows hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments located in the City of Hampton to operate without a physician on duty when certain conditions are met, including having written agreements in place with emergency medical service providers and being immediately adjacent to a non-psychiatric emergency department. The bill requires such psychiatric emergency departments to submit treatment data to the General Assembly on an annual basis by November 1. This bill is identical to HB 1318.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires psychiatric EDs to transfer non-psychiatric patients and maintain certified providers, improving emergency access and safety for all patients.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals Mental Health

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 14, 2026

HB 145: Fantasy contests; regulation and taxation, civil penalty, repeals Fantasy Contests Act.

Fantasy contests; regulation and taxation. Imposes (i) a 10 percent tax on a fantasy contest operator's fantasy contest revenue, with 2.5 percent of the tax revenue being allocated to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund and the remaining 97.5 percent being allocated to the general fund, and (ii) a 2.6 percent fee on a fantasy contests operator's fantasy contest revenue to be utilized by the Virginia Lottery to cover the costs of administration and regulation of fantasy contests in the Commonwealth. The bill also limits the definition of "fantasy contest" and requires fantasy contest operators to apply to the Virginia Lottery for a permit before offering any fantasy contest in the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to SB 129.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesImposes 10% tax on fantasy operators, allocating 95% to general fund (state budget) and 5% to gambling fund, increasing state revenue and funding public programs.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill allocates 5% of tax revenue to Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund, directly funding mental health services under healthcare topic.80% confidence

Sub-Topics Revenue State Budget

vetoed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 11, 2026

HB 1173: Virginia Human Rights Act; reasonable accommodation for known limitations related to menopause.

Virginia Human Rights Act; menopause or perimenopause; discrimination prohibited; report. Prohibits discrimination under the Virginia Human Rights Act on the basis of menopause or perimenopause for purposes of nondiscrimination in government programs, public accommodation, employment hiring, and reasonable employer accommodation. The bill also directs the Commissioner of Labor and Industry, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, to conduct a study on menopause and perimenopause in the workforce, menopause and perimenopause accommodations in employment environments, and the scope of existing menopause-related and perimenopause-related policies and to develop best practices related to menopause and perimenopause accommodations in employment environments. The bill directs the Commissioners to submit such report to the Governor and General Assembly by July 1, 2028, and to post such report on the Department of Labor and Industry's website. This bill is identical to SB 258.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands workplace accommodations for menopause (a health condition) under Virginia Human Rights Act, protecting employee health rights and mandating workforce study on menopause.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentAmends Virginia Human Rights Act to require reasonable accommodations for menopause-related limitations, expanding existing pregnancy/childbirth protections and strengthening workplace rights for women workers.92% confidence

Track

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 1301: School boards; student diabetes care & management in schools, division wide plan required.

Public elementary and secondary schools; student diabetes medical care and management. Establishes several provisions relating to student diabetes medical care and management in public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth, including requiring divisionwide plans for the care of students who are diagnosed with diabetes in each school division, effective beginning with the 2028–2029 school year. This bill incorporates HB 624 and is identical to SB 122.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill establishes diabetes care protocols in schools, directly supporting student health and safety to enable educational access and participation in K-12 settings.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEnables diabetes management in schools, improving student access to medical care during school hours.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 230: Motor vehicles; use of safety belt systems, certain emergency medical services personnel exempted.

Motor vehicles; use of safety belt systems; certain persons exempt. Exempts from the requirements for the use of safety belt systems emergency medical services personnel while in the patient compartment of an emergency medical services vehicle providing necessary care, as defined in the bill, to a patient. The bill provides that, for seats that are subject to such requirements for the use of safety belt systems, such personnel shall use safety belt systems while the vehicle is in motion and such personnel is not providing necessary care to a patient. The bill also changes the existing exemption for law-enforcement agency personnel driving motor vehicles to enforce laws governing motor vehicle parking to an exemption for law-enforcement officers driving motor vehicles to enforce laws governing motor vehicle parking. This bill incorporates HB 233.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExempts EMS personnel from seat belt requirements while providing care in patient compartment, facilitating emergency medical services delivery and supporting medical professionals' ability to provide care.80% confidence

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 830: Pharmacy benefits managers; requirements, application of law, report, delayed effective date.

Pharmacy benefits managers; requirements; scope; report. Requires all health insurance carriers to use the pass-through pricing model and may limit a pharmacy benefits manager from deriving income from pharmacy benefits management services provided to a carrier except for income derived from a pharmacy benefits management fee. The bill prohibits a pharmacy benefits manager from (i) reversing and or resubmitting the claim of a pharmacist or pharmacy without meeting certain requirements, (ii) reducing any payment to a pharmacist or pharmacy to an effective rate of reimbursement, or (iii) retroactively denying or reducing a claim or aggregate of claims except under certain circumstances. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) to examine the practice of carriers or pharmacy benefits managers requiring or inducing covered individuals to utilize pharmacy services at an affiliated pharmacy. The Commission is required to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2027. Certain provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 669.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRegulates PBMs to prevent hidden fees and require pass-through pricing, improving drug cost transparency and patient access to medications, aligning with healthcare access protections.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Insurance Prescription Drugs