Del. Atoosa Reaser

Department of Health; Department of Social Services; publicly accessible nursing home information portal; publicly accessible assisted living facility information portal; reporting of incidents involving emergency medical services. Directs the Department of Health to establish a nursing home information portal and the Department of Social Services to establish an assisted living facility information portal to consolidate publicly available information on nursing homes and assisted living facilities, respectively. The bill requires operators of nursing homes and assisted living facilities to submit a quarterly report to the Department of Health or the Department of Social Services, respectively, with information on incidents involving emergency medical services.

Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity; work group; one-stop small business permitting program. Directs the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to convene a work group to determine methods of modernizing the existing one-stop small business permitting program.

Public school teachers; teacher compensation; Professionally Licensed Teacher Supplemental Pay Program established. Establishes the Professionally Licensed Teacher Supplemental Pay Program for the purpose of addressing shortages of professionally licensed teachers and reducing reliance on provisionally licensed teachers in public schools in the Commonwealth by providing, with such funds as are appropriated for such purpose, an annual supplemental payment to each professionally licensed teacher, as that term is defined by the bill, employed in any high-vacancy public school in the Commonwealth, defined by the bill as any public school that, based on the most recent data in the positions and exits collection, also defined by the bill, has a teacher vacancy rate that places it in the top 10 percent of public schools with the highest teacher vacancy rates in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Department of Education to administer and oversee the Program and, in doing so, requires it to (i) identify and develop a list, and update such list every four years, of each high-vacancy public school in the Commonwealth; (ii) ensure that, each year, funds are disbursed in a timely manner and in an amount sufficient to provide the supplemental payment to each professionally licensed teacher employed in a high-vacancy public school in each school division; and (iii) annually submit to the Governor and publish on its website a report detailing the effect of the Program on recruitment and retention of professionally licensed teachers and the overall success of the Program in addressing teacher vacancy rates.

Absentee voting in person; voter satellite offices; days and hours of operation. Authorizes the governing body of any county or city establishing voter satellite offices for absentee voting in person to prescribe, by ordinance, the dates and hours of operation for such offices. The bill requires the governing body to provide notice to the general registrar of the county or city at least two weeks prior to the enactment of any such ordinance.

Public schools; right to free public elementary and secondary education; discrimination based on immigration status prohibited; requirements; civil cause of action. Prohibits any child in the Commonwealth from being denied a free public education through secondary school on the basis of the actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status of the child or the child's parents, in accordance with the Constitution of Virginia and consistent with the requirements of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The bill prohibits any school board or public elementary or secondary school from engaging in certain enumerated actions and practices that involve or result in the denial of a free public education, or denial of the benefits or exclusion from participation in any program or activity thereof, of a child on the basis of the actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status of the child or the child's parents. The bill also requires each public elementary and secondary school to develop and implement procedures for reviewing and authorizing requests from law enforcement agents to enter a public school or public school facility. The bill establishes a civil cause of action for any party aggrieved by conduct that violates the provisions of the bill, in accordance with the provisions of the bill. Finally, the bill directs (i) the Department of Education to develop and make available to each school board by August 1, 2026, guidance for school personnel on the requirements of the bill and training guidelines and materials for the training of all public school principals and administrators on compliance with the provisions of the bill, and (ii) each school board to (a) develop and implement by August 1, 2026, policies and procedures in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (b) require each public school principal and administrator to complete training on compliance with the provisions of the bill by the beginning of the 2026–2027 school year. This bill was incorporated into HB 836.

Constitutional amendment (voter referendum); marriage between two adult persons; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition. Provides for a referendum at the November 3, 2026, general election to approve or reject an amendment that requires the equal treatment under the law of a lawful marriage between two adult persons regardless of the sex, gender, or race of such persons. The amendment also repeals the current provision that defines marriage as only a union between one man and one woman. This bill is identical to SB 311.

Constitutional amendment (voter referendum); fundamental right to reproductive freedom. Provides for a referendum at the November 3, 2026, election to approve or reject an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia relating to the right to make one's own decisions related to reproductive health care, including access to abortion. The amendment protects patients and their doctors and nurses from being punished for making such decisions. The amendment allows the state to place restrictions on access to abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy except when the patient's life or physical or mental health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive. This bill is identical to SB 449.

Transportation network companies; minimum compensation; civil penalty. Establishes minimum compensation rates for TNC partners. The bill also prohibits gratuities from passengers from being included in TNC partner compensation calculations, authorizes TNC partners to collect gratuity in cash or electronically, and prohibits transportation network companies from limiting the amount that can be paid as gratuity through such companies' digital platforms. The bill requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to establish a process for reporting violations and to investigate claims. The bill authorizes enforcement by civil action or by civil penalties assessed by the DMV Commissioner.

Department of Education; public school accountability system and performance framework; revisions and amendments required; development of certain guidelines. Directs the Department of Education to (i) revise the public school accountability system adopted pursuant to the Board of Education's regulations and applicable federal law and its School Performance and Support Framework in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (ii) submit to the U.S. Department of Education by September 1, 2026, any amendments to its consolidated state plan required pursuant to federal law as necessary to implement the revisions required pursuant to clause (i). The bill also directs the Department to develop and make available to schools and families by the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year timely explanations for and guidance materials on the computation methodology for the vertical scaled scores and value tables implemented for use as a growth model for student assessments.

Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs; work group; report. Directs the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs to convene a work group every four years to study and develop recommendations for implementing a statewide strategic plan to guide legislation and budget decisions relating to veterans in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the work group to submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly by November 1, 2026, and every four years thereafter.