Del. Atoosa Reaser

Hospitals; reports of threats or acts of violence against health care providers. Requires hospitals in the Commonwealth to establish a workplace violence incident reporting system to document, track, and analyze any incident of workplace violence reported. The bill requires each hospital to (i) report the data collected via the reporting system to the chief medical officer and the chief nursing officer of such hospital on, at minimum, a quarterly basis and (ii) send a report to the Department of Health on an annual basis that includes, at a minimum, the number of incidents of workplace violence voluntarily reported by an employee. The bill also requires the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, in collaboration with the Department of Criminal Justice Services, to convene a stakeholder work group for the purpose of making recommendations on the workplace violence system and policies adopted pursuant to the bill. This bill is identical to SB 1260.

State Board of Social Services; regulations; application for and use of foster care benefits. Directs the State Board of Social Services to amend its regulations by January 1, 2026, to (i) require local departments of social services to apply for federal benefits on behalf of children in foster care that they may be eligible for, (ii) prohibit the use of military survivor benefits to pay for the care and support of children in foster care that the Commonwealth is otherwise obligated to pay for, and (iii) require local departments of social services that are representative payees for children in foster care to conserve such military survivor benefits in an appropriate trust instrument or protected account that is exempt from federal asset and resource limits.

Certified nurse midwives; licensed certified midwives; independent practice; organized medical staff. Permits licensed certified midwives who have completed 1,000 hours of practice under a practice agreement to practice without a practice agreement upon receipt of an attestation from the licensed physician or midwife with whom they entered into a practice agreement. The bill also permits certified nurse midwives and licensed certified midwives to enter into practice agreements with certified nurse midwives or licensed certified midwives who are authorized to practice independently. The bill directs the Department of Health to amend its regulations to clarify that an organized medical staff may include other practitioners, including independent practice midwives, in addition to physicians and dentists. This bill is identical to SB 1352.

Commission on Women's Health established; report. Establishes the Commission on Women's Health as a permanent commission in the legislative branch of state government for the purpose of studying and making recommendations on issues related to women's and maternal health. The Commission consists of 15 members, 10 of whom are legislative members and five of whom are nonlegislative citizen members with significant experience or expertise in women's or maternal health policy.

Captain Matthew "Chevy" Chiaverotti Memorial Bridge. Designates the bridge on Interstate 264 over South Rosemont Road in Virginia Beach the "Captain Matthew "Chevy" Chiaverotti Memorial Bridge."

School boards; threat assessment teams and procedures; parental notification of student determined to pose a threat of violence or physical harm to self or others; provision of certain recognition and response materials required. Requires each division superintendent or his designee to provide materials on recognition of and strategies for responding to behavior indicating that a student poses a threat of violence or physical harm to himself or others to the parent or legal guardian of any student who, according to a preliminary determination from a threat assessment team, poses such a threat. The bill specifies that the provision of such materials shall occur either in the initial attempt to immediately notify such student's parent or legal guardian pursuant to applicable law or through a separate communication to such student's parent or legal guardian made as soon as practicable thereafter. The bill (i) requires such materials to be selected in accordance with the criteria and guidelines developed by the Board of Education pursuant to the provisions of the bill; (ii) requires such materials to include information on the requirements set forth in applicable law relating to the safe storage of firearms in the presence of minors; and (iii) permits such materials to include guidance on best practices and strategies for limiting a student's access to lethal means, including firearms and medications.

Constitutional amendment (first reference); marriage between two individuals; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition; affirmative right to marry. Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman as well as the related provisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015). The amendment provides that the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of persons and prohibits the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions from denying the issuance of a marriage license to two parties contemplating a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The Commonwealth and its political subdivisions are required to recognize any lawful marriage between two parties and to treat such marriages equally under the law, regardless of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The amendment provides that religious organizations and clergy acting in their religious capacity have the right to refuse to perform any marriage.

Study; Department of Health Professions; expanding scope of practice for physician assistants; report. Directs the Department of Health Professions to conduct a study on expansion of the scope of practice for physician assistants in the Commonwealth as a means to increase autonomy in the profession. In addition to reviewing the education and training requirements for physician assistants in the Commonwealth and the other states, the study includes an analysis of the costs and benefits to patients of increased autonomy for physician assistants. The Department is directed to submit a report with its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2025.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; terms and conditions of rental agreement; renewal notice. Provides that a landlord who owns more than four rental dwelling units or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four rental dwelling units, whether individually or through a business entity, in the Commonwealth shall be required to provide written notice of nonrenewal to any tenant. This bill is identical to SB 1043.

Trespass with an unmanned aircraft system; contracted defense facility; penalty. Creates a Class 4 felony for any person who knowingly, intentionally, and without authorization causes an unmanned aircraft system to enter the property of and obtains or attempts to obtain any videographic or still image that contains or reveals any controlled technical information located within a contracted defense facility, as those terms are defined in the bill. The bill also provides that the owner or operator of a contracted defense facility and its employees shall be immune from criminal prosecution and civil liability as a result of preventing, stopping, deterring, interrupting, or repelling, or attempting to prevent, stop, deter, interrupt, or repel, an unmanned aircraft system from entering the property of such contracted defense facility or from stopping, interrupting, or repelling, or attempting to stop, interrupt, or repel, an unmanned aircraft system that has entered such property, provided that such action does not result in injury to any person. This bill is identical to SB 757.