Del. Alfonso Lopez

Constitutional amendment (first reference); qualifications of voters; right to vote; persons not entitled to vote. Provides that every person who meets the qualifications of voters set forth in the Constitution of Virginia shall have the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth and that such right shall not be abridged by law, except for persons who have been convicted of a felony and persons who have been adjudicated to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting. A person who has been convicted of a felony shall not be entitled to vote during any period of incarceration for such felony conviction, but upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him, such person shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote. Currently, in order to be qualified to vote a person convicted of a felony must have his civil rights restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority. The amendment also provides that a person adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction as lacking the capacity to understand the act of voting shall not be entitled to vote during this period of incapacity until his capacity has been reestablished as prescribed by law. Currently, the Constitution of Virginia provides that a person who has been adjudicated to be mentally incompetent is not qualified to vote until his competency is reestablished.

Use of restraints on juveniles in court prohibited; exceptions. Prohibits the use of instruments of restraint, as defined in the bill, on a juvenile appearing before the juvenile and domestic relations district court unless, upon motion of the attorney for the Commonwealth or on the court's own motion sua sponte, the court makes a finding that (i) the use of such restraints is necessary (a) to prevent physical harm to such juvenile or another person, (b) because such juvenile has a history of disruptive courtroom behavior that has placed others in potentially harmful situations or presents a substantial threat of serious harm to himself or others as evidenced by recent behavior, or (c) because such juvenile presents a substantial risk of flight from the courtroom and (ii) there are no less restrictive alternatives to such restraints that will prevent flight of or harm to such juvenile or another person, including court personnel or law-enforcement officers. The bill provides that the juvenile shall be entitled to an attorney prior to a hearing on the use of instruments of restraint. The bill also requires the court to provide the juvenile's attorney an opportunity to be heard before the court orders the use of instruments of restraint, and the juvenile's attorney may waive the juvenile's appearance at such hearing. Lastly, the bill requires the court, if such restraints are ordered, to communicate to the parties the basis of the decision either orally or in writing. This bill is identical to SB 1255.

Maddy summaryHJ 659 is a ceremonial resolution commending Mekhi Becton, Sr., for his contributions to the community. It does not create new laws, alter policies, or directly affect any individuals or groups beyond expressing legislative recognition. The resolution passed unanimously in the Senate via voice vote after being introduced and quickly advanced through procedural steps. As a non-binding resolution, it serves only to honor an individual and has no legal or practical impact on governance or public policy.

Health insurance; cost sharing for breast examinations. Prohibits health insurance carriers from imposing cost sharing for diagnostic breast examinations and supplemental breast examinations, as those terms are defined in the bill, under certain insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2026. The bill provides that such examinations include examinations using diagnostic mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, or breast ultrasound. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Health Insurance Reform Commission. This bill incorporates HB 2133 and is identical to SB 1436.

School boards; student access to telehealth services; policies. Directs each school board to consider, for the purpose of increasing access to health care services for students, developing and implementing policies for permitting any public school student in the school division to schedule and participate in telehealth services, including mental health teletherapy services pursuant to a memorandum of understanding with a nationally recognized school-based telehealth provider developed in accordance with applicable law, on school property during regular school hours with parental consent. The bill requires any such policies developed and implemented by a school board to (i) require each public elementary and secondary school to designate a location in the school for student use for such telehealth appointments and implement measures to ensure the safety and privacy of any student participating in a telehealth appointment, (ii) prohibit any student from being subject to any disciplinary measure or consequence for participating in a telehealth appointment during regular school hours if such student would not be subject to any disciplinary measure or consequence for an absence for the purpose of receiving any health care services in person during regular school hours, and (iii) include such other requirements as the school board deems necessary and appropriate. Finally, the bill requires any school board that develops and implements any policies for permitting students to schedule and participate in telehealth services pursuant to the bill to provide and post in a publicly accessible location on its website at the beginning of each school year guidance relating to the implementation of such policies for administrative and instructional personnel. This bill is identical to SB 1037.

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.

Department of Health; coverage for nursery services; certified nurse midwives; licensed certified midwives; pediatric nurse practitioners. Directs the Department of Health to amend its regulations on coverage for nursery services to (i) allow certified nurse midwives, licensed certified midwives, or pediatric nurse practitioners with pediatric privileges and a neonatal resuscitation certification from the American Academy of Pediatrics, including endotracheal intubation training, to be on the 24-hour on-call duty roster for nursery care if a physician is not available and (ii) permit physicians to provide consultation via telehealth when a certified nurse midwife, licensed certified midwife, or pediatric nurse practitioner is providing coverage for the 24-hour on-call duty roster and a physician is incapable of arriving on site within 30 minutes of notification.

Water utilities and wastewater utilities; eligible infrastructure replacement and enhancement; cost recovery. Permits a water or wastewater utility to petition the State Corporation Commission for the approval of an eligible infrastructure replacement and enhancement plan, as defined in the bill. The bill requires that a water or wastewater utility that receives approval for an eligible infrastructure replacement and enhancement rider shall provide a proposed earnings test for informational purposes in each annual informational filing or base rate proceeding filed with the State Corporation Commission before December 1, 2030. The provisions of the bill expire on July 1, 2035. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the State Water Commission. This bill is identical to SB 850.

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."

Board of Education; certain add-on endorsements for mathematics teachers. Requires the Board of Education to (i) develop and approve a geometry add-on endorsement for teachers licensed by the Board of Education to provide instruction in geometry for students in kindergarten through grade eight and (ii) amend its regulations establishing the criteria for earning an Algebra I add-on endorsement to (a) eliminate the requirements that candidates complete coursework in calculus, Euclidian geometry, probability and statistics, and discrete mathematics and (b) permit candidates to receive a passing score on the Praxis Algebra I add-on endorsement exam in lieu of the requirements that candidates complete coursework in elementary functions, introductory college algebra, trigonometry, and linear algebra.