Del. Josh Cole

Alert for missing or endangered children; Virginia Critical Operation for a Disappeared Child Initiative (Codi) Alert Program. Creates a program for local, regional, or statewide notification of a missing or endangered child. The bill defines a missing or endangered child as a child (i) who is 17 years of age or younger or is currently enrolled in a secondary school in the Commonwealth, regardless of age; (ii) whose whereabouts are unknown; and (iii) whose disappearance is under suspicious circumstances or poses a credible threat as determined by law enforcement to the safety and health of the child and under such other circumstances as deemed appropriate by the Virginia State Police. The bill requires the Virginia State Police to develop, in consultation with representatives of local law-enforcement agencies, including representatives from the Virginia Sheriffs' Association and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, policies for the establishment of uniform standards for the creation of Codi Alert Programs throughout the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to SB 201.

High school graduation requirements; satisfaction of certain course credits with workforce credentials; development and maintenance of list of accepted credentials. Requires the Board of Education, in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System, Career and Technical Education directors, and industry partners, to develop and maintain a current, comprehensive, and uniform list of industry-recognized workforce credentials that students may take as a substitute for certain units of credit required for graduation, including such credentials that are accepted as substitutes for electives credits and credentials completed outside of regular school hours. The bill requires each school board to accept as a substitute for a required credit any credential listed as an accepted substitute for such required credit. The bill also requires any College and Career Access Pathways Partnership entered into between a school board and a comprehensive community college to specify, consistent with the list, industry-recognized credentials that are accepted as substitutes for certain credits required for high school graduation. Finally, the bill requires the Board, in establishing graduation requirements, to permit any student to substitute elective credits for completion of any industry-approved workforce credential that is included on the list as an accepted substitute for such credits. This bill incorporates HB 1009 and is identical to SB 199.

Marriage lawful regardless of sex, gender, or race of parties; issuance of marriage license. Provides that no person authorized to issue a marriage license shall deny the issuance of such license to two parties contemplating a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of the parties. The bill also requires that such lawful marriages be recognized in the Commonwealth regardless of the sex, gender, or race of the parties. The bill provides that religious organizations or members of the clergy acting in their religious capacity shall have the right to refuse to perform any marriage. This bill is identical to HB 174.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; Departmentof Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; 1915(c) Home andCommunity-Based Services Medicaid Waivers; state plan amendments;program rule modifications. Directs the Department of MedicalAssistance Services and the Department of Behavioral Health and DevelopmentalServices to seek to modify the program rules for certain 1915(c) Homeand Community-Based Services Medicaid Waivers to eliminate the requirementthat in order for a legally responsible individual to receive reimbursementfor personal care services, no one else be available to provide suchservices to the Medicaid member. This bill incorporates HB 1282.

Criminal justice training academies; curriculum. Provides that an approved criminal justice training academy may utilize an alternative curriculum and lesson plans that meet or exceed the compulsory minimum training standards without seeking a waiver from the Department of Criminal Justice Services. Under current law, the Department is required to develop a uniform curriculum to be used at all criminal justice training academies unless a waiver to the uniform curriculum is granted by the Department.

Virginia Minority Business Commission; report; sunset. Establishes the 13-member Virginia Minority Business Commission in the legislative branch of government for the purpose of promoting the growth and competitiveness of Virginia minority-owned businesses. The bill provides that the Commission sunsets on July 1, 2028.

Sickle cell disease; statewide registry; collectionof sickle cell disease case information; penalties; notification;annual report. Creates a statewide registry of sickle cell diseasepatients to be maintained by the State Health Commissioner. The billestablishes: (i) standards and selection criteria for the collectionof sickle cell disease information; (ii) penalties for unauthorizeduse of data from such registry; and (iii) notice requirements forpatients whose personal identifying information has been submittedto such registry. The bill allows patients diagnosed with sicklecell disease to self-report information to the sickle cell diseaseregistry. Under the bill, a patient has the right to opt out of havinghis information reported to the statewide sickle cell disease registry.The bill also directs the Commissioner to submit an annual reportof the information obtained from the sickle cell disease registryto the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1 of each year.

Electronic communication systems within statecorrectional facilities; free telephone calls and communication services.Requires the Department of Corrections to provide telephone systemsand web-based or electronic communications systems free of chargeto any person, whether such person is initiating or receiving thecommunication. The bill also requires that a minimum ratio of onetelephone per every 10 inmates be available within each housing unitat each correctional facility and that a maximum number of telephonenumbers permitted on an approved call list must be no fewer than20. This bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Board of Counseling; licensure of professionalcounselors without examination. Allows the Board of Counselingto issue a license to practice as a professional counselor withoutexamination to an applicant seeking initial licensure or renewalof such license and who satisfies all other education, experience,and fitness to practice requirements set forth in regulation andwho is qualified to practice professional counseling.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; publicationof information related to home care services. Directs the Departmentof Medical Assistance Services to annually publish on its website the average hourly payment rates for home care services for eachtype of service provided. The bill also requires the Department topublish the total number of Medicaid-paid home care claims and thenumber of Medicaid enrollees who received home care services in theprior year.