Del. Irene Shin

Health insurance; coverage for mental health and substance abuse disorders; generally accepted standards of care. Requires health insurance coverage, as defined in the bill, to provide coverage for mental health and substance use disorder benefits for children, adolescents, and adults and requires such coverage to apply the definitions of "generally accepted standards of mental health or substance use disorder care" and "medically necessary" provided in the bill for any determination of medical necessity, prior authorization, or utilization review under such coverage.

Health insurance; carrier business practices; method of payment for transactions. Requires a health insurance carrier to notify the provider in a provider contract if the carrier, or entity completing a transaction on behalf of the carrier, uses a payment method that imposes a transaction or processing fee or similar charge on the provider and to offer the provider an alternative payment method that does not impose such a fee or similar charge. If the provider elects to accept the alternative payment method and has provided all required information to the carrier to enroll in such alternative method, the bill specifies that the carrier is required to pay the claim using such alternative payment method. This bill is identical to SB 925.

Virginia Values Veterans Program; military spouse eligibility. Provides that the comprehensive program developed by the Department of Veterans Services to reduce unemployment among veterans extends to military spouses.

Malcolm's Law; hospitals; urine drug screening; fentanyl. Requires hospitals with an emergency department, when conducting a urine drug screening, as defined in the bill, to assist in diagnosing a patient's condition, to include testing for fentanyl in such urine drug screening. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Virginia Student Training Employment Pipeline for U.S. Procurement (STEP UP) Program established. Directs the Department of Education to establish the Virginia Student Training Employment Pipeline for U.S. Procurement (STEP UP) Program for the purpose of facilitating opportunities for any student enrolled in the eleventh or twelfth grade at a public high school in the Commonwealth or enrolled at a comprehensive community college or historically black college or university in the Commonwealth who enters into an agreement with an entity located in the relevant local school division or region that has a procurement contract with the federal government whereby such entity agrees to provide assistance to the student to obtain, prior to graduation, any federal security clearance at the public trust or national security level and any other education, training, or credential that is necessary for the student to be prepared for employment with such entity upon graduation in exchange for a commitment from the student to accept and remain in such an employment position for an agreed-upon period of time after graduation.

Animal testing facilities; public notification. Requires any animal testing facility to (i) within 30 days of receiving a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection report, make such inspection report publicly available along with any other relevant USDA final incident reports and relevant documents generated during or as a result of internal or external reviews and (ii) within 30 days of receiving any USDA official warning notice of alleged violation, settlement agreement or stipulation, administrative complaint, decision or order, or any other enforcement record, make such documents publicly available. Current law requires any animal testing facility, within 30 days of receiving an inspection report, to make such inspection report publicly available along with any other relevant USDA incident reports and relevant documents generated from internal reviews. The bill also allows an animal testing facility to redact information contained within such documents in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

Claims; Keshawn Clarence Duffy; compensation for wrongful incarceration. Grants relief in an amount to be appropriated to Keshawn Clarence Duffy, who was wrongly convicted of and subsequently incarcerated for two counts of forcible sodomy.

Homeless youth; fees; certain government documents. Provides that when a homeless youth seeks to receive a certified copy of a vital record, including his birth record, or his DMV-issued learner's permit, driver's license, special identification card, or identification privilege card or permit, no fee shall be assessed.

Certain advanced or accelerated mathematics opportunities; policies and criteria for enrollment; data reporting. Requires each school board to develop and adopt a policy that sets forth the criteria for students in grades five through eight to be eligible to enroll in advanced or accelerated mathematics and requires each such policy to provide for (i) the automatic enrollment of certain students in advanced or accelerated mathematics based on Standards of Learning assessment scores, subject to course offerings and availability and the opportunity for parental opt-out; (ii) multiple additional pathways to student enrollment in advanced or accelerated mathematics; and (iii) an annual parental notification relating to mathematics coursework. The bill also requires each school board to report and the Department of Education to post on its website certain data relating to advanced or accelerated mathematics participation and performance.

Maddy summaryHJ 564 is a non-binding resolution honoring the late Honorable Henry Levander Marsh, III, recognizing his contributions to the state. It does not create new laws or affect any specific group, as it is purely commemorative. The resolution passed unanimously in both the House and Senate and was formally adopted by the legislature. This type of resolution serves to acknowledge an individual's legacy without implementing policy changes.