Drug manufacturers; permitting and registration;certain conditions related to 340B-covered drugs. Requires adrug manufacturer, as a condition of obtaining a permit or as a conditionof registration or renewal of registration, to certify that it doesnot limit the number of contract pharmacies or covered entities,as defined in relevant law, to which it ships 340B-covered drugsand that it does not impose requirements, exclusions, reimbursementterms, or other conditions on a contract pharmacy or covered entitythat differ from those applied to pharmacies or entities that arenot contract pharmacies or covered entities on the basis that thepharmacy or entity is a contract pharmacy or covered entity or thatthe pharmacy or entity dispenses 340B-covered drugs.
Sponsored bills
Public school staffing and funding; National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund; eligibility; at-risk program.Renames the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund as the National Board Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund, expands eligibility for incentive grant awards from such Fund pursuant to such Program from solely teachers who have obtained national certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to (i) all public school staff who are candidates for initial national certification or maintenance of national certification to cover certain costs of obtaining or maintaining such certification and (ii) all public school staff who have successfully obtained or maintained such certification. The bill also declares as eligible for an annual incentive grant award in the amount of $7,500 all public school staff who have obtained or maintained such certification. Current law declares as eligible for an annual incentive grant award of $5,000 in the first year and $2,500 in each subsequent year all teachers who have obtained or maintained such certification. The bill also establishes the At-Risk Program for the purpose of supporting programs and services for students who are educationally at risk, including prevention, intervention, or remediation activities required pursuant to relevant law, teacher recruitment programs and initiatives, programs for English language learners, the hiring of additional school counselors and other support staff, and other programs relating to increasing the success of disadvantaged students in completing a high school degree and providing opportunities to encourage further education and training. The bill also contains provisions relating to certain funding requirements for the At-Risk Program. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Education to (a) develop and implement a data collection process related to English language learner expenditures and student English proficiency levels to begin to address the recommendations of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission's 2023 review of Virginia's K-12 Funding Formula and (b) develop, in coordination with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or any other relevant stakeholders, a plan for revised special education staffing requirements that addresses the staffing needs of each special education program in each school division. The bill provides for the inclusion of the provisions of the first enactment in the general appropriation act beginning July 1, 2026. This bill incorporates SB 127, SB 128, SB 187, SB 227, SB 228, and SB 609.
Board for Contractors; required regulations and disclosures. Board for Contractors; required regulations and disclosures. Requires the Board for Contractors to adopt regulations requiring all Class A, B, and C residential contractors, excluding subcontractors to the contracting parties and those who engage in routine maintenance or service contracts, to use legible written contracts that include certain terms and conditions. The bill directs the Board to require a statement of protections be provided by the contractor to the homeowner, consumer, or buyer in transactions involving door-to-door solicitations or any residential rooftop solar installation. The bill requires the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to review by July 1, 2025, its licensing exam for alternative energy system contracting to ensure such exam includes questions related to the physical installation of alternative energy systems on preexisting structures. The bill also requires the Board for Contractors to create a disclosure form to be provided in any transaction involving a residential rooftop solar installation to include specific disclosures regarding the risks associated with residential rooftop solar installation. Finally, the bill requires the State Corporation Commission to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to develop recommendations for any additional consumer protections regarding the sale, lease, or installation of a solar energy facility with a generating capacity of 25 kilowatts or less and report the work group's recommendations to certain committees of the General Assembly by November 30, 2024. The bill is identical to HB 576 and has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.
Virginia Public Procurement Act; preference for products made or manufactured in Virginia and the U.S.; recyclable content; report. Provides preference for a bidder who is a resident of Virginia over a bidder who is a resident of any other state in determining the award for any contract for goods, services, or construction under the Virginia Public Procurement Act. When a bidder is a resident of Virginia and the lowest responsive and responsible bidder is a resident of another state, the Virginia resident shall be given the option to match the price of the nonresident bidder. The bill directs the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to convene a stakeholder work group to recommend revisions to the recyclable materials tax credit and report on the work group's recommendations by November 1, 2024.
Universal certification for certain law-enforcement officers. Provides that any sworn law-enforcement officer with at least one year of experience (i) whose training qualifications meet or exceed current training standards established by the Board of Criminal Justice Services and who is compliance with the minimum qualifications, (ii) who has not had a break in service of more than 24 months, and (iii) is leaving the transferring agency in good standing with no pending investigations or disciplinary actions shall be eligible for employment at any law-enforcement agency within the Commonwealth or its political subdivisions.Prior to any conditional offer of employment, the bill requires the hiring law-enforcement agency to request certain specified information from all prior law-enforcement agencies and to employ all reasonable means to obtain personnel records for law-enforcement officers transferring from an out-of-state or federal law-enforcement agency. The bill requires any out-of-state or federal law-enforcement agency that provides such information or personnel records to include a sworn declaration that the provided information or records are a true, correct, and complete response to such request. The bill provides that no law-enforcement officer shall be eligible for employment until the requested information is received by the hiring law-enforcement agency.
Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; definition of a real estate broker. Adds to the definition of "real estate broker" any individual or business entity who sells or offers to sell, buys or offers to buy, negotiates, or otherwise deals in real estate contracts, including assignable contracts, on two or more occasions in any 12-month period for compensation or valuable consideration. The bill contains technical amendments and is identical to HB 917.
Board of Accountancy; powers and duties. Repeals the requirement for an annual audit of the Board of Accountancy and amends several Code provisions relating to the Board. The bill changes the Secretariat of the Board from the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to the Secretary of Finance. The bill authorizes the Board to initiate complaints against (i) individuals or firms claiming to hold a Virginia license, as defined in the bill, and (ii) unlicensed individuals or firms using the certified public accountant title in Virginia, as defined in the bill. The bill also grants the Executive Director of the Board the power to request and receive reports from the Central Criminal Records Exchange in conjunction with the Executive Director's investigative and enforcement powers. Finally, the bill directs the Board to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. This bill is identical to HB 1337.
Tangible personal property tax; classification; certain vehicles. Extends from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2027, the sunset on authorization for localities to assign a rate of tax or assessment different from the general tangible personal property rate on certain automobiles, trucks, motor vehicles for use by the handicapped, motorcycles, mopeds, all-terrain vehicles, off-road motorcycles, campers, and other recreational vehicles. Under current law, such authorization is limited to taxable years 2022 through 2024.
Board of Housing and Community Development; stakeholder advisory group; report. Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development (the Board) to convene a stakeholder advisory group including fire code officials to evaluate and recommend revisions to the Uniform Statewide Building Code to permit Group R-2 occupancies to be served by a single exit, provided that the building has not more than six stories above grade plane. The bill requires the stakeholder advisory group to submit its findings and recommendations to the Board and to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology no later than December 1, 2024. This bill is identical to HB 368.
Local planning commission; action on proposedplats, site plans, and development plans; residential use. Requireslocal planning commissions to use the same approval process for residential development projects as is currently required for commercialdevelopment projects.