Sen. Kannan Srinivasan

Fees for electronic fund transfers; prohibited. Provides that charging any transaction or processing fee or similar surcharge for the purchase of a good or service through the use of an electronic fund transfer is a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill also prohibits landlords subject to the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act from charging a transaction or processing fee for the payment of a security deposit, rent, or any other amounts payable.

Barrier crimes; adult substance abuse and mental health services; exception. Permits the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, providers of substance abuse or mental health services to adults, and community services boards and behavioral health authorities to hire applicants convicted of certain barrier crimes of misdemeanor assault and battery or involving controlled substances provided that such conviction occurred more than four years prior to the application date for employment. This bill is identical to SB 626.

Compensation of court-appointed counsel. Raises the limitation of fees that court-appointed counsel can receive for representation on various offenses in district and circuit courts. The bill also limits the fees charged for the cost of court-appointed counsel or public defender representation to persons determined to be indigent to an amount no greater than the amount such person would have owed if such fees had been assessed on or before June 30, 2024. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025. This bill is identical to SB 356.

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.

School boards; model memorandum of understanding; partnerships with certain mental health services providers; provision and expansion of virtual mental health services. Directs the Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Department of Medical Assistance Services, to develop, adopt, and distribute to each school board a model memorandum of understanding between a school board and a nationally recognized school-based telehealth provider that sets forth the parameters for the provision of mental health teletherapy by such provider to public school students enrolled in the local school division. Current law only requires the development, adoption, and distribution of a model memorandum of understanding between a school board and a public or private community mental health services provider. The bill also requires each school board to adopt policies and procedures to increase the accessibility of school-based mental health services for students enrolled in each school division who may not have access to mental health services otherwise by providing or expanding virtual mental health resources and establishing or expanding a partnership with (i) a public or private community mental health services provider that offers school-based teletherapy to students or (ii) a nationally recognized school-based telehealth provider that provides mental health teletherapy to students.

Board of Medicine; temporary licensure of physicians licensed in a foreign country. Permits the Board of Medicine to issue a provisional license to a physician licensed in a foreign country for no more than two years, then a subsequent renewable two-year license if the physician practices in a medically underserved area. After two years of practice under the renewable license in a medically underserved area, a physician licensed in a foreign country is eligible to apply for a full, unrestricted license to practice medicine. The bill specifies that eligibility for such licenses is conditional upon an applicant demonstrating certain educational and experiential qualifications to the Board and obtaining employment with a medical care facility that provides an assessment and evaluation program for physicians licensed in a foreign country.

Standards for attorneys appointed to represent parents or guardians; child dependency cases; compensation; multidisciplinary law offices or programs; report. Requires the Judicial Council of Virginia, in conjunction with the Virginia State Bar, beginning July 1, 2026, to adopt standards for the qualification and performance of attorneys appointed to represent a parent or guardian of a child when such child is the subject of a child dependency case, as defined in the bill. The bill also requires the Judicial Council of Virginia, beginning July 1, 2026, to maintain a list of attorneys admitted to practice law in Virginia who are qualified to be appointed to represent indigent parents involved in a child dependency case. Prior to July 1, 2026, counsel must be appointed from the list of attorneys qualified to serve as guardians ad litem. The bill provides that beginning January 1, 2025, court-appointed counsel for a parent, guardian, or other adult in a child dependency case will be compensated in an amount no greater than $330, or in a case for the termination of residual parental rights, $680.The bill authorizes the establishment of up to two multidisciplinary law offices or programs in localities, jurisdictions, or judicial districts that affirm they have met specified criteria for the purpose of representing parents in a child dependency court proceeding or in a child protective services assessment or investigation prior to such proceeding. During any calendar year that such an office or program is in effect for at least six months, the office or program must submit a report on program outcomes, expenses, recommendations, and other pertinent information to the Office of the Children's Ombudsman and the Chairmen of the House Committees for Courts of Justice and on Health and Human Services and Appropriations and the Senate Committees for Courts of Justice and on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations by November 1.

Nurse practitioners; autonomous practice. Lowers from five years to three years the amount of full-time clinical experience required before an advanced practice registered nurse may practice without a practice agreement and permits qualified nurse practitioners to attest that a nurse practitioner may be qualified to practice without a practice agreement. The bill permits advanced practice registered nurses to practice without a practice agreement when a patient care team physician is no longer able to serve if such advanced practice registered nurse provides evidence that he meets the requirements to practice without a practice agreement as established by the bill. Finally, the bill requires the Department of Health Professions to collect data on the implementation of the bill and make such data publicly available on its website.

Local government employee insurance programs. Authorizes any locality to include in its group life, accident, andhealth insurance programs any person to whom coverage could be extendedunder the provision of current law that sets out who may be coveredunder a private group accident and sickness insurance policy.

Child labor offenses; civil penalties. Increasesfrom $10,000 to $25,000 the civil penalty for each violation of childlabor laws that results in the employment of a child who is seriouslyinjured or dies in the course of employment. The bill also increasesfrom $1,000 to $2,500 the maximum civil penalty for each other violationof child labor laws and provides that such civil penalty shall notbe less than $500. The bill directs the Department of Labor and Industry to convene a stakeholder work group to develop education and outreach plans to inform young workers and employers about child labor laws.