Sen. David Suetterlein

Celebrating the life of Karen Harrison Jones.

Health professions; universal licensure; requirements. Requires health regulatory boards within the Department of HealthProfessions to recognize licenses or certifications issued by otherUnited States jurisdictions, as defined in the bill, as fulfillmentfor licensure or certification in the Commonwealth if certain conditionsare met. The bill also requires such health regulatory boards torecognize work experience as fulfillment for licensure or certificationin the Commonwealth if certain conditions are met. The bill does not apply to licensure for physicians or dentists.

Public schools; instructional time. Makesseveral changes relating to student instructional time in public elementary and secondary schools, including (i) defining "instructionalhour" for the purpose of minimum annual instructional hour requirements; (ii) establishing several provisions and requirements relating tothe enrollment of part-time students in public elementary and secondaryschools; (iii) requiring the Board of Education to adopt rules forapproving alternative programs for which course credit may be grantedfor the purpose of satisfying high school graduation requirementsto any student who completes such course and masters the course contentby demonstrating at least 80 percent of the competencies requiredby course standards, regardless of time, place, or pace; and (iv)permitting school boards that govern school divisions of innovation to adopt instructional time models that allow students to personalizethe pace of learning and accelerate their learning based on the mastery of course content by demonstrating at least 80 percent ofthe competencies required by course standards, regardless of time,place, or pace.

Board of Medicine; Board of Nursing; jointlicensing of advanced practice registered nurses and licensed certifiedmidwives. Moves the professions of advanced practice registerednurses and licensed certified midwives from being licensed jointlyby the Board of Medicine and the Board of Nursing to being licensedby the Board of Nursing only.

Commending John Ray Grisham, Jr.

Commending the Honorable Dr. Luke E. Torian.

Juvenile detention home, group home, and residentialcare facility commissions; membership. Requires that membersand alternate members of juvenile detention home, group home, orother residential care facility commissions have a background inlaw enforcement or corrections.

Schools boards; pupil transportation; alternatives; requirements. Expands the availability of allowable alternatives to traditional school bus transportation services relating to the transportation of students to and from school or school-related activities. The bill expands the entities with whom and the purposes for which a school board may enter into agreements to provide transportation of pupils to include other school boards and comprehensive community colleges for the purposes of transporting students to and from concurrent or dual enrollment programs, career and technical education programs, joint and regional schools, and college partnership laboratory schools. The bill permits any school board to (i) provide, or contract with a privately operated entity to provide, for the purpose of transporting students to and from schools on a regularly scheduled basis a vehicle designed (a) to carry between 11 and 15 passengers, (b) as a specific type of school bus, in accordance with relevant federal and state laws and regulations, and (c) to carry nine passengers or fewer and (ii) in accordance with the provisions set forth in the bill, adopt a resolution to utilize alternative transportation providers, coordinators, and management services to supplement traditional school bus service. The bill requires any vehicle provided or obtained pursuant to clause (i) to comply with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations and undergo scheduled and random inspections by the Department of State Police. The bill establishes requirements for the contents of police reports relating to any school transportation-related accident to account for the use of alternative modes of school transportation to supplement traditional school bus service. The bill contains provisions prohibiting any school board from hiring, employing, or entering into any agreement with any person for the purposes of operating any vehicle to transport students unless such person meets certain requirements, including those requirements specific to persons who operate school busses.Finally, the bill permits any school board of a school division for which providing transportation by school bus is not cost effective to use a portion of its transportation funding to provide a grant to any parent of a student who provides student transportation to and from school and establishes several conditions in relation to such provision, including directing the Board to adopt policies and procedures relating to the award of such grants.

Virginia taxable income; standard deduction.Removes the sunset on elevated standard deduction amounts for single individuals and married persons that was scheduled to expirefor taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2026.

Commending Sandra Gioia Treadway.