Mental health & substance abuse disorders; network adequacy standards, comparative analyses, report.
Summary
Mental health and substance abuse disorders; network adequacy standards; comparative analyses; report; emergency regulations. Directs the Department of Health to issue regulations that include quantitative network adequacy standards for timely access to care, travel time, and geographical distance that are at least as stringent as those imposed for qualified health plans and qualified dental plans. The bill amends the definitions of "mental health services" and "substance abuse services" for the purposes of health insurance coverage.The bill requires health carriers to submit all comparative analyses prepared pursuant to federal law to the Bureau of Insurance on the date and frequency as specified by the Bureau and includes additional information to include in such submission. Under the bill, the Bureau may impose a penalty not to exceed $100,000 for a noncompliant or insufficient comparative analysis or require a carrier to remove, revise, or remedy noncompliant treatment limitations. The bill also amends the contents of the annual report submitted by the Bureau to the General Assembly to cover enforcement efforts with respect to the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.The bill authorizes the Bureau to promulgate regulations as necessary to implement the provisions of the bill and directs the Department of Health to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill directs the Department of Human Resource Management to evaluate the impact of the proposed changes to the provisions of the bill related to health insurance. The provisions of the bill related to health insurance have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 656.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 13, 2026
Signed Apr 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 5 comparisons
What changed between versions
Health and Human Services Substitute
→
Chaptered
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was formally enacted as Chapter 653 of the 2026 Session, converting the House Substitute version into law. The substantive policy text regarding mental health parity, network adequacy standards, and the All-Payer Claims Database remains unchanged, with the primary differences being the addition of official chapter headers, approval dates, and page numbering.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability remain identical to the House Substitute version; no new entities are added or excluded from the requirements.
TECHNICAL
Added official chapter title (Chapter 653), approval date (April 13, 2026), and session headers to formalize the bill as enacted law.
Removed draft metadata including the bill number (SB 524), committee attribution, and patron information.
Adjusted line breaks and spacing to conform to the standard formatting of the Code of Virginia.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 13, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 27, 2026
How they voted
34–0
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 39
Feb 13, 2026
D
Democratic20
95% Yea
R
Republican19
78% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
53
Key actions
15
Committee
12
Apr 13, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 653 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Mar 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB524ER)
upper
Mar 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference report agreed to by House (93-Y 1-N 0-A)
lower
Mar 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Conference report agreed to by Senate (38-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Mar 12, 2026
Legislature · Passed
Conference Report released
legislature
Mar 4, 2026
Committee
House requested conference committee
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House with substitute (92-Y 4-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute (21-Y 0-N 1-A)
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services
lower
Feb 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (13-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate committee offered
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Education and Health with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate subcommittee offered
upper
Jan 27, 2026
Committee
Assigned Education sub: Health
upper
Jan 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Education and Health
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Creigh Deeds
DDemocratic
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