Public school staffing ratios; school counselors. Decreases from one to 325 to one to 250 the ratio of full-time equivalent school counselors required to be employed by each local school board per student enrolled in the local school division.
Elections; absentee voting; counting ballots prior to the close of polls. Allows officers of election at a central absentee precinct to begin ascertaining and recording the number of votes cast by absentee ballots at any time after noon on the day of the election. Under current law, absentee ballots that are counted by hand may be tallied, but not counted, at any time after noon on the day of the election, and no ballot totals for any absentee ballots shall be ascertained until after polls close. The bill also clarifies that vote totals for absentee ballots cast in person on voting systems cannot be determined until the day of the election. The bill also requires that general registrars begin processing absentee ballots on the fourteenth day prior to the day of the election. Under current law such processing is not required until the seventh day prior to the day of the election.
Division of Early Childhood Care and Education; Department of Education; comprehensive review of certain findings and recommendations relating to the quality of early childhood care and education in the Commonwealth; report. Requires the Division of Early Childhood Care and Education of the Department of Education, in consultation with the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation and such other stakeholders as it deems appropriate, to (i) conduct a comprehensive review of the findings and recommendations contained in the 2017 report of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, Improving Virginia's Early Childhood Development Programs, to determine what barriers, gaps, and deficiencies continue to exist in the provision of high-quality early childhood education and care in the Commonwealth, with a particular focus on gaps and deficiencies in the ongoing monitoring of Virginia Preschool Initiative program quality, including the collection and analysis of data relating to outcomes and kindergarten readiness, and (ii) report its findings and any associated policy recommendations to the Board of Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2024.
Pensions; enhanced retirement benefits for juvenile detention specialists. Requires each political subdivision participating in the Virginia Retirement System and each county or city participating in the Virginia Retirement System to provide retirement benefits comparable to the benefits provided to state police officers to juvenile detention specialists.
C-PACE loans; residential dwellings and condominiums. Removes an exclusion for residential dwellings with fewer than five dwelling units and condominium projects from certain requirements related to a voluntary special assessment lien that secures a loan for the initial acquisition and installation of clean energy, resiliency, or stormwater management improvements.
Affordable housing; City of Richmond. Adds the City of Richmond to the list of localities with authority to provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program.
Health insurance; coverage for diabetes. Requires that each insurer providing coverage for diabetes shall include benefits for FDA-approved insulin, continuous blood glucose monitoring, and regular foot care and eye care exams in addition to equipment, supplies, and self-management training and education. The bill allows for such self-management training and education to be provided either in-person outpatient or through telemedicine. Under the bill, such coverage for self-management training and education shall include up to three outpatient visits upon an individual receiving an initial diagnosis of diabetes and up to two medically necessary visits to a qualified provider upon a significant change in the patient's symptoms or medical condition. The bill also repeals certain provisions of law related to cost-sharing for insulin and provides that the coverage required by the bill shall be exempt from any deductible or cost-sharing payment requirement. The provisions of the bill apply to insurance policies, contracts, and plans issued for delivery, reissued, extended, or amended on and after January 1, 2025.
Firearms instructors and safety programs; National Rifle Association and United States Concealed Carry Association. Removes references to the National Rifle Association (the NRA) and the United States Concealed Carry Association from the Code that allow the organizations to certify ranges and instructors and for courses offered by them to serve as proof of demonstrated competence in firearms safety and training for the purpose of obtaining a concealed handgun permit or receiving training as a minor in the use of pneumatic guns. The bill also repeals authority for special license plates in support of the NRA.
County manager plan of government; powers. Broadens several powers available to counties that have adopted the county manager plan of government by giving such counties the option of following general law rather than the provisions specified in this optional form of county government. The bill also allows for the direct election of the board chairman if approved by referendum, rather than having the board chairman chosen by other members of the county board. Currently, only Arlington County has adopted the county manager plan of government.
Artificial Intelligence Developer Act established; civil penalty. Creates operating standards for developers and deployers, as those terms are defined in the bill, relating to artificial intelligence, including (i) avoiding certain risks, (ii) protecting against discrimination, (iii) providing disclosures, and (iv) conducting impact assessments and provides that the Office of the Attorney General shall enforce the provisions of the bill. The provisions of the bill related to operating standards for deployers have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.
Behavioral health; nursing; work group; report. Directs the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority to convene a work group to identify and propose revisions to current regulations and policies that hinder the development, retention, and productivity of the health care workforce in behavioral health and nursing.
HB 1536 would exempt certain baby products, such as diapers and baby food, from state retail sales tax. This policy change directly affects parents and caregivers who purchase these items, reducing their out-of-pocket costs. The key provision removes the existing sales tax requirement for qualifying baby products listed in the bill. The bill is currently pending in the Finance Committee with no final action taken as of November 2024.
