Health insurance; limit on cost-sharing payments for prescription drugs under certain plans. Requires each carrier that offers a health plan in either the individual or small group market to ensure that at least 50 percent of all health plans offered by the carrier, or at least one health plan if the carrier offers fewer than two health plans, in each rating area and in each of the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels of coverage in the individual and small group market conform with the following: (i) a plan that offers a silver, gold, or platinum level of coverage limits a person's cost-sharing payment for prescription drugs covered under the plan to an amount that does not exceed $100 per 30-day supply of the prescription drug and (ii) a plan that offers a bronze level of coverage limits a person's cost-sharing payment for prescription drugs covered under the plan to an amount that does not exceed $150 per 30-day supply of the prescription drug. The bill provides that such limits apply at any point in the benefit design, including before and after any applicable deductible is reached. The bill requires that any plans offered to meet its requirements are (a) clearly and appropriately named to aid the consumer or plan sponsor in the plan selection process and (b) marketed in the same manner as other plans offered by the health insurance carrier. The provisions of the bill apply with respect to health plans entered into, amended, extended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025.

Uniform Commercial Code; amendments. Makes a number of amendments to the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) as adopted in Virginia. The bill amends the definitions of "money" and "conspicuous" for purposes of the UCC and makes extensive amendments throughout provisions related to UCC Article 9 to accommodate emerging technologies. Such amendments include updating the traditional rules for attachment and perfection to apply to digital assets, such as controllable electronic records, and changes to several definitions, including "chattel paper," which is reconfigured to reflect the concept that chattel paper is a secured party's or lessor's right to payment that is secured by specific goods or owned by a lessee under an agreement that includes specific goods, if evidenced by a tangible or electronic record. Under current law, UCC Article 9 provides that perfection of money is through possession; however, since the definition of "money" is amended by this bill to include intangible assets, the amended provisions related to UCC Article 9 describe perfection by control, requiring the electronic money to either be in a deposit account or evidenced through a controllable electronic record. Further amendments to provisions related to UCC Article 9 include updates to governing law provisions for perfection and priority of security interests in chattel paper and in controllable electronic records, controllable accounts, and controllable payment intangibles. Uniform Commercial Code; amendments. Makes a number of amendments to the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) as adopted in Virginia. The bill amends the definitions of "money" and "conspicuous" for purposes of the UCC and makes extensive amendments throughout provisions related to UCC Article 9 to accommodate emerging technologies. Such amendments include updating the traditional rules for attachment and perfection to apply to digital assets, such as controllable electronic records, and changes to several definitions, including "chattel paper," which is reconfigured to reflect the concept that chattel paper is a secured party's or lessor's right to payment that is secured by specific goods or owned by a lessee under an agreement that includes specific goods, if evidenced by a tangible or electronic record. Under current law, UCC Article 9 provides that perfection of money is through possession; however, since the definition of "money" is amended by this bill to include intangible assets, the amended provisions related to UCC Article 9 describe perfection by control, requiring the electronic money to either be in a deposit account or evidenced through a controllable electronic record. Further amendments to provisions related to UCC Article 9 include updates to governing law provisions for perfection and priority of security interests in chattel paper and in controllable electronic records, controllable accounts, and controllable payment intangibles. The bill includes amendments to provisions governing sales and leases to provide clarification regarding hybrid or bundled transactions and adds definitions for "hybrid transaction" and "hybrid lease." The bill provides the following approach to the application of provisions related to sales or leases in hybrid or bundled transactions: if the goods aspect of the hybrid transaction predominates, then the provisions that relate to sales or leases apply, but if other aspects predominate, then the provisions that relate primarily to the goods but not the transaction as a whole apply. The bill also adds a new title that parallels UCC Article 12, relating to controllable electronic records, as defined in the bill, and explaining the payment rights of a purchaser of an electronic record when such record is transferred. To fall within the scope of these provisions, the bill specifies that an electronic record must be controllable. The bill provides that to transfer the economic value associated with the controllable electronic record, or to receive the benefits associated with the controllable electronic record free of competing property interests, a person must have control of the controllable electronic record, which depends on requirements as described in the bill. The new title that parallels UCC Article 12 also describes qualifying purchasers of controllable electronic records, debtor security interests in relation to the person identified as in control of the controllable electronic record, and how to demonstrate control for purposes of priority and order of payment rights. These new provisions also include choice of law provisions to determine jurisdiction of a controllable electronic record. The bill includes a number of transition provisions to address perfection and priority issues that may arise after the effective date of the bill. Under the transition provisions of the bill, the Commonwealth may provide an adjustment date of one year after the effective date of the bill to allow persons with established perfection or priority to perfect their interests that may otherwise be affected or lost after the adjustment date based on the UCC amendments in the bill. Finally, the bill makes technical amendments throughout the UCC. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Commissioners to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.

Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System; conservation officers. Extends membership in the Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System (VaLORS) to conservation officers of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025, and provides that such membership would apply only to service earned on or after July 1, 2025. The bill contains a reenactment clause. Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System; conservation officers. Extends membership in the Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System (VaLORS) to conservation officers of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025, and provides that such membership would apply only to service earned on or after July 1, 2025. The bill contains a reenactment clause.

Local electoral boards; certification and abstract of results; deadline. Extends the deadline for local electoral boards to meet after an election for the purpose of certifying the election results and submitting the abstract of results to the State Board of Elections from seven days after the date of the election to 10 days after such date.

Cell phone records; missing persons. Provides that a court shall issue an order for disclosure of records or other information pertaining to a subscriber to or customer of a provider of electronic communication service or remote computing service, including a foreign corporation that provides such services, only if the investigative or law-enforcement officer shows that there is reason to believe the records or other information sought are relevant and material to the investigation of any critically missing person, as defined in relevant law. Cell phone records; missing persons. Provides that a court shall issue an order for disclosure of records or other information pertaining to a subscriber to or customer of a provider of electronic communication service or remote computing service, including a foreign corporation that provides such services, only if the investigative or law-enforcement officer shows that there is reason to believe the records or other information sought are relevant and material to the investigation of any critically missing person, as defined in relevant law.

Official emblems and designations; cat; domestic shorthair. Designates the domestic shorthair as the official cat of the Commonwealth.

Unaccompanied homeless youth; consent to surgical or medical care. Provides that except for the purposes of sexual sterilization or abortion, a minor who is 14 years of age or older and who is an unaccompanied homeless youth shall be deemed an adult for the purpose of consenting to surgical or medical examination or treatment, including dental examination and treatment, for himself or his minor child. The bill describes evidence sufficient to determine that a minor is an unaccompanied homeless youth and provides that no health care provider shall be liable for any civil or criminal action for providing surgical or medical treatment to an unaccompanied homeless youth or his minor child without first obtaining the consent of his parent or guardian provided in accordance with the law, with the exception of liability for negligence in the diagnosis or treatment of such unaccompanied homeless youth.

Virginia Education Success Account Program established. Establishes the Virginia Education Success Account Program whereby the parents of qualified students, defined in the bill, who reside in school divisions in which the school board has, by majority vote, affirmed its participation in the program, may apply for a one-year, renewable Virginia Education Success Account that consists of an amount that is equivalent to a certain percentage of all applicable annual Standards of Quality per pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposes and apportioned to the school division in which the qualified student resides, including the per pupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and any per pupil share of state special education funding for which the qualified student is eligible. The bill permits the parent of the qualified student to use the moneys in such account for certain qualified expenses of the qualified student, including tuition, deposits, fees, and required textbooks at a private elementary school or secondary school that is located in the Commonwealth. The bill also contains provisions relating to program and account administration by the Department of the Treasury and a third party that serves as program administrator pursuant to a contract with the Department of the Treasury.

Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; purpose; Board of Directors; powers and duties. Adds managing primary care graduate medical education programs and managing the Health Workforce Innovation Fund to the duties of the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority. The bill adds language noting that the Commonwealth will make an effort to match federal grants for federal Area Health Education Centers. The bill increases from 15 to 19 the membership of the Authority's Board of Directors by adding four additional ex officio members. The bill also specifies additional recipients of the Board's biennial report and authorizes the Authority to seek data and partner with other agencies and institutions to manage health workforce data.

Celebrating the life of Charles Wayne Payne, Sr.

Child care; background checks. Allows applicants for employment and applicants to serve as volunteers to work in certain child day centers, family day homes, and family day systems pending the results of a full background check, provided that (i) the applicant has received qualifying results on a fingerprint-based background check through the Central Criminal Records Exchange or the Federal Bureau of Investigation and (ii) the applicant is supervised at all times by a person who received a qualifying result on a full background check within the past five years. Child care; background checks. Allows applicants for employment and applicants to serve as volunteers to work in certain child day centers, family day homes, and family day systems pending the results of a full background check, provided that (i) the applicant has received qualifying results on a fingerprint-based background check through the Central Criminal Records Exchange or the Federal Bureau of Investigation and (ii) the applicant is supervised at all times by a person who received a qualifying result on a full background check within the past five years.

Department of Labor and Industry; asbestos and lead project permit; usage of licensing fees. Provides that fees collected by the Department of Labor and Industry paid by licensed asbestos and certified lead contractors for obtaining asbestos and lead project permits are to be used by the Department in carrying out its mission under the Virginia Asbestos NESHAP Act.

Zoning; civil penalties; commercial uses. Allows enhanced civil penalties for zoning violations involving nonpermitted commercial uses. The bill also requires that for any violation involving nonpermitted commercial uses, a person who admits liability shall be required to abate or remedy the nonpermitted commercial use violation within a period of time specified by the locality that is no less than 30 days but no more than 24 months from the date of admission of liability.

Board of Nursing; nursing faculty educational requirements. Directs the Board of Nursing to add or remove certain educational requirements for members of the nursing faculty in specified nursing education programs. The bill directs the Board to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.

Virginia State Crime Commission; benefits of violence interrupters; impact of barrier crime statutes; report. Directs the Virginia State Crime Commission, in consultation with stakeholders, to assess (i) the benefits of violence interrupters and (ii) the impact barrier crimes statutes have on the recruitment and retention rates of violence interrupters in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Crime Commission to report its findings and any recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the House Committee for Courts of Justice by November 1, 2024.