Involuntary temporary detention orders; definition of "psychiatric emergency department." Amends the definition of "psychiatric emergency department" as it relates to involuntary temporary detention orders to remove the requirement that a psychiatric emergency department be located adjacent to a facility licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and to add requirements that a psychiatric emergency department (i) be licensed by either the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or the Department of Health and (ii) provide that at least one physician who is primarily responsible for the emergency department be on duty and physically present at all times that the hospital is operating as  an emergency service. This bill applies to hospitals with a psychiatric emergency department located in the City of Hampton for the purpose of employing certain trained individuals to perform evaluations to determine whether a person meets the criteria for temporary detention for behavioral health treatment and has an expiration date of July 1, 2026, and is identical to SB 1094.

Compounded drugs; exceptions for distribution within health systems under common ownership. Allows for the distribution of compounded drugs within health systems under common ownership when such drugs will be administered only to patients within the hospital or health system. This bill is identical to SB 1366.

License to teach dentistry; foreign dental program graduates; repeal sunset. Repeals the July 1, 2025, sunset on the current provision of law allowing the Board of Dentistry to grant, without examination, a faculty license to teach dentistry in an accredited dental program to a graduate of a dental school or college or the dental department of an institution of higher education in a foreign country who has been granted a certification letter from the dean or program director of an accredited dental program confirming that the applicant has clinical competency and clinical experience that meet the credentialing standards of the dental school with which the applicant is to be affiliated. This bill is identical to SB 1360.

Voter registration; time period for closing registration records before elections; five days. Provides that registration records be closed during the five days before any election. Under current law registration records are close during the 21 days before a primary or general election and, if the registration records have not been closed previously for a primary or general election, during the six days before a special election called by the Governor, Speaker of the House of Delegates, or President pro tempore of the Senate, or pursuant to rule or resolution of either house of the General Assembly and during the 13 days before any other special election.

Motor vehicle sales and use tax; abandoned vehicles not sold at auction. Clarifies the basis by which the motor vehicle sales and use tax is calculated in cases where a person is applying for a title to an abandoned motor vehicle that is in their possession and did not sell at auction.

Medical malpractice; limitation on recovery; certain actions. Eliminates the cap on the recovery in actions against health care providers for medical malpractice where the act or acts of malpractice occurred on or after July 1, 2025, and occurred against a patient age 10 or younger.

Charter; Town of Richlands. Amends the charter for the Town of Richlands in Tazewell County by requiring that proposed ordinances be presented, rather than read, at two regular meetings prior to adoption. The bill also requires the town manager to reside within the town within a contractually stated grace period, rather than during the tenure of office. This bill is identical to HB 2199.

Campaign finance; appeal of penalties. Provides for an appeal process for any person or committee assessed a civil penalty under the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006. Upon petition, the State Board of Elections may provide relief to the petitioner for good cause shown. Such relief may include forgiveness of all or a portion of an assessed civil penalty, the retroactive extension of a deadline, or other appropriate remedy. For each appeal that it hears, the State Board shall publish a written opinion, which shall include the facts put before the State Board, the State Board's decision, and the State Board's rationale for reaching such decision.

Office of the State Inspector General; behavioral health and developmental services; required reports. Adds the Behavioral Health Commission to the list of entities to whom the Office of the State Inspector General is required to report on certain issues related to behavioral health and developmental services. This bill is identical to HB 1578.

Medical malpractice; certification of expert witness; written opinion. Provides that at the time of service of process of every complaint, counter claim, third party claim, or warrant in debt in a medical malpractice action or every complaint, counter claim, or third party claim in an action for wrongful death against a health care provider, the plaintiff shall be deemed to have obtained a written opinion signed by an expert witness stating that the defendant in the action deviated from the applicable standard of care and the deviation was a proximate cause of the injuries claimed. The bill provides that a plaintiff may have separate certifications for standard of care and causation. The bill also requires a plaintiff to certify to the defendant upon whom service of process has been requested to certify within 21 days of the defendant's answer being filed that such plaintiff obtained the necessary expert opinion at the time service was requested or affirming that such plaintiff did not need to obtain a certifying expert witness opinion in accordance with relevant law.

Charitable gaming; remuneration for bingo callers and bingo managers. Provides that, with certain exceptions, remuneration of up to $200 per session may paid to bingo managers or callers who have a current registration certificate issued by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or who are exempt from such registration requirement. Current law permits such remuneration to be paid so long as it does not exceed $100 per session. The bill requires an exception for such remuneration to be paid at a rate not less than one and one-half times the normal remuneration rate when bingo managers or callers provide services on any day designated as a legal holiday. Lastly, the bill provides that by October 1, 2029, and annually thereafter, the Department shall adjust the maximum remuneration rate of $200 to reflect the rate of inflation from the previous date that such rate was established, as measured by the Consumer Price Index or other method of measuring the rate of inflation that the Department determines is reliable and generally accepted.

School boards; student access to telehealth services; policies. Directs each school board to consider, for the purpose of increasing access to health care services for students, developing and implementing policies for permitting any public school student in the school division to schedule and participate in telehealth services, including mental health teletherapy services pursuant to a memorandum of understanding with a nationally recognized school-based telehealth provider developed in accordance with applicable law, on school property during regular school hours with parental consent. The bill requires any such policies developed and implemented by a school board to (i) require each public elementary and secondary school to designate a location in the school for student use for such telehealth appointments and implement measures to ensure the safety and privacy of any student participating in a telehealth appointment, (ii) prohibit any student from being subject to any disciplinary measure or consequence for participating in a telehealth appointment during regular school hours if such student would not be subject to any disciplinary measure or consequence for an absence for the purpose of receiving any health care services in person during regular school hours, and (iii) include such other requirements as the school board deems necessary and appropriate. Finally, the bill requires any school board that develops and implements any policies for permitting students to schedule and participate in telehealth services pursuant to the bill to provide and post in a publicly accessible location on its website at the beginning of each school year guidance relating to the implementation of such policies for administrative and instructional personnel. This bill is identical to SB 1037.

Board of Education; teacher licensure; career and technical education; alternative pathway to provisional licensure. Requires the Board of Education (the Board) to issue a provisional license to any person seeking an initial license in the Commonwealth with an endorsement in the area of career and technical education who has a high school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate and an industry-recognized credential, certification, or license in the area in which such person seeks an endorsement but has not completed all requirements specified in the Board's regulations for licensure to allow time for such person to complete, in lieu of the outstanding requirements specified in the Board's regulations for licensure, coursework in three areas specified in the bill. The bill directs the Board to amend its regulations as necessary in accordance with the provisions of the bill. This bill is identical to HB 2018.

Civil actions; liability of employer for personal injury or death by wrongful act. Provides that in an action for personal injury or death by wrongful act brought by a vulnerable victim, defined in the bill, against an employee, a finding that the employee's employer is vicariously liable for such employee's conduct shall be based on several factors, including the likelihood of the employee coming into contact with such vulnerable victim and the employer's failure to exercise reasonable care over the employee.

Behavioral health services; exchange of medical and mental health information and records; correctional facilities. Permits the Department of Medical Assistance Services, the Department of Social Services, and any local department of social services to access medical and mental health information and records for persons committed to any correctional facility for the purposes of providing pre-release services, reentry planning, and post-incarceration placement and services. The bill also authorizes the Department of Medical Assistance Services to access a juvenile's social, medical, psychiatric, and psychological reports and records during pre-release and up to 30 days following such juvenile's release from commitment for the purposes of providing pre-release services, reentry planning, and post-incarceration placement and services. This bill is identical to HB 2754.