Grandparent; petition for visitation. Provides that in any case or proceeding in which a grandparent has petitioned the court for visitation with a minor grandchild, the court may consider whether (i) the marriage of the parents of such child has been dissolved, (ii) a parent of the child has abandoned such child, (iii) the child was born while the parents were not married, or (iv) a parent of the child has prevented the grandparent from visitation at any hearing in such a case or proceeding held to determine the best interest of the child.

Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact. Enters the Commonwealth into the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, the purpose of which is to facilitate the mobility of teachers across the member states, with the goal of supporting teachers through a new pathway to licensure. The Compact is presently in effect, as it has reached the enactment threshold of 10 state members.

Board of Education; procedure for adjusting grievances; definition of "classified instructional support staff." Requires the Board of Education, for the purpose of its regulations that establish the procedure for adjusting grievances, to define "classified instructional support staff" to mean any nonlicensed teacher, both nonexempt and exempt, who is employed in a local school division and involved in classroom instruction and any other full-time or part-time employee who works more than 90 days total in a 200-day school year and to include teaching assistants, long-term substitutes, site-based substitutes, temporary teachers, and other nonlicensed instructors who substitute in the place of licensed teachers.

Income tax subtraction; state police retirement benefits. Establishes an income tax subtraction for up to $10,000 of state police retirement benefits in taxable year 2024 and each year thereafter. The bill defines state police retirement benefits to include retirement income received by a Virginia State Police officer who is at least 55 years of age and benefits paid to the surviving spouse of such officer whose death occurred in the line of duty.

Definition of public aircraft; sunset. Extends from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2030, the sunset of changes made to the definition of "public aircraft" by the 2018 Session of the General Assembly. The sunset was previously extended from September 1, 2023, to July 1, 2025, by the 2022 Session of the General Assembly.

Contracts assigning rights to earned wages; legal rate of interest. Provides that any contract entered into on or after July 1, 2025, pursuant to which a person receives a cash advance for assigning to a company or other entity a portion of such person's rights to receive earned wages, salary, commissions, or other compensation for services shall be considered a loan and that any additional funds such person is obligated to pay under the terms of the contract shall be considered interest. The bill provides that such contract shall be subject to the legal rate of interest.

Protective orders; military protective orders. Permits a court to find good cause to issue a preliminary protective order when a petitioner has a Military Protective Order. The bill directs a law-enforcement officer to notify the agency that entered the Military Protective Order into the National Crime Information Center Systems that the law-enforcement officer has probable cause to believe the person violated the Military Protective Order if such person violated provisions of a state-issued protective order.

Department of Social Services; applications for public assistance; immigration status inquiry. Requires the director of a local department of social services or the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services, whichever is applicable, to inquire as to the immigration status of all persons applying for public assistance benefits administered by the Department of Social Services.

School safety; employment of school security officers; criteria. Modifies the criteria that an individual employed as a school security officer, as defined by applicable law, must satisfy in order to carry a firearm in the performance of his duties by eliminating the requirement that within 10 years immediately prior to being hired, he was either an active law-enforcement officer, as defined by applicable law, in the Commonwealth or was employed by a law-enforcement agency of the United States or any state or political subdivision thereof. The bill instead requires any such individual to be age 75 or younger at the time he is hired to be a school security officer, in addition to the other requirements set forth in applicable law, in order to carry a firearm in the performance of his duties.

Health Care Regulatory Sandbox Program established. Requires the Department of Health to establish the Health Care Regulatory Sandbox Program to enable a person to obtain limited access to the market in the Commonwealth to temporarily test an innovative health care product or service on a limited basis without otherwise being licensed or authorized to act under the laws of the Commonwealth. Under the Program, an applicant requests the waiver of certain laws, regulations, or other requirements for a 24-month testing period, with an option to request an additional six-month testing period. The bill provides application requirements, consumer protections, procedures for exiting the Program or requesting an extension, and recordkeeping and reporting requirements. The bill requires the Department of Health to provide an annual report to the Chairs of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health that provides information regarding each Program participant and recommendations regarding the effectiveness of the Program. The bill directs the Board of Health to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and has an expiration date of July 1, 2030.

Budget Bill. Amends items of and adds items to Chapter 2 of the Acts of Assembly of 2024, Special Session I.

Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System; emergency dispatchers. Extends membership in the Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System (VaLORS) to emergency dispatchers who are employed by the Department of State Police, Capitol Police, and agencies whose law-enforcement officers are eligible for membership in VaLORS. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026, and provides that such membership applies only to service earned on or after July 1, 2026.

Public elementary and secondary schools; cardiac emergency response plans required; grant program established. Requires each public elementary or secondary school to develop a cardiac emergency response plan (CERP) that addresses the appropriate use of school personnel to respond to incidents involving an individual who is experiencing sudden cardiac arrest or a similar life-threatening emergency while on school grounds and, in the event that such school has an athletic department or organized athletic program, while attending or participating in an athletic practice or event. The bill requires each such CERP to integrate nationally recognized evidence-based core elements such as those recommended by the American Heart Association guidelines and to integrate certain provisions and guidelines, including those relating to establishing a cardiac emergency response team, activating such team in response to a sudden cardiac event, and integrating the CERP into the local community's emergency medical services response protocols. The bill also requires, with such funds as may be appropriated for such purpose pursuant to the general appropriation act, the Department to establish and administer the CERP Grant Program for the purpose of awarding grants, on a competitive basis, to any public elementary or secondary school to assist such school in the development or implementation of its CERP or in the purchase or funding of activities or equipment that further promotes CERP preparedness, giving priority to certain high-need schools.

Health insurance; cost-sharing; pharmacy benefits managers' compensation and duties: civil penalty. Amends provisions related to rebates provided by carriers and health benefit plans to health plan enrollees by defining "defined cost-sharing," "price protection rebates," and "pharmacy benefits management services." The bill requires that an enrollee's defined cost-sharing for each prescription drug be calculated at the point of sale based on a price that is reduced by an amount equal to at least 80 percent of all rebates received or expected to be received in connection with the dispensing or administration of the prescription drug. The bill prohibits a pharmacy benefits manager from deriving income from pharmacy benefits management services provided to a carrier or health benefit plan except for income derived from a pharmacy benefits management fee. The bill requires the amount of any pharmacy benefits management fees to be set forth in the agreement between the pharmacy benefits manager and the carrier or health benefit plan and that such fee not be based on the acquisition cost or any other price metric of a drug; the amount of savings, rebates, or other fees charged, realized, or collected by or generated based on the activity of the pharmacy benefits manager; or the amount of premiums, deductibles, or other cost-sharing or fees charged, realized, or collected by the pharmacy benefits manager from enrollees or other persons on behalf of an enrollee. The bill requires a pharmacy benefits manager to annually certify to the State Corporation Commission that it has met certain requirements. The bill establishes a pharmacy benefits manager duty, which includes the duties of care and good faith and fair dealing, owed to any enrollee, provider, or health benefit plan that receives pharmacy benefits management services from the pharmacy benefits manager or that furnishes, covers, receives, or is administered a unit of a prescription drug for which the pharmacy benefits manager has provided pharmacy benefits management services. The bill requires the Commission to define by regulation the scope of such duty and provides for a private cause of action for any person aggrieved by the breach of such duty.

Railroad safety; minimum train crew; movement of freight; civil penalties. Requires railroad companies to comply with federal requirements for minimum train crews on all trains, locomotives, or light engines used in connection with moving freight and provides civil penalties for violations of such requirement.