Public middle and high schools; student-athletes; pre-participation physical examination required. Provides that no public middle or high school student is permitted to be a participant on or try out for any school athletic team or squad with a predetermined roster, regular practices, and scheduled competitions with other middle or high schools unless such student has submitted to the school principal a signed report from a licensed physician, licensed advanced practice registered nurse, or licensed physician assistant acting under the supervision of a licensed physician attesting that such student has received a physical examination and was found to be physically fit for athletic competition no more than 14 calendar months prior to the date on which such report was signed. Current law requires that the signed report attest that any such student has received a physical examination within the preceding 12 months. The bill prohibits any public middle or high school from becoming a member of any organization or entity that regulates or governs interscholastic programs that does not deem eligible for participation any student who has satisfied the requirements for eligibility in accordance with the provisions of the bill.

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," "pharmacy benefits management services," and "price protection rebates." 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 Commission is directed to impose a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 per claim for a violation of these provisions.The bill establishes a pharmacy benefits manager duty, which includes the duties of care, 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. The bill is identical to HB 2773.

Certified public accountant; educational requirements. Clarifies education and experience requirements for candidates to qualify for CPA licensure. The bill also provides that, to qualify for practice privileges within the Commonwealth, an individual must have a license in good standing in another jurisdiction and have passed the CPA examination. The bill directs the Board of Accountancy to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill contains technical amendments. This bill is identical to HB 2042.

Paid family and medical leave insurance program; notice requirements; civil action. Requires the Virginia Employment Commission to establish and administer a paid family and medical leave insurance program with benefits beginning January 1, 2028. Under the program, benefits are paid to covered individuals, as defined in the bill, for family and medical leave. Funding for the program is provided through premiums assessed to employers and employees beginning January 1, 2027. The bill provides that the amount of a benefit is 80 percent of the employee's average weekly wage, not to exceed 120 percent of the state weekly wage, which amount is required to be adjusted annually to reflect changes in the statewide average weekly wage. The bill caps the duration of paid leave at 12 weeks in any application year and provides self-employed individuals the option of participating in the program.

Veterans' Services Protection Act; prohibited practices; penalty. Creates the Veterans' Services Protection Act to prohibit any person from receiving compensation for preparing, presenting, prosecuting, advising, consulting, or assisting any individual regarding any veterans' benefits matter, as defined in the bill, except as permitted under federal law. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Virginia Economic Development Partnership; evaluation of new economic development incentives for companies engaging in the microchip and semiconductor and related equipment and material supplies sector; report. Directs the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, in collaboration with the Department of Taxation, to evaluate the benefits and impacts of new economic development incentives for companies engaging in the microchip and semiconductor and related equipment and material supplies sector. The bill requires VEDP to provide a report on its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations and the House Committee on Appropriations no later than November 30, 2025.

Department of Law; Address Confidentiality Program; removal of Program participant; penalty. Permits the Office of the Attorney General to cancel a participant's certification in the Address Confidentiality Program if such Program participant has reached the age of 18, is not incapacitated, and did not submit recertification for participation in the Program within 60 days of his eighteenth birthday. The bill penalizes any individual who knowingly discloses or publishes a Program participant's confidential address or any other confidential information with intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass such Program participant or any other person.

Faith and housing; comprehensive plan; zoning; Department of Housing and Community Development. Grants authority to localities to adopt a variety of strategies intended to encourage and facilitate the development of affordable housing on property owned by religious organizations or tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. The bill allows localities to request administrative support from the Department of Housing and Community Development in preparation of a faith and housing ordinance.

Legal duty; action for damages for legal malpractice concerning estate planning; third parties to an attorney-client contract. Provides that an attorney does not owe a legal duty to a person other than the client for the purpose of the client's estate planning, including the provision of legal advice or the preparation of legal documents, unless the client and attorney enter into a signed, written agreement expressly allowing for such. The bill provides that its provisions are declarative of existing law. The bill also repeals the provisions under current law that specify the statute of limitations for legal malpractice actions relating to contracts for legal services concerning estate planning and the tolling of such statute of limitations. This bill is a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference and is identical to HB 2174.

Unemployment insurance; weekly benefit amount; increasing threshold for deduction of wages payable. Provides that each individual eligible for unemployment benefits shall be paid a weekly benefit amount less any part of the wages payable to such individual for such week that is in excess of $100. Currently, each eligible individual shall be paid a weekly benefit amount less any part of the wages payable to such individual for such week that is in excess of $50. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Unemployment Compensation.

Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements; power purchase agreements. Amends certain renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements for Dominion Energy Virginia, including (i) the annual percentage of program requirements to be met with behind-the meter solar, wind, or anaerobic digestion resources of three megawatts or less located in the Commonwealth and (ii) the date by which 75 percent of such requirements shall be met with resources located in the Commonwealth. The bill also removes the requirement for a solar-powered or wind-powered generation facility to have a capacity of no less than 50 kilowatts to qualify for a third party power purchase agreement under a pilot program. The bill permits Dominion Energy Virginia to recover certain costs prior to December 31, 2032, and provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage development on previously developed project sites, as defined in existing law, to reduce the land use impacts of solar development. This bill is identical to HB 1883.

Department of Criminal Justice Services; training on certain arrests. Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish a training course for law-enforcement agencies and officers on the discretion such officers can exercise regarding certain arrests. The bill requires that such training include (i) instruction on the scope and nature of law-enforcement officer discretion in arrest decisions, with particular emphasis on encounters with individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, including individuals currently subject to an emergency custody order, a temporary detention order, or an involuntary admission order, and (ii) instruction on the immediate and long-term effects of arrests on individuals in need of mental health services due to a mental health crisis, including impacts on treatment outcomes as identified in substantially accepted peer-reviewed research literature by July 1, 2026. The bill requires any person employed as a law-enforcement officer prior to July 1, 2026, to complete such in-person or virtual training by January 1, 2027, and biennially thereafter, and any person employed as a law-enforcement officer after July 1, 2026, to complete the training within one year of his date of hire and biennially thereafter. Lastly, the bill directs the Criminal Justice Services Board to promulgate regulations pursuant to relevant law requiring in-person or virtual training to special conservators of the peace on the provisions of the bill and other existing statutes related to the arrest and prosecution of persons with mental or behavioral health disorders by July 1, 2026. The bill requires any person appointed as a special conservator of the peace prior to July 1, 2026, to complete the training by January 1, 2027, and biennially thereafter, and any person appointed as a special conservator of the peace after July 1, 2026, to complete the training within one year of his appointment and biennially thereafter.As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Behavioral Health Commission. This bill is identical to HB 1712.

Bonds for public institutions of higher learning; emergency. Authorizes issuance of bonds in an amount up to $206,085,243 for revenue-producing capital projects at James Madison University and The College of William and Mary in Virginia. The bill contains an emergency clause and is identical to HB 2359.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; international licensure and certification; regulations. Directs the regulatory boards within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to promulgate regulations allowing the issuance of a license or certification to any applicant who holds a comparable international license or certification issued by another country. This bill is identical to HB 1940.

Department of Environmental Quality; administrative regulations; mission-critical affected emergency generators; emergency. Specifies that the State Air Pollution Control Board's administrative regulations shall allow any affected emergency generator, defined in the bill, to operate up to 50 hours per year for nonemergency purposes, including planned outages and switch gear and related electrical system testing, so as to be consistent with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's regulations for such generators. The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of the bill without further action by the State Air Pollution Control Board. The bill contains an emergency clause.