Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for; powers and duties.
Summary
SB1096 amends Virginia law governing the Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation. The bill restates and expands the Board’s core responsibilities, including citizen access, public outreach, monitoring departmental policies and activities, reviewing the department budget, advising the Governor, General Assembly, and Director on regulation and deregulation issues, and adopting regulations needed to carry out its duties.
The bill also adds a new express duty for the Board to periodically review each profession and occupation regulated by the Department or its regulatory boards to determine whether the current level of regulation remains in the public interest. After that review, the Board may recommend that a profession or occupation be regulated at a different level or no longer regulated at all. The bill continues the Board’s authority to recommend regulation of currently unregulated professions and occupations when the public interest requires it, and to establish supplemental regulations and regulatory boards once a regulatory system is approved by the General Assembly.
Impact
The bill amends § 54.1-310 of the Code of Virginia, which defines the powers and duties of the Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation. Its practical effect is to formalize a periodic review process for existing occupational licensing and regulation, potentially affecting licensed professionals, regulatory boards, and occupations under the Department’s oversight. It does not itself change any specific occupational licensing requirements, but it strengthens the Board’s role in recommending whether regulation should be maintained, reduced, increased, or eliminated for particular professions.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the Senate 39-0 and the House 96-0 after favorable committee reports, indicating strong bipartisan agreement. The available record shows no committee transcript debate and no recorded opposition votes, suggesting the measure was viewed as a routine administrative update rather than a contentious policy change.
Contention
No specific points of contention are reflected in the available materials. The main policy implication is the Board’s expanded or clarified authority to review existing regulation and recommend deregulation or changes in regulatory level, which could matter to professional groups subject to licensing oversight. However, the unanimous votes and lack of recorded debate indicate that any concerns about regulatory review, licensing burdens, or deregulation were not publicly disputed in the legislative record provided.