An Act to amend and reenact §§ 54.1-201, 54.1-516, 54.1-602, 54.1-902, 54.1-1110, 54.1-1134, 54.1-2208.4, and 54.1-2314 of the Code of Virginia, relating to professions and occupations; powers and duties of regulatory boards; disciplinary action; dismissal.
HB1305 amends multiple provisions of the Code of Virginia governing professional and occupational licensing boards. The bill primarily expands and clarifies the authority of regulatory boards to investigate, discipline, and manage licensees and other “regulants,” including the power to place a person on probation, revoke or suspend a license, defer a disciplinary finding, and dismiss a case subject to conditions set by the Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation. It also reinforces boards’ authority to establish qualifications, administer examinations, collect fees, adopt regulations, and enforce ethics and competency standards.
A notable procedural change in the bill is the detailed notice requirement for disciplinary actions. A regulant must be informed of the right to an informal fact-finding conference, and if the regulant does not request one within 30 days, the board may issue a case decision subject to judicial review. The bill also allows notice to be delivered electronically if proof of delivery is retained, which modernizes board communications and disciplinary processing. The bill amends several profession-specific sections, indicating that these procedural and disciplinary updates apply across multiple licensing regimes rather than to a single occupation.
HB1305 affects the regulatory framework for Virginia’s professional licensing boards by strengthening and standardizing disciplinary authority and dismissal procedures across several occupations. It amends §§ 54.1-201, 54.1-516, 54.1-602, 54.1-902, 54.1-1110, 54.1-1134, 54.1-2208.4, and 54.1-2314, thereby influencing how boards under the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation and related regulatory systems handle complaints, hearings, probation, suspension, revocation, and case dismissal. The bill also updates notice and service rules, including electronic delivery, which may affect both boards and licensees in disciplinary proceedings.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the provided materials. The bill was enacted as Chapter 772 and approved on April 13, 2026, which suggests it moved successfully through the legislative process without visible controversy in the supplied context. Based on the text alone, the measure appears to have been treated as a technical and administrative update to professional regulation rather than a highly contentious policy change.
The main potential points of contention are procedural rather than substantive. Licensees and professional groups could be concerned about the expanded discretion given to boards to defer findings, impose probationary conditions, or dismiss cases on terms set by the Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation. Another possible issue is the streamlined disciplinary notice process, including the 30-day deadline to request an informal fact-finding conference and the acceptance of electronic notice, which may be viewed by some as improving efficiency and by others as reducing procedural flexibility. No specific opposing viewpoints are documented in the provided materials.