Summary: Department of Behavioral Health and DevelopmentalServices; Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Advisory Committeeestablished. Directs the Commissioner of Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services to establish and maintain the Problem GamblingTreatment and Support Advisory Committee to enable collaborationamong prevention and treatment providers and operators of legal gamingin the Commonwealth on efforts to reduce the negative effects of problemgambling.

Summary: Medical cannabis program; transition from Boardof Pharmacy to Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. Transfersoversight and administration of the Commonwealth's medical cannabisprogram from the Board of Pharmacy to the Virginia Cannabis ControlAuthority.

Summary: Medical cannabis program; transition from Boardof Pharmacy to Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. Transfers oversight and administration of the Commonwealth's medical cannabisprogram from the Board of Pharmacy to the Virginia Cannabis ControlAuthority.

Summary: Department of Veterans Services; mental healthand rehabilitative services; Military Spouse Liaison. Adds militaryservice members transitioning from military to civilian life to thelist of persons supported by the program for mental health and rehabilitativeservices administered by the Department of Veterans Services. Thebill requires the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Servicesto include in the Department's annual report data related to suchtransitioning service members and an overview of the activities ofthe Military Spouse Liaison, including any legislative recommendations.

Summary: Proposed scope of practice changes; healthregulatory board assessment required; report. Directs the General Assembly to submit bills proposing scope of practice changesrelated to the health professions to the relevant health regulatory board for assessment. The bill provides that the relevant healthregulatory board has 24 months to complete its assessment and directsthe board to forward a report summarizing its assessment and recommendations to the chairman of the standing committee that requested the assessment.

Summary: Opioid Abatement Authority; membership.Increases from 11 to 13 the membership of the Opioid Abatement Authorityboard of directors by adding two representatives of the addictionand recovery community.

Summary: Department of Professional and OccupationalRegulation; over-the-counter and prescription hearing aids. Clarifies that licensure by the Board for Hearing Aid Specialistsand Opticians is not required for a corporation, partnership, trust,association, or other like organization engaged in the business ofselling prescription hearing aids, defined in the bill as a hearingaid that is not an over-the-counter hearing aid, provided that itemploys only licensed practitioners in the direct sale and fittingof prescription hearing aids.

Summary: Medical marijuana program; product, registration, dispensing, and recordkeeping requirements; advertising. Allowspharmacists who are employed by a pharmaceutical processor or cannabisdispensing facility to issue written certificates for cannabis productsif the pharmacist (i) is acting as the agent of a practitioner, (ii)is acting pursuant to policies established by a practitioner whohas contracted with a pharmaceutical processor or cannabis dispensingfacility to serve as the medical director of such pharmaceuticalprocessor or cannabis dispensing facility, and (iii) has verifiedthe patient's diagnosis with a practitioner with whom the patienthas a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship. The bill amendsand adds numerous provisions regarding the Commonwealth's medicalmarijuana program, including provisions related to recordkeeping,product registration, expiration dates, allowable deviations, dispensing,packing, labeling, and advertising. The bill requires pharmaceuticalprocessors and cannabis dispensing facilities to collect and provideto the Board of Pharmacy by July 1, 2024, data regarding implementationof the bill. The bill also requires the Board of Pharmacy to makecertain amendments to its regulations.

Summary: Vaccine requirements for state agency employees;exemption. Creates an exemption to vaccine requirements implemented by state agencies for any state agency employees who are philosophically opposed to receiving such vaccination.

Summary: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program;Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children;applications. Prohibits the Board of Social Services from requiringpersons applying to participate or renewing their participation inthe Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to appear in person.The bill also codifies the Department of Health's authority to implementa Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, andChildren (WIC program), which is currently authorized by regulation,and prohibits the Department of Health from requiring persons applyingto participate or renewing their participation in the WIC programto appear in person.

Summary: Public institutions of higher education andcertain other public educational institutions; certain immunizationrequirements prohibited. Prohibits any prospective or currentfull-time or part-time employee of a public institution of highereducation or any of its centers or other subdivisions; the VirginiaCommonwealth University Health System Authority; Eastern Virginia Medical School; or any authority, center, or institute specifiedby the bill that enrolls or otherwise provides instruction to studentsfrom being required, as a condition of initial or continued employment,to be immunized against COVID-19. The bill also prohibits any prospectiveor current full-time or part-time student at any such institution,authority, center, institute, or school from being required, as acondition of initial or continued enrollment, to be immunized against COVID-19.

Summary: Public pools; regulations. Directs the Boardof Health to adopt regulations governing swimming pools and otherwater recreational facilities operated for public use, includingswimming pools and other water recreational facilities operated inconjunction with a tourist facility or health spa.

Summary: Adult adoptee access to original birth certificate. Grants adoptees 18 years of age or older access to their originalbirth certificate.

Summary: Nurse practitioners; practice authority uponlicensure. Removes the requirement that nurse practitioners,other than a nurse practitioner licensed by the Boards of Medicineand Nursing in the category of certified nurse midwife, certifiedregistered nurse anesthetist, or clinical nurse specialist, who meetcertain conditions may practice without a practice agreement onlyif they have completed the equivalent of at least five years of full-timeclinical experience as a licensed nurse practitioner. The bill alsoremoves patient care team requirements for nurse practitioners. Thebill removes the existing provision allowing a physician to serveas a patient care team physician on a patient care team with up to10 nurse practitioners licensed in the category of psychiatric-mentalhealth nurse practitioner, thus limiting any patient care team physicianto a patient care team with no more than six nurse practitioners.

Summary: Comprehensive children's health care coverage program.Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (the Department) toestablish a program to provide state-funded comprehensive health care coveragefor individuals in the Commonwealth who (i) are under 19 years of age, (ii) arenot covered under a group health plan or health insurance coverage, and (iii)but for their immigration status would be eligible for medical assistance servicesthrough the Commonwealth's program of medical assistance services establishedpursuant to Title XIX or XXI of the Social Security Act. The bill also requiresthe Department to ensure that all program information is made available in amanner that is accessible to individuals with limited English proficiency andindividuals with disabilities through the provision of language accessservices, including oral interpretation and written translations, free ofcharge and to ensure that information obtained by the program remainsconfidential and is not disclosed for any purpose not related to theadministration of the program or any purpose related to civil immigrationenforcement unless the subject of the information consents to such disclosureor the requesting agency presents a valid judicial order, subpoena, or warrant.The bill also requires the Department to (a) establish aworkgroup composed of individuals with experience conducting outreach toindividuals who are eligible for the program established by the bill to adviseand assist the Department in carrying out marketing and outreach activitiesrequired by the bill and (b) seek all federal waivers and other approvalsnecessary to maximize federal financial participation in the cost of carryingout the program established by the bill.

Summary: Newborn screening tests; Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services; fees prohibited. Provides that requirednewborn screening tests shall be performed at no cost to parents,guardians, hospitals or health care providers. The bill prohibitsthe Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services or any other laboratorythe Department of Health has contracted with to provide such servicefrom charging a fee to hospitals or health care providers to perform the screening tests and prohibits hospitals and health care providersfrom charging a fee to an infant's parent or guardian to performthe screening tests.

Summary: Department of Health Professions; Virginia Healthcare Workforce Data Center; provision of certain information related tohealth care providers to the public. Directs the Department ofHealth Professions (the Department), through its Virginia HealthcareWorkforce Data Center, to make available to the public by requestany existing data on health care providers by locality, includingcertification type and demographic information for each provider.The bill requires that if the Department is unable to provide suchinformation upon request, the Department must provide an explanationto the requestor as to why the information cannot be provided.

Summary: Certificate of public need program; regulations;charity care. Allows facilities other than hospitals to includecare provided to individuals who are covered under the state planfor medical assistance in the charity care requirement of the certificateof public need program.

Summary: Department of Medical Assistance Services; Departmentof Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; information about Intellectual/Developmental Disability services; work group; report.Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services and the Departmentof Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to convene a workgroup, including representatives of community services boards, local departments of social services, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, the Arc of Virginia, the Virginia Board for People withDisabilities, the Department of Education, the Board of Education,and other relevant stakeholders, to study methods for and developrecommendations for disseminating information about Intellectual/DevelopmentalDisability services. The bill requires the work group to report itsfindings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committeeson Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health and the HouseCommittees on Appropriations and Health, Welfare and Institutionsby October 1, 2023.

Summary: Medical marijuana program; product requirements; certifications; reporting. Requires cannabis product and botanical cannabis labels to be complete, accurate, easily discernable, and uniform among different products and brands and that each label, which shall be included on the product and on the pharmaceutical processor's website, include (i) the product name, (ii) all active and inactive ingredients, (iii) the total percentage and milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol included in the product and the number of milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol in each serving, (iv) the amount of product that constitutes a single serving and the amount recommended for use by the practitioner or dispensing pharmacist, (v) information regarding the product's purpose and detailed usage directions, and (vi) child and safety warnings in a conspicuous font. The bill also requires that no less than 50 percent of all cannabis products offered for sale by a pharmaceutical processor or cannabis dispensing facility (a) contain cannabidiol as its primary cannabinoid and (b) have low levels of or no tetrahydrocannabinol. The bill provides that a patient's registered agent shall not be required to register with the Board of Pharmacy when such registered agent is listed on the patient's written certification pursuant to the patient's request and in the discretion of the practitioner based on medical need. The bill also requires that, in the case of cannabis products, the Prescription Monitoring Program include only the information specified in law, which is amended by the bill.

Summary: Medical marijuana program; dispensaries.Removes the requirement that a cannabis dispensing facility be owned,at least in part, by a pharmaceutical processor and increases fromfive to 12 the number of cannabis dispensing facility permits theBoard of Pharmacy may issue per year in each health service area.

Summary: Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy; protocol;information; training. Requires the Office of the Chief MedicalExaminer to take certain actions upon the finding that an individualdied from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). The bill directsthe Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to publish information onSUDEP and a SUDEP death investigation form on its website. Additionally,the bill requires the Chief Medical Examiner and local medical examinersto complete training provided by the Epilepsy Foundation of Virginia.The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2024.

Summary: 340B Covered Entity Commitment to Good Stewardship Principles Annual Report; definition of covered entity; report.Directs the nonprofit organization, as defined by § 32.1-276.3 ofthe Code of Virginia, to create a standardized reporting form that requires each covered each hospital described in § 340B(a)(4) ofthe federal Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. § 256B(a)(4), to disclose certain information about its 340B Drug Pricing Programsavings and the use of such savings. Under the bill, each hospitalthat participates in the 340B Drug Pricing Program shall submit suchform, to be known as the 340B Covered Entity Commitment to Good StewardshipPrinciples Annual Report, to the nonprofit organization annuallyby February 1 for the previous calendar year. The bill directs thenonprofit organization to post such annual reports on its website.

Summary: Registered surgical technologist; credentialing.Adds the National Center for Competency Testing as an accepted credentialingorganization for registered surgical technologists.

Summary: Midwifery; administration of medication.

Summary: Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology InterstateCompact. Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Audiologyand Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact. The Compact increasespublic access to audiology and speech-language pathology servicesby providing for the mutual recognition of other member state licensesfor such services. The Compact has been enacted in 23 states andthe Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Compact Commission iscurrently preparing rules and bylaws in order for the member statesto be fully integrated in the Compact's data system.

Summary: Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. Createsthe Interstate Medical Licensure Compact to create a process forexpedited issuance of a license to practice medicine in the Commonwealthfor qualifying physicians to enhance the portability of medical licenseswhile protecting patient safety. The bill establishes requirementsfor coordination of information systems among member states and proceduresfor investigation and discipline of physicians alleged to have engagedin unprofessional conduct. The bill creates the Interstate MedicalLicensure Compact Commission to administer the compact.

Summary: In-person visitation policies and procedures at certain facilities. Requires hospitals, nursing home, certified nursing facilities, hospices or hospice facilities, assisted living facilities, and intermediate care facilities to establish certain in-person visitation policies and procedures. The bill (i) requires that such policies include screening, personal protective equipment, and other infection control protocols for visitors; (ii) prohibits such policies from requiring the visitor to provide proof of immunization or vaccination; (iii) requires such policies to allow consensual physical contact between the visitor and the resident, client, or patient of the facility; (iv) authorizes the resident, client, or patient to designate an essential caregiver and establishes requirements related to essential caregivers; (v) requires that such policies allow unrestricted in-person visitation under certain circumstances; (vi) provides that the policies and procedures may require visitors to agree in writing to follow such policies and procedures; (vii) authorizes facilities to suspend in-person visitation of specific visitors for violations of such agreement; (viii) requires facilities to make their in-person policies and procedures available to the Department of Health for review when applying for initial licensure, licensure renewal, or change of ownership; and (ix) requires facilities and the Department of Health to make their in-person visitation policies and procedures easily accessible from their websites.  

Summary: Providers of treatment for substance use disorder;use of methadone or opioid replacements; biometric certification.Requires providers of treatment for substance use disorder who administermethadone or opioid replacements as treatments to utilize biometriccertification to verify the identity of the clinician and patient.Biometric certification includes iris scans of patients and eitheriris scans or two-finger fingerprint scans of clinicians. The billrequires the Board of Pharmacy to establish a statewide data repositoryfor the storage of records of every transaction involving the administrationof methadone or opioid replacements to a patient, with such recordsbeing held for no fewer than 10 years.

Summary: Immunization; immunization of children againstCOVID-19. Specifies that parents shall not be required to immunizetheir children against COVID-19.

Summary: Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors; admission of minors to mental health facilityfor inpatient treatment. Requires written informed consent fromthe parent or guardian of any minor prior to any non-emergency surgicalor medical treatment, mental health treatment, or immunizationof a minor. The bill limits circumstances under existing law when a minor shall be deemed an adult for the purpose of consenting tocertain medical or health services. The bill also allows a minorof any age to be admitted to a mental health facility for inpatienttreatment without the consent of the minor.

Summary: Emergency Services and Disaster Law; Commissioner of Health; emergency orders and regulations; limitations; civil penalty. Provides that neither the Board of Health nor the Commissioner of Health shall make any emergency order or regulation unless, on the basis of the evidence available to the Board, (i) such order or regulation is necessary to suppress a nuisance dangerous to the public health or a communicable, contagious, or infectious disease or other danger to the public life and health; (ii) no alternatives to the proposed order or regulation that are reasonable in light of the impact on quality of life and economic well-being exist; and (iii) the provisions of such order or regulation are narrowly tailored to address the nuisance dangerous to the public health or a communicable, contagious, or infectious disease or other danger to the public life and health. The bill also provides that the Governor shall not issue any emergency rule, regulation, or order unless, on the basis of the evidence available to the Governor, (a) such rule, regulation, or order is necessary to address a compelling circumstance; (b) no alternatives to the proposed rule, regulation, or order that are reasonable in light of the impact on quality of life and economic well-being exist; and (c) the provisions of such rule, regulation, or order are narrowly tailored to address the compelling circumstance. The bill provides that any order that limits the number of individuals who may gather together in person, in public or private, or categorizes individuals on the basis of their relationship to or association with such individuals and limits the categories of individuals with whom an individual who is not known or reasonably suspected to have been exposed to or infected with a communicable disease of public health threat may associate is presumed to negatively impact quality of life and economic well-being. The bill also limits the duration of any emergency rule, regulation, or order to 15 days; provides for one 15-day extension of such rule, regulation, or order; and provides that any person who violates such rule, regulation, or order shall be subject to a civil penalty of no more than $100 per violation. Under current law, any person who violates the provisions of an executive order is subject to a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Summary: Sports facilities; automated external defibrillator required. Requires that every sports facility, defined in thebill, in the Commonwealth have a working automated external defibrillator.

Summary: Responsible Fatherhood Initiative; fatherhoodneeds assessment; Fatherhood Support Grants Program and Fund established.Requires the Virginia Department of Social Services to contract forthe development and implementation of the Responsible FatherhoodInitiative for the purpose of providing an opportunity for everyfather in the Commonwealth to be able to obtain information and inspirationthat will motivate and enable him to enhance his abilities as a fatherand establishes requirements for the entities contracting with theDepartment to implement the initiative. Under the bill, each localboard of social services shall undertake certain actions to ensurethat the local department of social services is addressing the uniqueneeds of the fathers of children served by the local department.The bill also establishes the Fatherhood Supports Grant Fund, whichawards grants to not-for-profit community-based organizations toaddress the needs of fathers.