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SB194 • 2026

Electronic death reg. system; requiring certain applicants for licensure to complete training.

An Act to direct the Board of Medicine and the Board of Nursing to require certain applicants for licensure and licensure renewal to indicate whether training has been completed on the Electronic Death Registration System.

Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Williams Graves
Last action
2026-03-31
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify penalties for non-compliance with training requirements.

Training for Death Certificate Signers

This act requires certain medical professionals to indicate if they expect to sign death certificates and, if so, to show that they have completed training on an online system.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires doctors of medicine or osteopathic medicine and physician assistants to say if their scope of practice will include signing death certificates.
  • If someone expects to sign death certificates, they must indicate that they have viewed the online tutorial for the Electronic Death Registration System on the Department of Health website.
  • Advanced practice registered nurses are also required to follow similar requirements.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Doctors of medicine or osteopathic medicine who might sign death certificates
  • Physician assistants who might sign death certificates
  • Advanced practice registered nurses who might sign death certificates

Terms To Know

Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS)
An online system used to register deaths.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify when the changes must be made or when they will take effect.
  • It is unclear if there are penalties for not completing the training as required.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-31 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 16 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-03-31 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0016)

  3. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026

  4. 2026-03-10 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  5. 2026-02-26 House

    Signed by Speaker

  6. 2026-02-26 Senate

    Signed by President

  7. 2026-02-26 Senate

    Enrolled

  8. 2026-02-26 Senate

    Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB194ER)

  9. 2026-02-26 Senate

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB194)

  10. 2026-02-24 House

    Read third time

  11. 2026-02-24 House

    Passed House Block Vote (98-Y 0-N 0-A)

  12. 2026-02-23 House

    Read second time

  13. 2026-02-19 Health and Human Services

    Reported from Health and Human Services (21-Y 0-N)

  14. 2026-02-10 Education and Health

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB194)

  15. 2026-02-06 House

    Placed on Calendar

  16. 2026-02-06 Health and Human Services

    Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services

  17. 2026-02-06 House

    Read first time

  18. 2026-02-03 Senate

    Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  19. 2026-02-02 Senate

    Read second time

  20. 2026-02-02 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote)

  21. 2026-02-02 Education and Health

    Committee substitute agreed to (Voice Vote)

  22. 2026-02-02 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)

  23. 2026-01-30 Senate

    Rules suspended

  24. 2026-01-30 Senate

    Rules suspended

  25. 2026-01-30 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  26. 2026-01-30 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (38-Y 0-N 0-A)

  27. 2026-01-30 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  28. 2026-01-30 Education and Health

    Committee substitute printed 26105998D-S1

  29. 2026-01-29 Education and Health

    Reported from Education and Health with substitute (11-Y 1-N 3-A)

  30. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Senate committee offered

  31. 2026-01-28 Health Professions

    Senate subcommittee offered

  32. 2026-01-23 Health Professions

    Senate subcommittee offered

  33. 2026-01-23 Health Professions

    Senate subcommittee offered

  34. 2026-01-23 Health Professions

    Senate subcommittee offered

  35. 2026-01-23 Health Professions

    Assigned Education sub: Health Professions

  36. 2026-01-14 Senate

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB194)

  37. 2026-01-09 Senate

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102771D

  38. 2026-01-09 Education and Health

    Referred to Committee on Education and Health

Official Summary Text

Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing; licensure renewal; electronic death registration system; death certificates.
Requires the Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing to amend their applications for licensure and licensure renewal to require doctors of medicine and osteopathic medicine, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants to indicate if they expect their scope of practice to include signing death certificates and, if so, to indicate that they have completed the online tutorial for the Electronic Death Registration System on the Department of Health website. This bill is identical to HB 156.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
An Act to direct the Board of Medicine and the Board of Nursing to require certain applicants for licensure and licensure renewal to indicate whether training has been completed on the Electronic Death Registration System.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
§ 1. That the Board of Medicine shall amend its application for licensure and application for licensure renewal for doctors of medicine or osteopathic medicine and physician assistants to require applicants to indicate if there is a reasonable expectation that the scope of practice of the applicant will include the signing of certificates of death and if the answer is in the affirmative, to require the applicant to indicate that the online tutorial on the Electronic Death Registration System webpage on the Department of Health website has been viewed by the applicant.
§ 2. That the Board of Nursing shall amend its application for licensure and application for licensure renewal for advanced practice registered nurses to require applicants to indicate if there is a reasonable expectation that the scope of practice of the applicant will include the signing of certificates of death and if the answer is in the affirmative, to require the applicant to indicate that the online tutorial on the Electronic Death Registration System webpage on the Department of Health website has been viewed by the applicant.
2. That the initial promulgation of regulations to implement the provisions of this act by the Board of Medicine and the Board of Nursing shall be exempt from the requirements of the Administrative Process Act (§
2.2-4000
et seq. of the Code of Virginia).