Virginia · 2026 Regular Session · Bill
HB 495: School boards; mental health awareness training for full-time school bus drivers.
Passed one chamber Official data
- Introduced
- In committee
- Passed one chamber
- Passed both chambers
- Enacted
Last official action: ·Record last updated:
Plain-language summary
HB 495 is a bill introduced in the Virginia House on January 12, 2026. According to its official title, it concerns: School boards; mental health awareness training for full-time school bus drivers. Primary sponsor: Liz Guzmán (Democratic). It lists 5 additional sponsors. Most recent recorded action (March 5, 2026): Continued to next session in Education and Health (15-Y 0-N).
Generated automatically from the official title, sponsor list, and status record only. It does not characterize the bill’s purpose or effects. How summaries are written
Official summary
Abstract published by the legislature (via Open States). Text as published by the legislature; reproduced verbatim.
School boards; mental health awareness training; full-time school bus drivers. Permits any school board to require each school bus driver employed on a full-time basis in the local school division to complete mental health awareness training at least once. The bill requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to consider condensing and abbreviating the existing mental health first aid training program into a two-hour module that any school board may utilize in order to train full-time school bus drivers.
Sponsors
Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 3
| Name | Role | Party | Chamber | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liz Guzmán | Primary sponsor | Democratic | House | 22 |
| Jessica L. Anderson | Co-sponsor | Not applicable (committee) | — | — |
| Karen R. "Kacey" Carnegie | Co-sponsor | Not applicable (committee) | — | — |
| Nadarius Clark | Co-sponsor | Democratic | House | 84 |
| Patrick Hope | Co-sponsor | Democratic | House | 1 |
| Charlie Schmidt | Co-sponsor | Not applicable (committee) | — | — |
“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.
Recent official actions
- Continued to next session in Education and Health (15-Y 0-N)
- Assigned Education sub: Public Education
- Referred to Committee on Education and Health
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- Read third time and passed House (62-Y 34-N 0-A)
- Engrossed by House - committee substitute
- committee substitute agreed to
- Read second time
- Read first time
- Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB495)
- Committee substitute printed 26107573D-H1
- Reported from Education with substitute (14-Y 7-N)
Showing 12 most recent of 19 actions. Full history