Advocacy – Non-Member

VCNP’s Government Relations Committee meets year round to prepare for the Virginia General Assembly each January. Committee members organize regional legislative events each fall, connect with local legislators, and work to provide resources to the regional members to help them better understand how their involvement in the legislative process can advance NP practice for all of Virginia’s NPs.

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Advocacy Toolkit

To access VCNP legislation and additional advocacy resources, you must be a member of VCNP.

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Autonomous Practice Licensure

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Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice

Legislative Information

Links to Organizations

2025 Virginia General Assembly

VCNP is excited to host a Lobby Day on January 23, 2025. Sign up to join us and receive information and resources to prepare you while you are in Richmond visiting legislators.

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2024 Virginia General Assembly

We did it! On Thursday, April 4, Governor Youngkin signed HB 971. This legislation reduces the transition to practice requirement for NPs to three years and amends the code to allow an existing practice agreement to continue by following specific procedures if a patient care team physician dies, loses their license or experiences another extenuating circumstance.

Thanks to HB 971, beginning July 1, more NPs are eligible to apply. We’re excited about this legislation and the positive step forward for NPs.

Key points of the legislation are –

  • NPs with 3+ years (5,400+ hours) of clinical experience can apply for autonomous practice licensure to practice without a practice agreement.
  • NPs who lose access to a practice agreement with a physician may be authorized to practice under the management of a qualified NP who has had autonomous practice licensure in Virginia for at least three years and practices in the same category in which the NP is licensed and certified. These situations will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Board of Nursing.
  •  A qualified NP who has taken over a practice agreement can attest on an autonomous practice license application that an NP meets the requirements to practice without a practice agreement.
  • The Department of Health Professions will collect data including number of applicants, year of each NP’s initial APRN license, geographic area, practice setting, patient population and any disciplinary actions against autonomous practice NPs.

We will share more details as we get them from the Board of Nursing in the coming weeks. To apply, visit this link. Note that applications must be received on or after July 1 to qualify under the new regulations. Applications received on June 30 or earlier must show 5+ years of experience.

During VCNP’s 50th year, it’s especially meaningful to celebrate this success! Thank you to everyone who called and met with legislators, sent emails and letters, attended committee hearings and testified during those hearings. Thanks to our colleagues at the VNA, AANP, AARP, Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association and Americans for Prosperity for supporting our efforts. Special thanks to Delegate Kathy Tran for sponsoring the bill and VCNP’s Government Relations committee for their good work. 

We couldn’t have done it without all of you!

Questions? Click here to contact staff.

2023 Virginia General Assembly

VCNP worked with Delegate Roxann Robinson to introduce HB 2183. During the January 19 House Health, Welfare & Institutions subcommittee meeting, House Bill 2183 failed to move forward after a tie vote.

2022 Virginia General Assembly

VCNP worked with Delegate Dawn Adams to introduce HB 1245. The bill failed after going into “conference” (a small group of House and Senate members who meet to reconcile differences between each chamber), but they were unable to come to an agreement. As of July 1, 2022 the sunset clause from HB 1737 ended, and NPs returned to the five-year experience requirement to apply for autonomous practice licensure.

2021 Virginia General Assembly

On February 25, Governor Northam signed HB 1737, which became effective July 1, 2021. HB 1737 reduced from five to two the number of years of full-time clinical experience a nurse practitioner must have to be eligible to practice without a written or electronic practice agreement. This legislation had a “sunset” clause and expired in June 2022.

2020 Executive Order 57

In April 2020, Executive Order 57 allowed NPs with 2 years of experience to practice without a practice agreement during the COVID-19 state of emergency.

2019 Virginia General Assembly

Virginia HB 1640 and SB 1178 ensure that NPs are able to bill insurance directly through their National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers. Without this simple code change, patients could lose their access to needed care due to an inability to utilize their insurance.

2018 Virginia General Assembly

HB 793 eliminated the requirement for a practice agreement with a physician for a nurse practitioner (NP) who has completed the equivalent of at least five years of full-time clinical experience and submitted an application attestation for autonomous practice licensure from the physician. NPs meeting this requirement may practice autonomously in the category in which the NP is certified and licensed.

FAQs: Autonomous Practice Licensure & the Attestation Process

Events and Conferences

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