republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2024/hb-729.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "PACE programs; long-term services and support screening."
description: "Long-term services and support screening; PACE programs; emergency. Allows qualified staff of programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) to conduct the required long-term services and supports screening in accordance with requirements established by the Department of Medical Assistance Services. Under the bill, when a screening team determines that it is unable to complete a long-term services and supports screening within 30 days, or an individual requests enrollment in a PACE program, the screening team shall decide which entity can most expeditiously conduct the screening. Under the bill, qualified staff of a PACE program shall conduct the screening if the screening team determines that it is the most expeditious option. The bill directs the Department to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to SB 620."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 729"
citation: "Virginia HB 729 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Mark D. Sickles"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 29
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2024-01-09"
last_action: "2024-03-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d2d1e297-6a12-42f1-9f2c-a614aa606e09"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB729"
source_hash: "0e9877343fa3c02c5fdddf5038b2ea56c6e4d252c5d630a84163e1277847fd9a"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia HB 729 (2024) — PACE programs; long-term services and support screening.

Long-term services and support screening; PACE programs; emergency. Allows qualified staff of programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) to conduct the required long-term services and supports screening in accordance with requirements established by the Department of Medical Assistance Services. Under the bill, when a screening team determines that it is unable to complete a long-term services and supports screening within 30 days, or an individual requests enrollment in a PACE program, the screening team shall decide which entity can most expeditiously conduct the screening. Under the bill, qualified staff of a PACE program shall conduct the screening if the screening team determines that it is the most expeditious option. The bill directs the Department to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to SB 620.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **CHAP0048** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+CHAP0048)
2. **Committee substitute printed 24105703D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB729H1)
3. **HB729ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB729ER)
4. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24101253D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB729)

## Votes

- Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Education and Health (13-Y 0-N) — **13–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Mark D. Sickles — primary (person)
- Amy J. Laufer — cosponsor (person)
- Marcia S. "Cia" Price — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-01-09** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24101253D `filing, introduction`
- **2024-01-09** Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-17** Impact statement from DPB (HB729)
- **2024-01-18** House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2024-01-18** Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-01-18** Committee substitute printed 24105703D-H1 `substitution`
- **2024-01-22** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2024-01-22** Impact statement from DPB (HB729H1)
- **2024-01-23** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2024-01-23** Committee substitute agreed to 24105703D-H1 `substitution`
- **2024-01-23** Emergency clause added
- **2024-01-23** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB729H1 `substitution`
- **2024-01-24** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-01-24** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-01-25** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2024-01-25** Referred to Committee on Education and Health `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-15** Reported from Education and Health (13-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-16** Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N)
- **2024-02-19** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-02-19** Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-22** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2024-02-22** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB729ER) `passage`
- **2024-02-22** Impact statement from DPB (HB729ER)
- **2024-02-22** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2024-02-25** Signed by President `passage`
- **2024-03-01** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 1, 2024 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-01** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 8, 2024 `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-08** Approved by Governor-Chapter 48 (effective 3/8/24) `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-08** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0048)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d2d1e297-6a12-42f1-9f2c-a614aa606e09`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).