1. A. The Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (the Authority) is authorized to serve as the incorporated consortium of allopathic and osteopathic medical schools in Virginia as required by federal statute to qualify for the receipt of Area Health Education Centers programs, legislatively mandated under the Public Health Service Act as amended, Title VII, § 751, and 42 U.S.C. § 294a, and to administer federal, state, and local programs as needed to carry out its public purpose and objectives. The Authority is further authorized to exercise independently the powers conferred by this section in furtherance of its corporate and public purposes to benefit citizens and such other persons who might be served by the Authority.
2. B. The Authority is authorized to monitor, collect, and track data pertaining to health care delivery, training, and education from Virginia educational institutions and other entities as needed to carry out its public purpose and objectives in areas where such data efforts do not already exist. The Authority is further authorized to request and seek data for program evaluation purposes and may partner with other agencies and institutions to help manage and analyze health workforce data. The Authority shall establish and maintain an annual reporting schedule requiring submission of a usable electronic data file in a standard format, which shall be either (i) a comma-separated values file or (ii) an Excel spreadsheet, containing record-level, deidentified health workforce data necessary for program evaluation and workforce forecasting. Such data shall include academic enrollment and graduation information, health professional licensure and renewal data, residency and fellowship program data, and health workforce incentive program data. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Department of Health Professions, the Department, the Virginia Community College System, and any other state agencies or institutions that maintain data relevant to the health workforce shall be required to submit such information to the Authority on an annual basis. The Authority shall analyze and publish this data to inform statewide health workforce planning, policy development, and program evaluation.
3. C. The Authority shall establish the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center (the Center) to ensure an adequate, qualified nursing workforce in the Commonwealth. The Authority shall provide oversight of and strategic guidance to the Center to ensure coordination of statewide data collection, planning, program implementation, and policy development in alignment with the Center's mission to increase the supply of nurses, resolve critical shortages, address educational capacity and workforce needs, and be the primary representative in all state nursing workforce matters at the national level. The Center shall establish an advisory board to provide strategic oversight and guidance to the Center to support the Center's mission, priorities, and operational integrity. Membership of such advisory board shall include representation from (i) the Department, (ii) the Board of Nursing, (iii) nursing academia, and (iv) practicing nurses.
4. D. The Authority shall have the authority to evaluate the design, implementation, outcomes, and effectiveness of all health workforce incentive programs, rural placement initiatives, and state-sponsored health workforce programs administered or supported by the Commonwealth, including scholarships, loan repayment programs, relocation incentives, rural practice bonuses, and other workforce support programs. The Authority may assess program performance through evidence-based metrics, identify strengths and opportunities for improvement, and issue evaluative reports with findings, comparative analyses, and policy recommendations to inform future program enhancement and strategic decision making.
5. E. The Authority shall have the authority to assess policies, engage in policy development, and make policy recommendations.
6. F. The Authority shall have the authority to make, adopt, promulgate, and enforce such regulations and provide for reasonable variances and exemptions therefrom as may be necessary to carry out the administration of scholarship and loan repayment programs pursuant to this article.
7. G. The Authority shall have the authority to apply for and accept federal, state, and local public and private grants, loans, appropriations, and donations; hire and compensate staff, including an executive director; rent, lease, buy, own, acquire, and dispose of property, real or personal; participate in joint ventures, including to make contracts and other agreements with public and private entities in order to carry out its public purpose and objectives; and make bylaws for the management and regulation of its affairs.
8. H. The Authority shall be exempt from the provisions of the Virginia Personnel Act (§ 2.2-2900 et seq.) and the Virginia Public Procurement Act (§ 2.2-4300 et seq.).
9. I. The exercise of powers granted by this article and the undertaking of activities in the furtherance of the purpose of the Authority shall constitute the performance of essential governmental functions. Therefore, the Authority shall be exempt from any tax or assessment upon any project or property acquired or used by the Authority under the provisions of this article or upon the income therefrom, including sales and use taxes on tangible personal property used in the operation of the Authority. This exemption shall not extend to persons conducting business for which local or state taxes would otherwise be required.

2010, cc. 187, 488; 2024, cc. 754, 761; 2026, cc. 25, 430.