HB489 Restorative justice practices.
Introduced by Patrick A. Hope (Chief Patron) [D]

View the bill here.
Restorative justice practices. Provides that restorative justice communications, as defined in the bill, are not admissible or subject to discovery and disclosure of such communications shall not be compelled in any judicial or administrative proceeding, arbitration, or mediation. The bill prohibits any person involved in a restorative justice practice, as defined in the bill, from testifying about any phase of such practice in any judicial or administrative proceeding, arbitration, or mediation except in certain circumstances enumerated in the bill.

1/12/2026 Referred to Committee for House-Courts of Justice

2/07/2026 House. Assigned H-CJ sub: Criminal

2/11/2026 House Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7‑Y 3‑N)

2/13/2026 Reported from House-Courts of Justice committee with substitute (15‑Y 6‑N)

2/17/2026 Read third time and passed House (61‑Y 36‑N 0‑A)

2/18/2026 Senate. Referred to Committee for S-Courts of Justice​

3/05/2026. Senate. Reported from S-Courts of Justice committee with substitute (8‑Y 6‑N)

3/11/2026 Passed Senate with substitute with amendment (21‑Y 19‑N 0‑A)

3/12/2026 Senate insisted on substitute with amendment

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PASSED THE HOUSE AND SENATE. PENDING THE GOVERNOR'S ACTION

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HB857 Home/electronic incarceration program; court shall assign pregnant/postpartum persons to program.
Introduced by Rae Cousins [D]
View the bill here.
Provides that any court having jurisdiction for the trial of a pregnant person or a postpartum person who still has contact with their infant child and is charged with certain offenses shall assign the offender to a home/electronic incarceration program unless there is probable cause to believe that (i) the offender will not appear for trial or hearing or at such other time and place as may be directed or (ii) the offender's liberty will constitute an unreasonable danger to such person, such person's family or household members, or the public. The bill also provides that a pregnant or postpartum person assigned to home/electronic incarceration shall remain eligible for bond.

2/04/2026 Engrossed by House ‑ H-Public Safety committee substitute

2/05/2026 Read third time and passed House (93‑Y 5‑N 0‑A)

2/20/2026 Senate. Reported from S-Rehabilitation and Social Services committee (11‑Y 0‑N 4‑A)

2/24/2026 Passed Senate (39‑Y 0‑N 0‑A)

2/26/2026 Senate. Signed by President
2/26/2026 House, Signed by Speaker

3/10/2026 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

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HB860 Local & Reg. Jails, St. Bd.; standards, etc., regarding lactation policies for incarcerated persons.
Introduced by: Rae Cousins (Chief Patron) [D]

View the bill here.

Directs the State Board of Local and Regional Jails to convene a work group to conduct a review of existing standards for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated persons in local and regional correctional facilities and to develop recommendations for new standards and recommendations for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated persons by considering certain best practices. The bill requires the work group to report such findings and recommendations to the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and to the Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees for Courts of Justice, the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services, and the House Committee on Public Safety by July 1, 2027, and to adopt regulations consistent with such findings and recommendations by December 1, 2028

1/27/2026 House. Reported from House-Rules committee (18‑Y 0‑N)

02/02/2026 Read third time and passed House Block Vote (99‑Y 0‑N 0‑A)

2/03/2026. Senate. Referred to Committee on S-Rules

3/03/2026 Passed Senate with substitute Block Vote 40‑Y 0‑N 0‑A)

3/05/2026 .House Senate substitute agreed to by House (98‑Y 0‑N 0‑A)

3/12/2026 Senate. Signed by President

3/12/2026 House. Signed by Speaker

3/14/2026 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

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HB861 Pregnant & postpartum inmates; reporting requirements of state, regional, & local correctional fac.
Introduced by: Rae Cousins (Chief Patron) [D]

View the bill here.

Requires the warden or other official in charge of a state correctional facility and the sheriff in charge of the local correctional facility, or his designee, or the jail superintendent of the regional correctional facility, or his designee, to compile a quarterly summary of all of the following and submit such summary to the Director of the Department of Corrections or State Board of Local and Regional Jails, as applicable, each quarter: (i) the number of prisoners known to be pregnant in the facility, (ii) the number of prisoners in postpartum recovery in the facility, (iii) the number of women prisoners in the facility, (iv) the total number of prisoners in the facility, (v) the number of deaths of prisoners known to be pregnant in the facility, and (vi) the number of deaths of prisoners in postpartum recovery in the facility. The bill also requires such summary to be submitted to the Maternal Mortality Review Team and the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice.

Lastly, the bill requires the sheriff in charge of the local correctional facility, or his designee, or the jail superintendent of the regional correctional facility, or his designee, to compile a quarterly summary of all written reports received pursuant to relevant law regarding use of restraints on any prisoner known to be pregnant or any prisoner who is in postpartum recovery and any body cavity search of a pregnant prisoner and submit such summary to the Board each quarter.

1/23/2026 House Assigned HMPPS sub: Subcommittee #2

1/30/2026 House. Reported from H-Public Safety committee with substitute (21‑Y 0‑N)

02/02/2026 Read third time and passed House Block Vote (99‑Y 0‑N 0‑A)

2/20/2026 Reported from Senate-Rehabilitation and Social Services committee with amendments and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15‑Y 0‑N)​​​

​3/04/2026 Passed Senate with amendments Block Vote (40‑Y 0‑N 0‑A)

3/06/2026 Senate amendments agreed to by House (95‑Y 0‑N 0‑A)

3/13/2026 Senate. Signed by President

3/13/2026 House. Signed by Speaker

3/14/2026 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

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HB1084 Adults charged with criminal offenses punishable by incarceration; Va. longitudinal Data System

Introduced by: Phil M. Hernandez (Chief Patron) [D}

View the bill here.

Collection and reporting of data related to adults charged with a criminal offense punishable by confinement in jail or a term of imprisonment; Virginia Longitudinal Data System. Allows the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission to contribute the statewide and locality-level data it collects on adults charged with criminal offenses punishable by incarceration to the Virginia Longitudinal Data System administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

1/26/2026 House-CJ Criminal subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (9‑Y 0‑N)

2/03/2026 Read third time and passed House Block Vote (98‑Y 0‑N 0‑A)

2/05/2026 House. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1084)

2/25/2026 Passed Senate Block Vote (40‑Y 0‑N 0‑A)

3/02/2026 Senate. Signed by President
3/02/2026 House. Signed by Speaker

3/10/2026 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

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HB1421 Local and Regional Jails, State Board of; transferring administrative and supervisory authority.
Introduced by Karen Keys-Gamarra [D]

View the bill here.

Directs the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to convene a work group to evaluate the feasibility of transferring the administrative and supervisory authority of the State Board of Local and Regional Jails (the State Board) from the Department of Corrections to another state agency or an independent oversight body. The bill requires the work group to submit its plan, recommended timeline, and any legislative proposals to the General Assembly by November 1, 2026.

2/12/2026 House-PS Subcommittee #2 recommends reporting with substitute (5‑Y 2‑N)

2/13/2026  Reported from House-Public Safety committee with substitute (15‑Y 5‑N)

2/17/2026 Read third time and passed House (65‑Y 31‑N 0‑A)

2/27/2026 Reported from Senate-Rules committee (11‑Y 4‑N)

3/03/2026 Passed Senate (21‑Y 19‑N 0‑A)

3/10/2026 Senate. Signed by President

3/10/2026 House. Signed by Speaker

3/14/2026 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

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CONTINUED TO 2027

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HB80 Civilian deaths in custody; failure to comply with annual report; funding for local and regional adult correctional facilities.

Introduced by: Marcia S. "Cia" Price (Chief Patron) [D]

View the bill here. 

Allows the Governor discretion to direct the Comptroller to withhold all further payment to any local or regional adult correctional facility of all funds, or of any part of them, appropriated and payable by the Commonwealth to such correctional facility, for any and all purposes, for failure to report to the State Board of Local and Regional Jails information required by law regarding civilian deaths in custody until such correctional facility complies.

1/16/2026 Assigned House-MPPS sub: H-MPPS Public Safety subcommittee #2

1/22/2026 House H-PS #2 subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (5‑Y 2‑N)Vote

1/28/2026 House-Public Safety committee amendment agreed to​

2/20/2026 Reported from Senate-Rehabilitation and Social Services committee and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (11‑Y 2‑N 2‑A)

3/04/2026 Continued to 2027 in Senate-Finance and Appropriations committee (15‑Y 0‑N)​

 

HB1508 VSP; responsible for investigating alleged serious violent incident resulting in death of an inmate.
Introduced by: Eric Phillips (Chief Patron) [R]

View the bill here.

Designates the Department of State Police as the law-enforcement agency responsible for investigating alleged serious violent incidents that result in the death of either an inmate or officer.

2/03/2026 House. Assigned HMPPS sub: Subcommittee #2

2/13/2026 Reported from H-Public Safety committee with amendment(s) (20‑Y 0‑N)

2/17/2026 Read third time and passed House Block Vote (97‑Y 0‑N 0‑A)

2/18/2026 Referred to Committee on Senate-Rehabilitation and Social Services

2/27/2026 Reported from S-Rehabilitation and Social Services committee and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15‑Y 0‑N)

3/04/2026 Continued to 2027 in Senate-Finance and Appropriations committee (15‑Y 0‑N)

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