Courthouses; certain civil arrests prohibited, penalty.
In plain English Prohibits certain federal civil immigration enforcement activities in courthouses, polling places, schools, hospitals, and other state facilities, with exceptions for judicial warrants and child support orders.
Official synopsis: Prohibiting certain acts in furtherance of federal immigration enforcement in certain protected areas; exceptions; penalties. Prohibits certain federal civil immigration enforcement activities in certain protected areas including any courthouse, within 40 feet of any polling place or building used as a meeting place for the…
VetoedVetoed by Governor · 2026-05-20
Law-enforcement officers; restrictions on wearing of facial coverings, exceptions, penalty.
In plain English Prohibits law-enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings while on duty, with exceptions for disease protection and special weapons teams, and creates penalties for violations.
Official synopsis: Law-enforcement officers; restrictions on wearing of facial coverings; exceptions; penalty. Prohibits any law-enforcement officer, defined in the bill, from wearing a facial covering, defined in the bill, while engaged in the performance of his official duties. The bill sets out several exceptions to such prohibition,…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1132) · 2026-05-20
District or circuit court; possession of portable electronic devices.
In plain English Requires court judges to set policies on portable electronic devices in courtrooms and creates penalties for suspended attorneys misusing bar cards to bypass security screening.
Official synopsis: Security policies for courthouses and local or regional correctional facilities; penalty. Adds several provisions relating to courthouse and courtroom security. The bill requires the chief judge of each general district court, juvenile and domestic relations district court, and circuit court to set a policy regarding…
VetoedVetoed by Governor · 2026-05-19
Assault firearms & certain ammunition feeding devices; purchase, sale, etc., prohibited, penalties.
In plain English Bans the purchase, sale, and transfer of assault firearms and large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, with penalties including misdemeanor charges and firearm restrictions.
Official synopsis: Purchase, sale, transfer, etc., of assault firearms and certain ammunition feeding devices prohibited; penalties. Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases, or transfers an assault firearm, as that term is defined in the bill with some exceptions, and prohibits…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1107) · 2026-05-14
Law-enforcement agencies; agreements with federal authority for immigration enforcement.
In plain English Prohibits state and local law-enforcement agencies from entering immigration enforcement agreements unless they contain certain provisions, and bars officers from assisting federal immigration enforcement except when required by law, valid judicial warrant, or transferring custody from correctional facilities.
Official synopsis: Law-enforcement agencies; agreements with federal authority for immigration enforcement; requirements. Prohibits any state or local law-enforcement agency, defined in the bill, from maintaining, renewing, or entering into any federal immigration agreement unless such agreement contains certain provisions. The bill also prohibits any person acting in…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1028) · 2026-04-22
Private companies providing public transportation services; employee protections.
In plain English Requires counties and cities contracting with private companies for transportation services to ensure employees receive equivalent pay and benefits to public employees, and to hire private company employees if switching to public transit.
Official synopsis: Private companies providing public transportation services; employee protections; report. Requires the governing body of any county or city that contracts with a private company to provide transportation services to (i) require such company to provide any employee of such company providing such services compensation and…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1026) · 2026-04-22
Absentee & provisional ballots; process & timing for rejected applications, rejected prov. ballots.
In plain English Requires registrars to notify voters of provisional ballot errors before election certification and allow corrections by the Monday after election, among other changes to absentee and provisional ballot processes.
Official synopsis: Elections; absentee and provisional ballots; process and timing for rejected absentee ballot applications, returned absentee ballots, and rejected provisional ballots. Requires the general registrar to promptly notify a voter by telephone or email of an error or omission on the provisional ballot form and to…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1018) · 2026-04-22
Plea agreements and court orders; prohibited provisions.
In plain English Prohibits plea agreements and court orders from waiving defendants' Fourth Amendment rights, expungement rights, or record-sealing rights, with limited exceptions and time limits.
Official synopsis: Plea agreements and court orders; prohibited provisions. Prohibits plea agreements and court orders executed or entered on or after July 1, 2026, from containing any provision that purports to waive, release, or extinguish a defendant's (i) rights under the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of…
VetoedPassed by for the day (Voice Vote) · 2026-04-22
Bus obstruction monitoring systems; parking, stopping, and standing enforcement, civil penalties.
Parking, stopping, and standing enforcement; bus obstruction monitoring systems. Allows localities to authorize the use of bus obstruction monitoring systems by a public transit agency operating within the locality for the purpose of enforcing local ordinances related to parking, stopping, or standing in bus stop…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0632) · 2026-04-13
Financial institutions and services; virtual currency kiosk operators, license required, penalties.
Financial institutions and services; virtual currency kiosk operators; license required; penalties. Establishes requirements for the operation of virtual currency kiosks, as defined in the bill, including a requirement that a virtual currency kiosk operator obtain licensure with the State Corporation Commission. The bill requires operators…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0655) · 2026-04-13
Trees; conservation and replacement during development process in certain localities, report.
Conservation and replacement of trees during development process; work group; report. Expands certain existing local government authority to plant or replace trees during the development process by expanding such authority statewide. The bill allows localities to establish higher tree canopy replacement percentages based on density per…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0511) · 2026-04-08
Fairfax, City of; amending charter, elections, compensation for members of boards or commissions.
Charter; City of Fairfax; financial powers; elections; compensation for members of boards or commissions. Amends the charter for the City of Fairfax by replacing a cap on the transient occupancy tax with a reference to general law. The bill also amends the charter to align…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0303) · 2026-04-06
Powers of service districts; control of invasive plant species.
Powers of service districts; control of invasive plant species. Allows a service district created within a locality to control the spread of any plant that is identified on the list of invasive plant species established by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. This bill is…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0130) · 2026-04-06
Clerk fees; secure remote access to nonconfidential court records by certain attorneys.
Clerk fees; secure remote access to nonconfidential court records by certain attorneys. Provides that no clerk shall charge a fee to an attorney for secure remote access to nonconfidential court records when such attorney is certified by the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission in the jurisdiction…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0160) · 2026-04-06
Graduation with an advanced studies diploma; requirements, complet. of Int'l Baccalaureate diploma.
Board of Education; high school graduation; simultaneous completion of International Baccalaureate diploma and advanced studies diploma. Requires the Board of Education to permit any student who (i) during or after grade 10, transferred into a public high school in the Commonwealth and (ii) is simultaneously…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0183) · 2026-04-06
“In plain English” lines are written by ThePolitibase with AI (Claude), from the official synopsis only; the synopsis is the authoritative text. Descriptions are the legislature’s own synopsis. Bill data from LegiScan, CC BY 4.0.