HB 1280 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

State correctional facilities; participation of prisoners in employment & education program, report.

Summary
State correctional facilities; participation of prisoners in employment and educational programs; reentry planning. Expands the program assignments in which the Director of the Department of Corrections may place a prisoner while such prisoner is confined in a state correctional facility. The bill requires the Director to place a prisoner in an appropriate program assignment within (i) 90 days of the arrival of a prisoner sentenced to a new term of confinement to a state correctional facility or (ii) 60 days of a prisoner already in custody being transferred to a new state correctional facility and provides that participation in such program assignments shall be for an average of 30 hours per week, calculated individually across the calendar year. Finally, the bill expands upon the requirements for a prisoner's reentry plan, including requiring an assessment, if necessary, of a prisoner's readiness to take a high school equivalency test and any modifications needed for the prisoner to take or improve upon such test, and making available peer and group educational programs developed and led by qualified prisoners.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Mar 4, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Transportation & Public Safety Subcommittee Substitute Rehabilitation and Social Services Substitute · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was transferred from the House to the Senate committee, changing the proposing body. The most significant policy change is a shift from mandatory participation in programs to optional participation, removing the requirement that prisoners must be available for all programs. Additionally, the penalty for refusing a program assignment was weakened, changing from a guaranteed loss of credits to a potential loss of credits.
Scope change
The bill's scope shifted from House jurisdiction to Senate jurisdiction, and the mandatory nature of program participation was reduced.
REQUIREMENT

Changed program participation from mandatory ('shall be required make available') to optional ('may participate').

ENFORCEMENT

Changed the consequence of refusing a program from automatic disqualification from credits to potential ineligibility ('shall not may be eligible ineligible').

TECHNICAL

Changed the proposing committee from the House Committee on Appropriations to the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Feb 17, 2026

How they voted

795
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 87
Feb 17, 2026
D Democratic52
50 Yea 2
96% Yea
R Republican35
29 Yea 5 Nay 1
82% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
23
Key actions
6
Committee
9
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services
upper
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (91-Y 5-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Appropriations with substitute (22-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Jan 31, 2026
Committee
Assigned HAPP sub: Transportation & Public Safety
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Public Safety and referred to Appropriations (18-Y 3-N)
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting and referring to Appropriations (7-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 23, 2026
Committee
Assigned HMPPS sub: Subcommittee #2
lower
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Public Safety
lower
Jan 14, 2026
Introduced
Presented and ordered printed 26104959D
lower
1 primary · 10 co-sponsors

Sponsors