Insurance; standards of conduct for public adjusters, unauthorized practice of public adjusting.
Summary
Insurance; standards of conduct for public adjusters; unauthorized practice of public adjusting. Prohibits any person who does not hold a valid public adjuster license from soliciting, investigating, negotiating, adjusting, or providing advice to a policyholder, in relation to a first party claim arising under an insurance contract that insures the real or personal property of a policyholder, for the purpose of effecting the settlement of a claim on behalf of the policyholder. The bill prohibits any public adjuster from assisting in a claim where the policyholder has improperly assigned the duties, rights, or benefits under the relevant policy to any contractor or vendor. The bill adds requirements for advertisements by public adjusters, and excludes certain materials from being considered advertisements. The bill also includes specific standards of conduct for public adjusters regarding vulnerable adults, as defined in the bill, and contains technical amendments.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 12, 2026
Signed Apr 6, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons
What changed between versions
Enrolled
→
Chaptered
·
1 edit
MINOR
The bill was finalized and enacted into law with no substantive policy changes to the text of the statute itself. The primary differences between the 'Enrolled' and 'Chaptered' versions are formatting adjustments, such as the addition of the official chapter number (Chapter 142), the specific approval date (April 6, 2026), and the removal of the placeholder '2026 SESSION' header in favor of the formal 'VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY' title page layout. The actual legal definitions, fees, and conduct rules for public adjusters remain identical.
TECHNICAL
The text was reformatted to match the official state publication style, including adding the chapter number and approval date, while the underlying legal content remained unchanged.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 25, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 4, 2026
How they voted
39–0
Passed
Total votes 39
Feb 25, 2026
D
Democratic20
100% Yea
R
Republican19
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
32
Key actions
13
Committee
7
Amendments
2
Apr 6, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 142 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Mar 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB437ER)
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (98-Y 0-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (97-Y 1-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Introduced
Engrossed by House as amended
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
committee amendments agreed to
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Labor and Commerce with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (9-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Jan 19, 2026
Committee
Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #1
lower
Jan 12, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HB 437
Scope: VA
Hi! I can help you understand HB 437. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline