HB 520 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Clerk fees; secure remote access to nonconfidential court records by certain attorneys.

Summary
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 served by such clerk, provided that such attorney is currently appointed to represent a defendant in such jurisdiction and agrees to continue accepting appointments in such jurisdiction. The bill also provides that if, after receiving secure remote access for nonconfidential court records, such attorney (i) is found to have abused such privilege of such secure remote access; (ii) is removed from the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission's court-appointed attorney list; or (iii) ceases to accept appointments for representation from the granting court, the clerk may terminate the agreement granting such secure remote access. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. This bill is identical to SB 82.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Signed Apr 6, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

Criminal Subcommittee Substitute Chaptered · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill was finalized and approved as Chapter 159, changing its status from a proposed substitute to enacted law. The substantive policy content remains the same, prohibiting court clerks from charging fees for specific services, including secure remote access to nonconfidential court records for certified indigent defense attorneys.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; it continues to apply to Virginia court clerks and certified attorneys in the indigent defense system.
TECHNICAL

The document format was updated from a 'House Substitute' amendment to an enacted 'Chapter' with an approval date of April 6, 2026.

Minor formatting adjustments were made to section headers and section references (e.g., adding spaces after section symbols) to comply with final legislative formatting standards.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 3, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 10, 2026

How they voted

390
Passed
Total votes 39
Mar 3, 2026
D Democratic20
20 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican19
19 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
31
Key actions
11
Committee
7
Apr 6, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 159 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB520ER)
lower
Mar 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (31-Y 9-N 0-A)
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (11-Y 4-N)
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (12-Y 2-N)
upper
Feb 11, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
upper
Feb 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (98-Y 0-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (22-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Committee
Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal
lower
Jan 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Phil Hernandez
Phil Hernandez
DDemocratic
VA
94