HB 717 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Nursing homes; application to Commissioner of Health for change of operator license, civil penalty.

Summary

Nursing homes; change of operator; application to Commissioner of Health for change of operator license; civil penalty. Requires a person taking over the daily operations and management of a nursing home when change of ownership or control occurs to apply to the Commissioner of Health for a change of operator license. The bill establishes the requirements for the application for and for the granting of such license and establishes a civil penalty for failing to provide the Commissioner with information or documentation, effectuating a change of operator without applying for a change of operator license, or providing fraudulent information on an application for a change of operator license. This bill is identical to SB 247.

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 8, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Enrolled → Chaptered · 2 edits

MINOR

This bill transitions from an enrolled draft to a finalized chapter of law, adding a new section to the Virginia Code regarding nursing home operator transfers. The primary substantive change involves the formatting and layout of the text to match official legislative standards, while the core legal requirements for licensing, bonding, and penalties remain consistent with the draft version.

TECHNICAL

The text was reformatted from a draft layout (Enrolled) to the official Chaptered layout, including the addition of Chapter number 414 and the specific approval date of April 8, 2026.

Line breaks and paragraph spacing were adjusted to comply with official printing standards, though the legal content and wording of the new section 32.1-126.6 remained unchanged.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 9, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 17, 2026

How they voted

39–0

Passed

Total votes 39

Mar 9, 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

Key actions

Committee

Apr 8, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor-Chapter 414 (effective 7/1/2026)

executive

Mar 31, 2026

Lower · Passed

Signed by Speaker

lower

Mar 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Signed by President

upper

Mar 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB717ER)

lower

Mar 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

upper

Mar 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

upper

Mar 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N)

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from Education and Health and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N)

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on Education and Health

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time and passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A)

lower

Feb 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported from Appropriations (22-Y 0-N)

lower

Feb 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 0-N)

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Committee

Assigned HAPP sub: Health & Human Resources

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported from Health and Human Services and referred to Appropriations (21-Y 0-N)

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Subcommittee recommends reporting and referring to Appropriations (10-Y 0-N)

lower

Jan 23, 2026

Committee

Assigned sub: Health Professions

lower

Jan 13, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor