Retail franchise agreements; governing law, competition restrictions.
Summary
Retail franchise agreements; governing law; competition restrictions. Provides that retail franchise agreements shall be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth and prohibits any person from offering or entering into a franchise agreement that includes competition restrictions that extend beyond termination or expiration of the franchise agreement, except as a term of sale in the event that a franchisee sells a franchise to a third party or back to the franchisor. This bill is identical to HB 69.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 12, 2026
Signed Apr 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
Enrolled
→
Chaptered
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was formally approved and assigned Chapter 554 of the 2026 Virginia Acts of Assembly. The approval date was updated to April 13, 2026, and the session header was adjusted to reflect the final enrolled status. No substantive policy changes, such as new definitions, funding, or operational requirements, were made in this version.
TECHNICAL
Added the specific chapter number (Chapter 554) to the act title.
Removed the generic placeholder text 'CHAPTER'.
Added the specific approval date of April 13, 2026.
Removed the generic 'Approved' text without a date.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 4, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 6, 2026
How they voted
39–0
Passed
Total votes 39
Feb 4, 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
34
Key actions
10
Committee
6
Apr 13, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 554 (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
Upper · Passed
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB240ER)
upper
Mar 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House with substitute (97-Y 0-N 0-A)
lower
Mar 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (22-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Committee
Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #2
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce
lower
Feb 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Commerce and Labor (12-Y 0-N)
upper
Jan 12, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Chris Head
RRepublican
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