SB 573 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Military Affairs, Dept. of, emergency vehicles; equipped with flashing red and white warning lights.

Summary

Flashing red and white warning lights; emergency vehicle exemptions; Department of Military Affairs emergency vehicles. Authorizes Department of Military Affairs emergency vehicles to (i) be equipped with flashing, blinking, or alternating red or red and white combination warning lights and (ii) disregard certain regulations regarding the operation of vehicles without being subject to criminal prosecution while responding to an emergency. This bill is identical to HB 351.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Signed Apr 6, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Enrolled → Chaptered · 2 edits

MINOR

This bill formally enacts the emergency vehicle exemptions and warning light regulations that were previously in draft form. It updates the official title to reflect the final chapter number (Chapter 119) and the specific approval date (April 6, 2026), while retaining the exact same legal text regarding vehicle exemptions, insurance requirements, and definitions of emergency vehicles.

Scope change

The scope of the law remains unchanged as the substantive text is identical; only the formatting and metadata indicating the bill's final status have been updated.

TECHNICAL

Updated the header to reflect the final 'Chaptered' status, including the specific chapter number (119) and the official approval date of April 6, 2026.

Reformatted the document layout to match the standard style of enacted Virginia laws, replacing draft-style line breaks with proper paragraph spacing.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 2, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 27, 2026

How they voted

39–0

Passed

Total votes 39

Feb 2, 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 6, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor-Chapter 119 (effective 7/1/2026)

executive

Mar 4, 2026

Upper · Passed

Signed by President

upper

Mar 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

Signed by Speaker

lower

Mar 4, 2026

Upper · Passed

Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB573ER)

upper

Feb 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed House (96-Y 0-N 0-A)

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported from Transportation (21-Y 0-N)

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on Transportation

lower

Feb 4, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

upper

Feb 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day

upper

Feb 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

upper

Jan 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from Transportation (15-Y 0-N)

upper

Jan 14, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on Transportation

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors