SB 637 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Virginia Human Rights Act; nondiscrimination, procedures for charge of unlawful discrimination.

Summary
Virginia Human Rights Act; procedures for a charge of unlawful discrimination. Provides that, for the purposes of nondiscrimination in places of public accommodation, "place of public accommodation" includes educational institutions. The bill reduces from 15 to five the number of employees in the definition of "employer" for purposes of nondiscrimination in employment. The bill also amends from 300 days to two years the timeframe for filing a complaint alleging unlawful discrimination with the Office of the Attorney General.
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 14, 2026 Signed Apr 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Finance and Appropriations Substitute Labor and Commerce Substitute · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was transferred from the Senate Finance Committee to the House Labor and Commerce Committee, changing the bill's title and scope to include new procedures for handling discrimination charges. The substantive definitions for 'employer' and protected classes remain identical to the previous version, but the bill now explicitly amends a third section regarding discrimination procedures.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include amendments to § 2.2-3907 (procedures for a charge of unlawful discrimination), whereas the previous version only amended sections on definitions and nondiscrimination standards.
SCOPE

The bill text was updated to reflect a House substitute version, changing the committee attribution from Senate Finance to House Labor and Commerce and adding a co-patron.

The bill now explicitly states it amends § 2.2-3907 regarding procedures for discrimination charges, expanding the legislative changes beyond just definitions and standards.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting and line break adjustments were made to align the text with House drafting standards, while retaining the exact same legal definitions and thresholds.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 9, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 6, 2026

How they voted

390
Passed
Total votes 39
Feb 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
36
Key actions
12
Committee
7
Amendments
1
Apr 13, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 950 (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 (SB637ER)
upper
Mar 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House with substitute (62-Y 35-N 0-A)
lower
Mar 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (15-Y 7-N)
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting (4-Y 2-N)
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Committee
Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #2
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 10, 2026
Amended
General Laws and Technology Amendment rejected
upper
Feb 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (10-Y 5-N)
upper
Jan 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendment and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 6-N)
upper
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
upper
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors

Sponsors