Criminal Justice

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 662: Offenses relating to gift cards; penalties.

Offenses relating to gift cards; penalties. Adds the offenses of gift card theft, gift card forgery, gift card fraud, and criminally receiving goods and services fraudulently obtained to the existing provisions of law related to credit cards. This bill is identical to SB 444.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new criminal offenses (theft, fraud) with penalties, expanding criminalization rather than advancing reform or protections.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 357: Person arrested for a felony; release of accused on secured or unsecured bond.

Release of accused on secured or unsecured bond. Removes the conditions requiring that any person arrested for a felony who (i) has previously been convicted of a felony, (ii) is presently on bond for an unrelated arrest in any jurisdiction, or (iii) is on probation or parole be released only upon a secure bond. Additionally, the bill adds to the factors a judicial officer shall consider in making a bail determination (a) the person's current bond status for an unrelated arrest in any jurisdiction and (b) whether the person is on probation or parole.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill removes mandatory secured bond for certain felons, allowing unsecured bond instead, reducing pretrial detention and aligning with criminal justice reform goals of reducing financial barriers and promoting community reintegration.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 648: Nitrous oxide; sale, distribution, etc., prohibited, penalties.

Distributing nitrous oxide prohibited; penalties. Prohibits the sale or distribution of (i) a device that is designed or intended to deliver a gas containing nitrous oxide through direct inhalation, with exceptions defined in the bill; (ii) nitrous oxide that has, or is marketed as having, the taste or smell of any food or beverage that is distinguishable by an ordinary consumer either prior to or during consumption or use of such nitrous oxide to any person not exempted in the bill; and (iii) a container of nitrous oxide that exceeds eight grams, with exceptions defined in the bill. A violation of such prohibitions is a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill is identical to SB 360.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new Class 1 misdemeanor for distributing nitrous oxide devices, expanding criminalization without reform elements.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 933: Penalties for failure to appear; definition, contempt.

Penalties for failure to appear; contempt. Provides that a court shall consider certain mitigating factors to determine whether the failure of any person to appear before any court or judicial officer as required was willful. Under current law, no mitigating factors are specified for a court or judicial officer to consider in determining whether a person willfully failed to appear. This bill is identical to SB 283.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeReduces penalties from felony to misdemeanor for failure to appear, aligning with less punitive criminal justice reform principles.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 6, 2026

SB 144: Assault and battery; adds district court temporary recall judge, penalty.

Assault and battery; district court temporary recall judge; penalty. Adds a judge of a district court under temporary recall to the definition of "judge" as it relates to the crime of assault and battery, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor that is enhanced to a Class 6 felony with a mandatory minimum term of confinement of six months if such judge is engaged in his public duties at the time of the offense. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts and is identical to HB 124.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeUpgrades assault on temporary recall judges to Class 6 felony with mandatory 6-month sentence, increasing severity of penalties per criminal justice indicators.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 149: Probation; decreasing period.

Decreasing probation period. Establishes criteria for which a defendant's supervised probation period shall be reduced, including completing educational activities, maintaining employment, completing treatment, or obtaining housing. The bill provides that a court may decrease a defendant's probation period if warranted by the defendant's conduct upon receipt of a request from the Department of Corrections and requires the Department of Corrections to request termination of a defendant's supervised probation period after 12 months in certain situations. This bill is identical to SB 136.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeReduces probation periods for rehabilitation completion (education, treatment, housing), aligning with reform goals to lower recidivism and support reintegration.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 126: Local, regional, and community correctional facilities; access to counsel for inmates.

Local, regional, and community correctional facilities; access to counsel for inmates. Requires the State Board of Local and Regional Jails to establish additional standards no later than January 1, 2027, to ensure access to legal counsel for inmates held in any local, regional, or community correctional facility and enumerates the standards that the Board shall include in such additional standards.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires standards ensuring inmate access to legal counsel in correctional facilities, advancing civil rights and criminal justice reform.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 6, 2026

SB 136: Probation; decreasing period.

Decreasing probation period. Establishes criteria for which a defendant's supervised probation period shall be reduced, including completing educational activities, maintaining employment, completing treatment, or obtaining housing. The bill provides that a court may decrease a defendant's probation period if warranted by the defendant's conduct upon receipt of a request from the Department of Corrections and requires the Department of Corrections to request termination of a defendant's supervised probation period after 12 months in certain situations. This bill is identical to HB 149.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeReduces probation periods for compliant defendants through rehabilitation-focused criteria (education, treatment, housing), aligning with criminal justice reform goals to lower recidivism.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 6, 2026

SB 444: Offenses relating to gift cards; penalties.

Offenses relating to gift cards; penalties. Adds the offenses of gift card theft, gift card forgery, gift card fraud, and criminally receiving goods and services fraudulently obtained to the existing provisions of law related to credit cards. This bill is identical to HB 662.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new criminal offenses (theft, fraud) for gift cards, expanding criminalization beyond existing laws without reform elements.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

passed · Virginia · Senate Mar 9, 2026

SB 198: Individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities; admissibility of statements.

Admissibility of statements by individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities in certain cases. Prohibits admission of any evidence from an individual with developmental disabilities or intellectual disabilities, as defined in relevant law, in certain criminal prosecutions unless the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that such individual's decision to speak to law enforcement was not caused by and did not have a direct and substantial relationship to such individual's disability. The bill requires notice be given to the attorney for the Commonwealth if a defendant intends to introduce expert testimony regarding his disability. The bill prohibits any statements made by a defendant during an examination by an expert witness from being used against him except for impeachment or perjury. The provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by a subsequent regular or special session of the General Assembly.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill protects defendant rights by requiring clear evidence before admitting statements from disabled individuals, aligning with civil rights safeguards in criminal justice reform.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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