Virginia bills · 2026 Regular Session
Virginia HB 459
Hate crimes; crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information.
- Introduced
- In committee
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became law
Sponsors
- Laura Jane Cohen (Democratic)
Summary
Official abstract published by the Virginia legislature· SUMMARY AS PASSED
Crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information; hate crimes. Prohibits a law-enforcement agency from disclosing to the public information that directly or indirectly identifies the victim of a hate crime, defined in relevant law, except to the extent that disclosure is (i) of the site of the crime, (ii) required by law, (iii) necessary for law-enforcement purposes, or (iv) permitted by the court for good cause unless such victim, or his next of kin if he is a minor and his death results from any crime, provides written consent. The bill also prohibits, at the request of the victim, the Court of Appeals of Virginia and the Supreme Court of Virginia from listing the first or last name of the victim of a hate crime in an appellate decision.
Text versions
Roll-call votes
State vote data last updated Oct 15, 2026, 8:04 PM.
| Date | Vote | Result | Your legislators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2026 Senate | Passage R | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Feb 20, 2026 Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Feb 18, 2026 Senate | Reported from Courts of Justice | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Feb 10, 2026 House | H VOTE: | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Feb 4, 2026 House | Reported from Courts of Justice | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Jan 30, 2026 House | Subcommittee recommends reporting | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
Actions
- Apr 6, 2026
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0147) - Apr 6, 2026
Approved by Governor-Chapter 147 (effective 7/1/2026) - Mar 10, 2026
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 - Mar 10, 2026 · House
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 - Feb 25, 2026 · Senate
Signed by President - Feb 25, 2026 · House
Signed by Speaker - Feb 25, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB459) - Feb 25, 2026 · House
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB459ER) - Feb 25, 2026 · House
Enrolled - Feb 23, 2026 · Senate
Passed Senate (38-Y 0-N 0-A) - Feb 23, 2026 · Senate
Read third time - Feb 20, 2026 · Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) - Feb 20, 2026 · Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) - Feb 20, 2026 · Senate
Rules suspended - Feb 18, 2026 · Senate
Reported from Courts of Justice (14-Y 0-N 1-A) - Feb 11, 2026 · Senate
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice - Feb 11, 2026 · Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) - Feb 10, 2026 · House
Read third time and passed House (93-Y 4-N 0-A) - Feb 9, 2026 · House
Read second time and engrossed - Feb 9, 2026 · House
Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar - Feb 6, 2026 · House
Read first time - Feb 4, 2026 · House
Reported from Courts of Justice (22-Y 0-N) - Jan 30, 2026 · House
Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N) - Jan 29, 2026 · House
Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal - Jan 21, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB459) - Jan 12, 2026 · House
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice - Jan 12, 2026 · House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100507D