VirginiaVirginia bill addresses minimum prison terms for many offenses
The proposal concerns required minimum prison terms across many Virginia criminal laws, including those covering serious driving deaths, drug offenses, and sexual offenses.
What it does
The proposal addresses required minimum prison terms across many Virginia criminal laws, including laws on serious driving deaths, drugs, and sexual offenses.
Argument forIf fixed minimum prison terms are removed, judges might have more room to match sentences to the facts of each serious driving death case.
Argument againstIf fixed minimum prison terms are removed, some people convicted of serious driving deaths might serve less time than the current printed provisions specify.
More detail
The proposal addresses mandatory minimum prison terms in a broad set of criminal laws. The listed provisions cover people charged with offenses under numerous Virginia laws. The text covers many kinds of offenses, including serious driving deaths, drug crimes, assaults, and sexual offenses.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jul 21Continued from last sessionLatest
- Mar 6Racial and Ethnic Impact Statement From JLARC (3/6/2026 3:51 pm)
- Feb 5Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB863)
- Feb 4Continued to next session in Courts of Justice (Voice Vote)
- Feb 3Assigned HCJ sub: CriminalMinor
- Jan 13Referred to Committee for Courts of JusticeMinor
- Jan 13Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102686DIntroduced
Criminal JusticeEmergency ManagementGovernment & Ethics