SB 869 Virginia Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Autism spectrum disorder or a developmental disability; custodial interrogation of person.

Summary

Custodial interrogation of a person with autism spectrum disorder or a developmental disability; best practices for conducting interviews or interrogations. Adds best practices for conducting interviews or interrogations, including reading constitutional rights to the list of compulsory minimum and in-service training standards for law-enforcement officers on communicating with individuals with an intellectual disability or a developmental disability.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Feb 2025

House of Delegates Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 3, 2025 Last action Feb 18, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Courts of Justice Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended from the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice, changing its focus from adding a new section about custodial interrogation of people with autism or developmental disabilities to amending an existing section about law enforcement training standards. The new version removes the specific protections for individuals with autism spectrum disorder or developmental disabilities and instead focuses on general law enforcement training requirements for various positions.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from creating new protections for people with autism or developmental disabilities during police interrogations to amending general law enforcement training standards under a different code section.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the new section 19.2-390.05 that would have required parental notification and contact before interrogating people with autism spectrum disorder or developmental disabilities.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement that law enforcement must notify guardians, parents, or next of kin before interrogating individuals with autism or developmental disabilities.

Added general training standards for various law enforcement positions including dispatchers, though the specific text appears incomplete in the provided document.

ENFORCEMENT

Removed the provision making statements inadmissible if law enforcement violated the notification requirements for people with autism or developmental disabilities.

SCOPE

Changed the bill to amend section 9.1-102, which deals with general law enforcement training standards rather than specific protections for individuals with disabilities.

Floor votes · Senate Jan 31, 2025

How they voted

39–0

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 40

Jan 31, 2025

D Democratic21

21 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican19

18 Yea 1

94% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

Subcommittee recommends reporting and referring to Appropriations (8-Y 0-N)

lower

Feb 11, 2025

Committee

Assigned Courts sub: Criminal

lower

Feb 7, 2025

Committee

Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

lower

Feb 4, 2025

Upper · Passed

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

upper

Jan 31, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day

upper

Jan 29, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (14-Y 0-N 1-A)

upper

Jan 3, 2025

Committee

Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors