SB 995 Virginia Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Real estate appraisers; educational requirement for licensure, fair housing & appraisal bias course.

Summary

Real estate appraisers; educational requirements for licensure; fair housing and appraisal bias course. Requires applicants for licensure as a certified residential real estate appraiser, a certified general real estate appraiser, or a licensed residential real estate appraiser to successfully complete a minimum of two hours of education on fair housing and appraisal bias administered or approved by the Real Estate Appraiser Board prior to licensure. The bill requires any such educational course on fair housing and appraisal bias to be audited annually by the Fair Housing Board. This bill is identical to HB 1693.

Issues: ✓ Housing

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Apr 2025

House of Delegates Passage

Feb 2025

Vetoed

Mar 2025

Introduced Jan 7, 2025 Vetoed Mar 24, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Enrolled · 5 edits · Feb 20, 2025

MODERATE

This bill evolved from creating a new Task Force to study property appraisal bias to amending existing real estate appraiser licensing laws. The final version focuses on adding mandatory fair housing and appraisal bias education requirements for real estate appraisers seeking licensure, rather than establishing a new oversight task force. The changes ensure all licensed appraisers complete training on bias, segregation history, and fair housing laws before obtaining their licenses.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from creating a new Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity to modifying existing real estate appraiser licensing requirements under § 54.1-2013 of the Code of Virginia.

SCOPE

The original bill's creation of a Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity with specific members and reporting requirements was removed entirely.

REQUIREMENT

Added mandatory two-hour fair housing and appraisal bias education requirement for all applicants seeking licensure as residential, certified residential, or certified general real estate appraisers.

Specified that bias training must cover segregation legacy, unequal treatment history, lack of housing opportunities, unequal access to resources by protected classes, fair housing laws, and anti-bias practices.

ENFORCEMENT

Required annual auditing of fair housing and appraisal bias courses by the Fair Housing Board.

TIMELINE

The original bill's expiration date of July 1, 2028 was removed from the final enrolled version.

Floor votes · Senate Jan 27, 2025 · House of Delegates Feb 12, 2025

How they voted

37–1

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 40

Jan 27, 2025

D Democratic21

20 Yea 1

95% Yea

R Republican19

17 Yea 1 Nay 1

89% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 2, 2025

Vetoed

Senate sustained Governor's veto

upper

Apr 2, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day

upper

Mar 24, 2025

Vetoed

Vetoed by Governor

executive

Feb 20, 2025

Upper · Passed

Signed by President

upper

Feb 17, 2025

Lower · Passed

Signed by Speaker

lower

Feb 17, 2025

Upper · Passed

Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB995ER)

upper

Feb 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed House (54-Y 43-N)

lower

Feb 11, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed by for the day

lower

Feb 6, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reported from General Laws (16-Y 5-N)

lower

Feb 5, 2025

Committee

Referred to Committee on General Laws

lower

Jan 29, 2025

Upper · Passed

Read third time and passed Senate (35-Y 2-N 1-A)

upper

Jan 27, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day

upper

Jan 24, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reported from Rules with substitute (11-Y 1-N)

upper

Jan 7, 2025

Committee

Referred to Committee on Rules

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors