HB 1189: State of preparedness; feasibility & impact of program to prioritize prevention/mitigation, etc. - Virginia

General Laws and Technology Substitute → Chaptered · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill transitioned from a Senate substitute version to a formally chaptered law. The substantive policy content, including the definition of a 'state of preparedness' and the specific requirements for the Department of Emergency Management to assess emergency response programs and costs, remains unchanged. The primary changes are formatting adjustments and the addition of official approval dates and chapter numbers.

Scope change

None; the scope of the bill's requirements is identical in both versions.

TECHNICAL

Added official chapter number (Chapter 455) and approval date (April 8, 2026) to finalize the bill as law.

Removed draft metadata such as bill numbers, committee names, and proposed amendment dates.

Changed the layout from a standard legislative draft format to the official printed format used in the Virginia Code.

Public Safety Substitute → General Laws and Technology Substitute · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was re-substituted by the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology, shifting the focus from broad emergency powers to a specific directive for the Department of Emergency Management to study how to better handle emergencies that do not require a full state of emergency declaration. This change prioritizes assessing the feasibility of a new program to prevent damage during 'imminent' threats before a Governor must officially declare a state of preparedness.

Scope change

The bill's scope narrowed from a general update to emergency management laws to a specific legislative mandate requiring a feasibility study and report on a new preparedness program.

SPONSORSHIP

The bill was moved from the House Committee on Public Safety to the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology, indicating a shift in legislative focus from operational safety to broader policy and technology oversight.

DEFINITION

The extensive list of legal definitions for terms like 'disaster,' 'emergency,' and 'cyber incident' was removed from the substitute text.

REQUIREMENT

Detailed statutory provisions regarding the Governor's specific powers (such as declaring states of emergency, managing evacuations, and purchasing PPE) and the Department's administrative duties were removed.

A new requirement was added directing the Department of Emergency Management to assess the feasibility of a new program designed to prioritize prevention and mitigation for imminent emergencies that do not yet warrant a gubernatorial declaration.

The new assessment must specifically evaluate criteria for responding to non-declared emergencies, procurement procedures for pre-positioning supplies, the feasibility of seeking reimbursement from those causing the emergency, and cost estimates for such responses.

TIMELINE

A new deadline was established, requiring the Department to submit a report with findings and recommendations to the Governor and legislative committees by November 1, 2026.

Subcommittee #2 Subcommittee Substitute → Public Safety Substitute · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill text was updated to reflect a new session date (February 2026) and includes minor formatting adjustments. The core policy content regarding emergency management powers, definitions, and procedures remains substantively unchanged.

Scope change

No change in the scope or applicability of the bill; the changes are limited to administrative metadata and document formatting.

TECHNICAL

The session date was updated from a placeholder to February 13, 2026, and the bill number identifier was adjusted to reflect the new version.

Minor formatting adjustments were made to the layout and spacing of the text, including the addition of page headers and footers.

Enrolled → Subcommittee #2 Subcommittee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill text was converted from an enrolled version to a House substitute amendment, which includes significant substantive changes to the definitions of key terms. The most notable policy change is the expansion of the definition of 'disaster' to explicitly include 'cyber incidents' and 'communicable diseases of public health threat' alongside natural and man-made events. Additionally, the definition of 'individual' was updated to explicitly include companion animals, broadening the scope of who is protected under the emergency services framework.

Scope change

The scope of the bill was expanded to cover cyber incidents and specific communicable diseases as formal disasters, and the protection of individuals now explicitly extends to companion animals.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'disaster' was updated to explicitly include 'cyber incidents' and 'communicable disease of public health threat' as types of disasters.

The definition of 'individual' was amended to explicitly include 'any companion animal,' ensuring pets are covered under the act's protections.

The definition of 'disaster' was expanded to include terrorism, foreign and domestic, and cyber incidents as man-made disasters.

TECHNICAL

The document structure changed from an enrolled act to a House substitute amendment, including new line numbers and formatting typical of legislative amendments.

Introduced → Enrolled · 4 edits · Mar 31, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was finalized as an Enrolled Act, adding a new requirement for the Department of Emergency Management to conduct a feasibility study and submit a report by November 1, 2026. This study must evaluate how to better handle emergencies that are severe enough to require a 'state of preparedness' but not a full 'state of emergency,' including criteria for response, procurement procedures, and cost estimates.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from simply amending existing emergency management statutes to mandating a specific administrative review of how the state handles 'intermediate' emergencies that fall between a state of preparedness and a state of emergency.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandate for the Department of Emergency Management to assess the feasibility of a new program for handling imminent emergencies that do not warrant a full state of emergency declaration.

TIMELINE

Established a deadline of November 1, 2026, for the Department to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and legislative committees.

DEFINITION

Clarified the definition of 'state of preparedness' in the Enrolled Act to explicitly include the goal of supplementing preparedness efforts and pre-positioning resources.

SCOPE

The final Enrolled Act text includes specific instructions on what the feasibility study must cover, such as criteria for departmental response and cost estimates for non-declared emergencies.

State of preparedness; feasibility & impact of program to prioritize prevention/mitigation, etc.

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors