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HB 185 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Orders closing a proceeding; petitions for review.

Summary
Orders closing a proceeding; petitions for review. Provides that when a circuit court acts on or issues an order pertaining to the closure of a proceeding, such order is eligible for immediate appellate review with the Supreme Court of Virginia. The bill further provides that any person aggrieved by such an order may, within 15 days of the entry of such an order, file a petition for review with the Supreme Court of Virginia. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference.
Issues: ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill enables immediate Supreme Court review of record sealing/closure orders, enhancing due process and defendant rights in criminal proceedings.85% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 7, 2026 Signed Apr 8, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Enrolled → Chaptered · 1 edit
MINOR
The bill was formally enacted into law as Chapter 366 of the 2026 Virginia Acts of Assembly. The substantive legal text regarding petitions for review remains identical to the previous version, with no changes to the rules for closing proceedings or sealing records.
Scope change
The scope of the law remains unchanged; the text is identical to the previous version.
TECHNICAL

The document was updated from an 'Enrolled' draft to a 'Chaptered' final version, adding the official chapter number (Chapter 366), the specific approval date (April 8, 2026), and adjusting the header layout to match the official publication format for Virginia Acts of Assembly.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 11, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 3, 2026

How they voted

39–0
Passed
Total votes 39
Mar 11, 2026
D Democratic20
20 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican19
19 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
31
Key actions
13
Committee
7
Amendments
3
Apr 8, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 366 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Mar 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB185ER)
lower
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Senate amendments agreed to by House (97-Y 0-N 0-A)
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate with amendments (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Introduced
Engrossed by Senate as amended
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Courts of Justice Amendments agreed to
upper
Mar 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N)
upper
Mar 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 1-N)
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (98-Y 0-N 0-A)
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice (19-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 1-N)
lower
Jan 19, 2026
Committee
Assigned HCJ sub: Civil
lower
Jan 7, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
lower
0 primary · 7 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.