Adult adoptees; access to vital records.
Summary
Adult adoptees; access to vital records. Requires the State Registrar to provide adult adoptees access to their birth certificate upon request, provided that the requester submits an application, proof of identification, and payment and that the original birth certificate is not the certificate of birth in use, subject to amendment, or used by an individual for legal purposes. The bill directs the State Registrar to make a contact preference form available to birth parents that allows them to indicate their preference for contact by the adopted person, to be stored with the adopted person's birth certificate and provided upon the adopted person's request for the birth certificate. This bill incorporates HB 664.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 9, 2026
Signed Apr 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
Health and Human Services Substitute
→
Chaptered
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was approved and enacted into law as Chapter 587, finalizing the text of HB 301 which updates Virginia's laws regarding adult adoptees and birth record access. The substantive policy content, including provisions for gender recognition, adoption record sealing, and access to original birth certificates, remains unchanged from the House Substitute version.
Scope change
The bill's scope is unchanged; it is now officially enacted legislation rather than a proposed substitute.
TECHNICAL
Removed the 'House Substitute' designation and metadata indicating it was a proposed amendment by the Health and Human Services Committee.
Added official legislative headers, including the session year, chapter number (587), and an approval date of April 13, 2026.
Reformatted the text to match the standard style of enacted Virginia statutes, removing indentation and placeholder lines found in the draft version.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 2, 2026 · House of Delegates Jan 28, 2026
How they voted
38–0
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 39
Mar 2, 2026
D
Democratic20
95% Yea
R
Republican19
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
37
Key actions
12
Committee
7
Apr 13, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 587 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB301ER)
lower
Mar 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (28-Y 12-N 0-A)
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (33-Y 7-N 0-A)
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services (13-Y 1-N 1-A)
upper
Feb 26, 2026
Committee
Rereferred from Education and Health to Rehabilitation and Social Services (13-Y 0-N)
upper
Jan 29, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Education and Health
upper
Jan 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (84-Y 10-N 0-A)
lower
Jan 22, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute (16-Y 6-N)
lower
Jan 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Jan 16, 2026
Committee
Assigned sub: Health
lower
Jan 9, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services
lower
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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