HB 351 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Military Affairs, Dept. of, emergency vehicles; equipped with flashing red and white warning lights.

Summary

Flashing red and white warning lights; emergency vehicle exemptions; Department of Military Affairs emergency vehicles. Authorizes Department of Military Affairs emergency vehicles to (i) be equipped with flashing, blinking, or alternating red or red and white combination warning lights and (ii) disregard certain regulations regarding the operation of vehicles without being subject to criminal prosecution while responding to an emergency. This bill is identical to SB 573.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Signed Apr 6, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Enrolled → Chaptered · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill finalizes the text of HB 351, converting it from a draft proposal into an official state law (Chapter 118 of the 2026 Acts). The substantive content regarding emergency vehicle exemptions, warning light regulations, and vehicle definitions remains identical to the previous version; the only changes are the addition of official approval dates, chapter numbers, and page breaks for publication.

TECHNICAL

The document status changed from 'Enrolled' (approved but not yet published) to 'Chaptered' (officially enacted and assigned Chapter 118 for the 2026 session).

Official approval date (April 6, 2026) and chapter number were added to the header.

Drafting markers and placeholder lines were removed to create the final, clean text of the law.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 24, 2026 · House of Delegates Jan 28, 2026

How they voted

38–0

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 39

Feb 24, 2026

D Democratic20

20 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

Apr 6, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor-Chapter 118 (effective 7/1/2026)

executive

Feb 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

Signed by President

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Signed by Speaker

lower

Feb 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB351ER)

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

upper

Feb 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)

upper

Feb 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from Transportation (13-Y 0-N)

upper

Jan 29, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on Transportation

upper

Jan 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time and passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A)

lower

Jan 22, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported from Transportation (21-Y 0-N)

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N)

lower

Jan 19, 2026

Committee

Assigned HTRAN sub: Highway Safety and Policy

lower

Jan 12, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on Transportation

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors