HB 357 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Person arrested for a felony; release of accused on secured or unsecured bond.

Summary
Release of accused on secured or unsecured bond. Removes the conditions requiring that any person arrested for a felony who (i) has previously been convicted of a felony, (ii) is presently on bond for an unrelated arrest in any jurisdiction, or (iii) is on probation or parole be released only upon a secure bond. Additionally, the bill adds to the factors a judicial officer shall consider in making a bail determination (a) the person's current bond status for an unrelated arrest in any jurisdiction and (b) whether the person is on probation or parole.
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 · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Enrolled Chaptered · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill was formally enacted into law (Chaptered) for the 2026 session, converting the legislative text from a draft proposal into an official state statute. The substantive legal content regarding bail, bond conditions, and release procedures remains identical to the original draft, with no changes to policy, funding, or eligibility criteria.
Scope change
The scope of the bill's applicability has not changed; it now carries the legal force of an enacted statute rather than a pending proposal.
TECHNICAL

Added official chapter headers, approval dates, and page numbering to finalize the document as a state law.

Removed draft session headers and editorial markup symbols used during the legislative review process.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 20, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 10, 2026

How they voted

390
Passed
Total votes 39
Feb 20, 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
30
Key actions
12
Committee
7
Amendments
2
Apr 6, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 123 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB357ER)
lower
Feb 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (20-Y 18-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice (8-Y 5-N 1-A)
upper
Feb 11, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
upper
Feb 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (62-Y 35-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Introduced
Engrossed by House as amended
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
committee amendments agreed to
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (15-Y 7-N)
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (8-Y 1-N)
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Jan 23, 2026
Committee
Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal
lower
Jan 12, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Katrina Callsen
Katrina Callsen
DDemocratic
VA
54