Suicide; abolishes common-law crime, delayed effective date, report.
Summary
Common-law crime of suicide. Abolishes the common-law crime of suicide. Suicide is currently a common-law crime in Virginia, although there is no statutorily prescribed punishment. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027, and also requires the Bureau of Insurance of the State Corporation Commission to review the effect and implication of abolishing the common-law crime of suicide on insurance throughout the Commonwealth and submit its findings and any recommendations by November 1, 2026, to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Dec 23, 2025
Signed Apr 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
3 edits
·
Feb 25, 2026
MINOR
The bill transitioned from its 'Engrossed' stage to its final 'Enrolled' form, marking the official completion of the legislative process. The substantive policy content remains unchanged: it abolishes the common-law crime of suicide, sets an effective date of July 1, 2027, and requires an insurance impact report by November 1, 2026.
Scope change
No change in the bill's scope or applicability; the text of the law is identical.
TECHNICAL
Removed internal legislative markers such as 'Engrossed', bill tracking numbers, and committee referral notes that were present in the working draft.
Added formal enrolled formatting, including headers identifying the document as 'Virginia Acts of Assembly' and the official approval stamp.
Adjusted line breaks and spacing to fit the final printed format of the enrolled bill, while keeping the legal text intact.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 20, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 10, 2026
How they voted
39–0
Passed
Total votes 39
Feb 20, 2026
D
Democratic20
100% Yea
R
Republican19
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
27
Key actions
11
Committee
6
Amendments
2
Apr 13, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 785 (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 (HB43ER)
lower
Feb 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (22-Y 16-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 (10-Y 3-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 (63-Y 35-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Introduced
Engrossed by House as amended
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
committee amendment agreed to
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (15-Y 7-N)
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (7-Y 3-N)
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Committee
Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal
lower
Dec 23, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
lower
1 primary · 8 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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