HB 444 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Uniform Consumer Debt Default Judgments Act; established.

Summary
Uniform Consumer Debt Default Judgments Act established. Creates the Uniform Consumer Debt Default Judgments Act for the award of a default judgment in actions for the collection of certain consumer debts, defined in the bill as an obligation or alleged obligation of an individual to pay money that arises out of a transaction in which the money, property, insurance, or service that is the subject of the transaction is primarily for a personal, family, or household purpose. The bill provides that a default judgment in such actions shall only be entered if the warrant in debt or civil action to recover a consumer debt includes certain statements and the required notice to the consumer, as described in the bill. Finally, the bill directs the Office of the Executive Secretary to promulgate a form for the consumer notice provisions created by the bill. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.
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 12, 2026 Signed Apr 8, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

Civil Subcommittee Substitute Chaptered · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was finalized and approved for the Virginia Code, changing its status from a proposed substitute to an enacted law. The text was cleaned up to remove internal drafting notes and formatting artifacts, while retaining the core provisions for the Uniform Consumer Debt Default Judgments Act.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains unchanged; it still applies to unsecured consumer debts and secured debts where only a money judgment is sought, while excluding actions to take possession of property or debts owed to the government.
TECHNICAL

Removed internal House bill identifiers, amendment headers, and draft-specific markers to reflect the final Chaptered version of the law.

Standardized the formatting of section citations (e.g., changing '§ 8.01-465.28' to '§ 8.01-465.28') to match the official Code of Virginia style.

Replaced the specific instruction 'Talk with a lawyer' in the consumer notice with the more general 'You may wish to speak with a lawyer' to align with the final statutory language.

Added the official approval date (April 8, 2026) and chapter number (Chapter 395) to signify the bill is now law.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 27, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 17, 2026

How they voted

360
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 39
Feb 27, 2026
D Democratic20
18 Yea 2
90% Yea
R Republican19
18 Yea 1
94% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
35
Key actions
13
Committee
7
Amendments
3
Apr 8, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter395 (Effective 7/1/2027)
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 (HB444ER)
lower
Mar 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Senate amendments agreed to by House (75-Y 21-N 0-A)
lower
Mar 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate with amendments (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Introduced
Engrossed by Senate as amended
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Courts of Justice Amendments agreed to
upper
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments (14-Y 0-N 1-A)
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate committee offered
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
upper
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (76-Y 21-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (20-Y 2-N)
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Committee
Assigned HCJ sub: Civil
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 Marcus Simon
Marcus Simon
DDemocratic
VA
13