HB 667 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Juvenile/domestic rel. district cts.; petition, noncitizen aged 18-21 years for leg. custody/relief.

Summary

Juvenile and domestic relations district courts; jurisdiction; definitions; petition by noncitizen aged 18 to 21 years for legal custody. Allows an unmarried noncitizen between the ages of 18 and 21 who has been abused, neglected, or abandoned to petition a juvenile and domestic relations district court to be placed in the physical custody of a proposed legal custodian. The bill also includes such unmarried noncitizen in the definitions of "child," "juvenile," and "minor," as such terms are related to juvenile and domestic relations district courts.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Signed Apr 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

Civil Subcommittee Substitute → Chaptered · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill finalizes the text of HB 667, converting it from a substitute amendment into an enacted law. The substantive policy changes include clarifying the definition of 'child' to specifically include unmarried noncitizens aged 18 to 21 who have been abused or neglected and are seeking physical custody. Additionally, the bill modifies the jurisdiction of juvenile courts regarding petitions for physical custody, removing specific age restrictions for noncitizens and clarifying that the new custody provisions do not apply to children under 18.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of who can petition for physical custody in juvenile court to include unmarried noncitizens aged 18 to 21 who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected, and clarifies the jurisdictional rules for these specific cases.

ELIGIBILITY

Refined the definition of 'child' to explicitly include unmarried noncitizens between ages 18 and 21 who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected and for whom physical custody is sought.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the jurisdiction section to allow unmarried noncitizen children aged 18 to 21 to petition for physical custody without the previous age restriction language, while adding a clause stating the provision does not apply to children under 18.

TECHNICAL

Standardized formatting by adding consistent spacing after section symbols (e.g., § 16.1-228 became § 16.1-228) and updating cross-references to match the new formatting.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 27, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 10, 2026

How they voted

36–0

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

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 13, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor-Chapter 656 (effective 7/1/2026)

executive

Mar 31, 2026

Lower · Passed

Signed by Speaker

lower

Mar 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Signed by President

upper

Mar 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB667ER)

lower

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Conference report agreed to by Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A)

upper

Mar 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Conference report agreed to by House (61-Y 34-N 0-A)

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Legislature · Passed

Conference Report released

legislature

Mar 6, 2026

Committee

Senate requested conference committee

upper

Mar 6, 2026

Introduced

Senate insisted on amendments (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

upper

Mar 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A)

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 substitute (9-Y 6-N)

upper

Feb 25, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate committee offered

upper

Feb 11, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

upper

Feb 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time and passed House (64-Y 34-N 0-A)

lower

Feb 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (15-Y 7-N)

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

House subcommittee offered

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Committee

Assigned HCJ sub: Civil

lower

Jan 13, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

lower

1 primary · 11 co-sponsors