HB 870 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Accountancy, Board of; licensing requirements, inactive and emeritus status.

Summary
Board of Accountancy; licensing requirements; inactive and emeritus status. Directs the Board of Accountancy to establish "Inactive" and "Emeritus" CPA license statuses for licensees who no longer provide services to the public or services to or on behalf of an employer. The bill requires the Board to develop guidelines to provide active and inactive licensees additional clarity governing the manner in which such licensees should reference autobiographical and biographical information with respect to their CPA licensure to remain historically accurate and compliant with the law and relevant regulations. The bill directs the Board of Accountancy to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. This bill incorporates HB 228 and is identical to SB 605.
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 13, 2026 Signed Apr 6, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

General Laws Substitute Chaptered · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was formally enacted as Chapter 234 of the 2026 Virginia Acts, replacing the House Substitute version. The substantive legal text regarding definitions and licensing requirements appears unchanged, but the document now includes official approval dates and formatting consistent with final state laws.
TECHNICAL

Removed the 'House Substitute' header, committee proposal notes, and draft bill numbers.

Added the official 'Virginia Acts of Assembly' title page, Chapter number (234), and the approval date (April 6, 2026).

Changed the text from a proposed amendment format to the final enacted statutory language.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 20, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 9, 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
32
Key actions
10
Committee
6
Apr 6, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 234 (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 (HB870ER)
lower
Feb 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (38-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from General Laws and Technology (14-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 10, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
upper
Feb 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (97-Y 1-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from General Laws with substitute (20-Y 1-N)
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Committee
Assigned HGL sub: Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process
lower
Jan 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws
lower
0 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.