HB 975 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Alcoholic beverage control; food-to-beverage ratio, report.

Summary
Alcoholic beverage control; food-to-beverage ratio; report. Reduces the current 45 percent food-to-beverage ratio for certain mixed beverage licensees. The bill requires that a mixed beverage restaurant, caterer's, or limited caterer's licensee meet or exceed the following: (i) for such licensees with monthly food sales averaging at least $48,000, the food-to-beverage ratio shall not apply; (ii) for such licensees with monthly food sales averaging at least $25,000 but less than $48,000, the food-to-beverage ratio shall meet or exceed 30 percent; and (iii) for such licensees with monthly food sales averaging at least $4,000, but less than $25,000, the food-to-beverage ratio shall meet or exceed 45 percent, except that for any licensee with monthly food sales averaging less than $25,000 with a seating capacity of less than 30 seats and an occupancy permit for less than 60 people total, the food-to-beverage ratio shall meet or exceed 30 percent. The bill also requires that restaurants have at least as many seats at tables as at counters. The bill requires the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to collect data regarding the compliance of mixed beverage licensees with the provisions of the bill and the impact of the change to the food-to-beverage ratio on the gross amount of food consumed on a licensee's premises. The bill requires the Authority to report such data to the Chairs of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services by November 1, 2027.
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 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed Enrolled · 3 edits · Feb 26, 2026
MINOR
This bill transitions a legislative text from its 'Engrossed' stage to 'Enrolled' status, which is the final version sent to the Governor for signature. The substantive legal content regarding alcohol control, definitions, and licensing requirements remains unchanged, though the formatting is standardized for the official record.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability are unchanged; it is a procedural update moving the bill to its final legislative stage.
TECHNICAL

The document header was updated from 'ENGROSSED' to 'ENROLLED' and the session year was standardized to '2026 SESSION'.

Formatting was adjusted to remove bracketed amendment markers (e.g., 'House Amendments in [...]') and replace them with standard official bill numbering and page headers.

Line breaks and spacing were normalized to conform to the official format required for enrolled legislation.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 24, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 12, 2026

How they voted

380
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 39
Feb 24, 2026
D Democratic20
20 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican19
18 Yea 1
94% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
32
Key actions
14
Committee
7
Amendments
2
Apr 13, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 719 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Feb 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB975ER)
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (35-Y 4-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (36-Y 3-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services (13-Y 2-N)
upper
Feb 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (87-Y 10-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Introduced
Engrossed by House as amended
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
committee amendment agreed to
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed by for the day
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from General Laws with amendment(s) (18-Y 3-N)
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (6-Y 3-N)
lower
Feb 1, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Committee
Assigned HGL sub: ABC/Gaming
lower
Jan 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws
lower
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors

Sponsors