State-facilitated IRA savings program; various changes to the program.
Summary
State-facilitated IRA savings program. Makes various changes to the state-facilitated IRA savings program administered by the Commonwealth Savers Plan. For purposes of defining an eligible employer, the bill (i) reduces the minimum number of eligible employees an organization must have in its employ from 25 to five for the period ending December 31 of the preceding calendar year prior to the program's open enrollment period for that calendar year and (ii) clarifies that such term does not include employers offering and sponsoring a qualified retirement plan, including 401(k) plans. The bill also removes the requirement that an eligible employee, for purposes of the program, works at least 30 hours a week and adds the requirement that participating individuals enrolling in the program independent of an employment relationship with an eligible employer be at least 18 years of age. The bill also expands the powers and duties of the governing board of the Commonwealth Savers Plan to include (a) procedures for reenrollment of participating employees and participating individuals; (b) allowing program participants to invest in a lifetime income option; (c) establishing the resources, tools, and incentives to promote greater financial education and literacy; (d) procedures for receiving and crediting federal matching contributions to an IRA or qualified retirement savings account; and (e) exploring and establishing incentives that encourage participation by eligible employers and eligible employees, including initiatives that incentivize compliance or that defray any costs incurred by an eligible employer to facilitate participation.The bill also requires eligible employers that withhold a program contribution from a participating employee's wages to remit such contribution not later than 10 business days following the date upon which such withholding was made and notes that eligible employers who fail to submit contributions to the program may be in violation of law and incur penalties. This bill is identical to HB 176.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 7, 2026
Signed Apr 6, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Enrolled
→
Chaptered
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The primary changes are formatting and layout adjustments rather than substantive policy modifications. The bill text was restructured to include official chapter numbering, approval dates, and standardized spacing typical of enacted laws, while the core legal definitions, eligibility rules, and operational procedures remain identical to the previous version.
TECHNICAL
Added official chapter designation (Chapter 85) and the specific approval date (April 6, 2026) to the header.
Reformatted the text to include indentation and line breaks consistent with the final published version of Virginia Acts of Assembly.
Removed the session header block that listed 'ENROLLED' and 'VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY -- CHAPTER' in a different layout.
Adjusted spacing and alignment of the bill number [S 149] and the enacted text to match standard legislative formatting.
Floor votes · Senate Jan 29, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 25, 2026
How they voted
39–0
Passed
Total votes 39
Jan 29, 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
28
Key actions
10
Committee
5
Apr 6, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 85 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Feb 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB149ER)
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Appropriations (22-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Committee
Assigned HAPP sub: General Government and Capital Outlay
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Appropriations
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Jan 29, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Jan 29, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
upper
Jan 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N)
upper
Jan 7, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Finance and Appropriations
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Jeremy McPike
DDemocratic
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