SB 209 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Geriatric prisoners; conditional release.

Summary
Conditional release of geriatric prisoners. Expands the list of offenses that prohibit a person from petitioning the Parole Board for conditional release as a geriatric prisoner.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 9, 2026 Last action Mar 10, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Senator DeSteph Substitute · 7 edits
MODERATE
The bill was converted from an introduced version to a Senate substitute amendment, which significantly simplified the list of offenses that disqualify geriatric prisoners from conditional release. The substitute removed several felony categories from the exclusion list, including specific violent crimes like robbery, carjacking, and certain sexual assault offenses, as well as arson and burglary-related crimes.
Scope change
The bill's scope was narrowed by removing multiple felony offenses from the list of crimes that prevent geriatric prisoners from petitioning for conditional release. This change potentially expands eligibility for conditional release for inmates convicted of certain serious crimes that were previously excluded.
ELIGIBILITY

Removed disqualifying offenses including robbery under § 18.2-58, carjacking under § 18.2-58.1, and specific sexual assault provisions from the list of crimes that prevent conditional release petitions.

Removed arson under § 18.2-77 (when structure was occupied) and Class 3 felony arson under § 18.2-79 from the exclusion list.

Removed burglary-related offenses including § 18.2-89 (burglary with intent to commit larceny) and § 18.2-92 from the exclusion list.

Removed violations of § 18.2-46.5, § 18.2-46.6 (subsections A or B), and § 18.2-46.7 from the list of disqualifying offenses.

Removed § 18.2-481 from the list of offenses that prevent conditional release petitions.

Removed the provision for second or subsequent felony violations of manslaughter, certain assault offenses, and other crimes from the exclusion list, reducing the number of repeat offense categories that disqualify inmates.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill format from an introduced version to a Senate substitute amendment with updated bill numbers and formatting, but the substantive policy changes focus on narrowing the eligibility restrictions.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 13, 2026

How they voted

330
Passed · 6 other
Total votes 39
Feb 13, 2026
D Democratic20
18 Yea 2
90% Yea
R Republican19
15 Yea 4
78% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
21
Key actions
2
Committee
3
Feb 17, 2026
Committee
Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations
upper
Feb 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services (12-Y 1-N)
upper
Jan 9, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services
upper
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors

Sponsors