SB 238 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Va. School for the Deaf & the Blind, Board of Visitors of the; authority to establish campus police.

Summary

Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind; authority to establish campus police department. Permits the Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind to establish a campus police department, in compliance with the provisions of law relating to campus police departments established by institutions of higher education, and to employ campus police officers therein.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Feb 3, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Education and Health Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended from its original introduction to a substitute version, significantly expanding its scope by adding new sections to the Code of Virginia. The original bill focused only on the Board of Visitors for the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, while the substitute version now includes provisions for the Virginia Retirement System, campus police chiefs, and faculty employment exemptions. This change broadens the legislative impact beyond a single school to cover multiple state agencies and employment categories.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from solely governing the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind to include exemptions for various state employees, campus police chiefs, and faculty across multiple institutions.

SCOPE

Added new sections covering exemptions for employees of the Virginia Retirement System, campus police chiefs, and faculty of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind.

Added provisions regarding the University of Virginia Medical Center and its hiring procedures.

Expanded the list of exempt officers and employees in § 2.2-2905 to include 30 specific categories, up from the original limited scope.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirements for the University of Virginia to ensure hiring procedures are based on merit and fitness for Medical Center personnel.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 30, 2026

Committee

Rereferred from Education and Health to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)

upper

Jan 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate subcommittee offered

upper

Jan 29, 2026

Committee

Assigned Education sub: Public Education

upper

Jan 12, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on Education and Health

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors