SB 493 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Consumer protection; automatic renewal or continuous service offers, disclosure and cancellation.

Summary
Consumer protection; automatic renewal or continuous service offers; disclosure and cancellation. Amends certain definitions related to automatic renewal or continuous service offers, including the definition of "clear and conspicuous" as it relates to seller disclosures and requirements to provide a simple cancellation mechanism. The bill replaces the term "supplier" in current provisions with "seller" and provides a definition for such term. The bill requires sellers to provide a cancellation mechanism that is at least as easy to use as the mechanism used to initiate the automatic renewal or continuous service offer, and includes additional requirements for providing such cancellation mechanism. Under the bill, certain businesses are no longer exempt from disclosure and cancellation requirements for automatic renewal or continuous service offers, and a violation of the provision constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. This bill is identical to HB 1022.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Signed Apr 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Labor and Commerce Substitute Engrossed · 4 edits · Mar 30, 2026
MODERATE
The bill was amended to clarify definitions for digital disclosures and update cancellation requirements for in-person purchases. Specific exemptions for regulated industries were corrected to remove duplicate entries and fix formatting errors, while penalty clauses were slightly reworded for consistency.
DEFINITION

The definition of 'clear and conspicuous' for print publications was moved into brackets, indicating it is optional or subject to further legislative decision, while the definition for interactive electronic platforms remains active.

REQUIREMENT

Cancellation requirements for offers initiated in person were updated to explicitly require sellers to offer a similar in-person cancellation method in addition to electronic or telephone options.

EXEMPTIONS

The exemption list for regulated services was corrected by removing duplicate mentions of the Federal Communications Commission and fixing punctuation errors.

ENFORCEMENT

The penalty clause was reworded to change 'supplier seller' to 'supplier' and added a redundant sentence, likely to ensure clarity on who is exempt from penalties.

Floor votes · Senate Jan 30, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 24, 2026

How they voted

370
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 39
Jan 30, 2026
D Democratic20
20 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican19
17 Yea 2
89% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
48
Key actions
15
Committee
9
Amendments
6
Apr 13, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 932 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Mar 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB493ER)
upper
Mar 14, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference report agreed to by House (95-Y 0-N 0-A)
lower
Mar 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Mar 13, 2026
Legislature · Passed
Conference Report released
legislature
Feb 27, 2026
Committee
House requested conference committee
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House with substitute (98-Y 0-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (20-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Introduced
Engrossed by Senate as amended (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senator Pekarsky Amendments #4-7 agreed to
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Introduced
Reading of amendments waived (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Amended
Senator Pekarsky Amendments #1-3 withdrawn
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Introduced
Floor offered Senator Pekarsky Amendments
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Amended
General Laws and Technology Amendment rejected
upper
Feb 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Jan 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
upper
Jan 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendments (9-Y 0-N 6-A)
upper
Jan 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate committee offered
upper
Jan 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors