---
type: "Bill"
title: "Two-way video testimony; forensic analysis and examination."
description: "Two-way video testimony; forensic analysis and examination."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2017"
identifier: "SB 1257"
citation: "Virginia SB 1257 (2017)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Criminal Procedure"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["A. Benton \"Ben\" Chafin"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 16
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2017-01-10"
last_action: "2017-03-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/5399c72d-722a-4f28-a7d9-7ef049a616a7"
source_url: "http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+sum+SB1257"
source_hash: "a841998ef1e54084ff0bc34a1aab200f80cdbce90638c0f657e17eb6ff43fcab"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia SB 1257 (2017) — Two-way video testimony; forensic analysis and examination.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0669)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+CHAP0669)
2. **Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1257ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+SB1257ER)
3. **Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17101214D** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+SB1257)

## Votes

- Subcommittee recommends reporting — **9–1** (pass) · legislature
- Read third time and passed Senate — **33–7** (pass) · legislature
- Constitutional reading dispensed — **39–0** (pass) · legislature
- Reported from Courts of Justice — **12–2** (pass) · legislature
- Passed House — **98–2** (pass) · legislature
- Reported from Courts of Justice — **20–1** (pass) · legislature

## Sponsors

- A. Benton "Ben" Chafin — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2017-01-10** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17101214D `introduction`
- **2017-01-10** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2017-01-30** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2017-02-03** Placed on Calendar
- **2017-02-03** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2017-02-03** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-08** Assigned Courts sub: Criminal Law `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-21** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2017-02-22** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2017-02-22** Passed House (98-Y 2-N) `passage`
- **2017-03-07** Enrolled
- **2017-03-07** Signed by Speaker
- **2017-03-10** Signed by President
- **2017-03-13** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on 3/13/17
- **2017-03-13** Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, March 27, 2017
- **2017-03-20** Approved by Governor-Chapter 669 (effective 7/1/17) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/5399c72d-722a-4f28-a7d9-7ef049a616a7`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).