---
type: "Bill"
title: "VWC; permits commissioners and deputy commissioners to carry a concealed weapon."
description: "Provides an exception from the prohibition against carrying a weapon into courthouses in the Commonwealth for a commissioner or deputy commissioner of the Workers' Compensation Commission while in the conduct of official duties."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2017"
identifier: "SB 904"
citation: "Virginia SB 904 (2017)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Crimes and Offenses Generally", "Weapons", "Workers' Compensation"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Mark D. Obenshain"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 23
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2016-12-22"
last_action: "2017-03-24"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/2397a440-b660-41ce-984a-4dd6dde00be4"
source_url: "http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+sum+SB904"
source_hash: "f221b4ab11cd0ba88d3e507bb4b7238d84e94e028afb7195bad9bd24484dafe8"
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 904 (2017) — VWC; permits commissioners and deputy commissioners to carry a concealed weapon.

Provides an exception from the prohibition against carrying a weapon into courthouses in the Commonwealth for a commissioner or deputy commissioner of the Workers' Compensation Commission while in the conduct of official duties.

## Version chain

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

1. **Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0761)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+CHAP0761)
2. **House: Committee substitute printed 17105645D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+SB904H1)
3. **Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB904ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+SB904ER)
4. **Senate: Committee substitute printed 17104400D-S1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+SB904S1)
5. **Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17100985D** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+SB904)

## Votes

- Reported from Militia, Police and Public Safety with substitute — **15–7** (pass) · legislature
- Passed House with substitute — **61–36** (pass) · legislature
- Constitutional reading dispensed — **39–0** (pass) · legislature
- Read third time and passed Senate — **40–0** (pass) · legislature
- House substitute agreed to by Senate — **38–2** (pass) · legislature
- Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute — **13–0** (pass) · legislature

## Sponsors

- Mark D. Obenshain — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2016-12-22** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17100985D `introduction`
- **2016-12-22** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2017-01-30** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2017-01-30** Reading of substitute waived
- **2017-01-30** Committee substitute agreed to 17104400D-S1
- **2017-01-30** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB904S1
- **2017-02-03** Placed on Calendar
- **2017-02-03** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2017-02-03** Referred to Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-10** Assigned MPPS sub: #1 `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-16** Subcommittee recommends laying on the table by voice vote
- **2017-02-20** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2017-02-21** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2017-02-21** Committee substitute agreed to 17105645D-H1
- **2017-02-21** Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB904H1
- **2017-02-21** Passed House with substitute (61-Y 36-N) `passage`
- **2017-02-22** Title replaced 17105645D-H1
- **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
- **2017-03-24** Approved by Governor-Chapter 761 (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/2397a440-b660-41ce-984a-4dd6dde00be4`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).