---
type: "Bill"
title: "License plates, special; PROTECT SEA LIFE."
description: "Authorizes the issuance of revenue-sharing special license plates for supporters of the Virginia Aquarium bearing the legend PROTECT SEA LIFE."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2019"
identifier: "HB 1637"
citation: "Virginia HB 1637 (2019)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Motor Vehicles"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Barry D. Knight"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 17
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2018-11-15"
last_action: "2019-02-21"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e8ca44c0-7270-42e2-9f9a-35bbb8c11768"
source_url: "http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+sum+HB1637"
source_hash: "e11448688e530c9d0c5eda2c35526e9725e3a7d212930a9f0558a0edd800d6c9"
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 HB 1637 (2019) — License plates, special; PROTECT SEA LIFE.

Authorizes the issuance of revenue-sharing special license plates for supporters of the Virginia Aquarium bearing the legend PROTECT SEA LIFE.

## Version chain

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

1. **Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0067)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+ful+CHAP0067)
2. **House amendments adopted** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+amd+HB1637AH)
3. **House: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1637ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+ful+HB1637ER)
4. **House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/09/19 19100780D** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+ful+HB1637)
5. **House: Printed as engrossed 19100780D-E** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+ful+HB1637E)

## Votes

- Reported from Transportation with amendment — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Transportation — **12–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Barry D. Knight — primary (person)
- Kaye Kory — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2018-11-15** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/09/19 19100780D `introduction`
- **2018-11-15** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2019-01-24** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2019-01-25** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2019-01-25** Committee amendment agreed to
- **2019-01-25** Engrossed by House as amended HB1637E
- **2019-01-25** Printed as engrossed 19100780D-E
- **2019-01-28** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2019-01-29** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2019-01-29** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2019-02-11** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2019-02-13** Enrolled
- **2019-02-13** Signed by Speaker
- **2019-02-14** Signed by President
- **2019-02-15** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on February 15, 2019
- **2019-02-15** Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, February 22, 2019
- **2019-02-21** Approved by Governor-Chapter 67 (effective 7/1/19) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e8ca44c0-7270-42e2-9f9a-35bbb8c11768`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).