---
type: "Bill"
title: "Project evaluation; primary evacuation routes."
description: "Statewide prioritization process; primary evacuation routes. Requires the Office of Intermodal Planning to include in the results of screening candidate projects in the Six-Year Improvement Program whether such projects are located on a primary evacuation route."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 561"
citation: "Virginia HB 561 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Emily M. Brewer"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 31
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2020-01-06"
last_action: "2020-04-09"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/224b8759-0925-4459-b8bb-e9be76aa5df2"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB561"
source_hash: "ad2ce3f7cbe05e344baac9e37f60a0ca4bff5428d613e4df9f007586ca02ac39"
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 561 (2020) — Project evaluation; primary evacuation routes.

Statewide prioritization process; primary evacuation routes. Requires the Office of Intermodal Planning to include in the results of screening candidate projects in the Six-Year Improvement Program whether such projects are located on a primary evacuation route.

## Version chain

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

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0971)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0971)
2. **Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB561ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB561ER)
3. **Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB561H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB561H1)
4. **Impact statement from DPB (HB561)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB561)

## Votes

- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (10-Y 0-N) — **10–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Transportation (14-Y 0-N) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Transportation with substitute (21-Y 1-N) — **21–1** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Passage (99-Y 1-N) — **98–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Emily M. Brewer — primary (person)
- Alex Q. Askew — cosponsor (person)
- Don L. Scott — cosponsor (person)
- James A. "Jay" Leftwich — cosponsor (person)
- Jason S. Miyares — cosponsor (person)
- Jerrauld C. "Jay" Jones — cosponsor (person)
- Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-06** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20103235D `introduction`
- **2020-01-06** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-14** Assigned Transportation sub: Transportation Systems `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-24** Impact statement from DPB (HB561)
- **2020-01-30** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2020-01-30** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (10-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-04** House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2020-02-04** Reported from Transportation with substitute (21-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-04** Committee substitute printed 20107098D-H1 `substitution`
- **2020-02-05** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-06** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-06** Committee substitute agreed to 20107098D-H1
- **2020-02-06** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB561H1
- **2020-02-07** Read third time and passed House (99-Y 1-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-07** VOTE: Passage (99-Y 1-N)
- **2020-02-10** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2020-02-10** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-17** Impact statement from DPB (HB561H1)
- **2020-02-27** Reported from Transportation (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-03-02** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2020-03-03** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-03** Passed by for the day
- **2020-03-04** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-04** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-03-07** Enrolled
- **2020-03-07** Signed by President
- **2020-03-08** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-09** Impact statement from DPB (HB561ER)
- **2020-03-12** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 12, 2020
- **2020-03-12** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-09** Approved by Governor-Chapter 971 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/224b8759-0925-4459-b8bb-e9be76aa5df2`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).