---
type: "Bill"
title: "Fluoride varnish; possession and administration by medical assistants, etc."
description: "Medical assistants; administration of fluoride varnish. Allows an authorized agent of a doctor of medicine, osteopathic medicine, or dentistry to possess and administer topical fluoride varnish pursuant to an oral or written order or a standing protocol issued by a doctor of medicine, osteopathic medicine, or dentistry. This bill is identical to HB 299."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 239"
citation: "Virginia SB 239 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["George L. Barker"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 30
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2020-01-02"
last_action: "2020-03-31"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/bb4556b2-7494-47ed-aa09-fefbf06ec0b0"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB239"
source_hash: "6c7b8f023a0fa2177d0811b629ad76e1270b3ae392099b7aa6d2868faa7c38eb"
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 239 (2020) — Fluoride varnish; possession and administration by medical assistants, etc.

Medical assistants; administration of fluoride varnish. Allows an authorized agent of a doctor of medicine, osteopathic medicine, or dentistry to possess and administer topical fluoride varnish pursuant to an oral or written order or a standing protocol issued by a doctor of medicine, osteopathic medicine, or dentistry. This bill is identical to HB 299.

## Version chain

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

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0560)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0560)
2. **Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB239ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB239ER)
3. **Engrossed by Senate as amended SB239E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB239)
4. **Engrossed by Senate as amended SB239E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB239E)

## Votes

- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N) — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Health, Welfare and Institutions with amendment (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (37-Y 0-N) — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Education and Health with amendments (14-Y 1-N) — **14–1** (pass) · upper
- House amendment agreed to by Senate (39-Y 1-N) — **39–1** (pass) · upper
- Read third time and passed Senate (38-Y 1-N) — **38–1** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- George L. Barker — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-02** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20103323D `introduction`
- **2020-01-02** Referred to Committee on Education and Health `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-09** Reported from Education and Health with amendments (14-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-01-10** Constitutional reading dispensed (37-Y 0-N)
- **2020-01-13** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-01-13** Reading of amendments waived
- **2020-01-13** Committee amendments agreed to
- **2020-01-13** Engrossed by Senate as amended SB239E
- **2020-01-13** Impact statement from DPB (SB239)
- **2020-01-13** Printed as engrossed 20103323D-E
- **2020-01-14** Read third time and passed Senate (38-Y 1-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-01-28** Impact statement from DPB (SB239E)
- **2020-02-13** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-02-13** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-13** Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-18** Reported from Health, Welfare and Institutions with amendment (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-20** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-21** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-21** Committee amendment agreed to
- **2020-02-21** Engrossed by House as amended
- **2020-02-21** Passed House with amendment BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-21** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-25** House amendment agreed to by Senate (39-Y 1-N)
- **2020-03-02** Enrolled
- **2020-03-02** Impact statement from DPB (SB239ER)
- **2020-03-02** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-03** Signed by President
- **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
- **2020-03-31** Approved by Governor-Chapter 560 (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/bb4556b2-7494-47ed-aa09-fefbf06ec0b0`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).