---
type: "Bill"
title: "Comprehensive harm reduction programs; public health emergency, repeals sunset provision."
description: "Comprehensive harm reduction programs; public health emergency; repeal sunset. Repeals the sunset on the program established in 2017 that allows the Commissioner of Health to establish and operate local or regional comprehensive harm reduction programs during a declared public health emergency that include a provision for the distribution of sterile hypodermic needles and syringes and the disposal of used hypodermic needles and syringes. This bill is identical to HB 378."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 864"
citation: "Virginia SB 864 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Todd E. Pillion"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 23
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2020-01-08"
last_action: "2020-03-11"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/3dd9f011-5212-4dce-ab1c-18e8118684da"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB864"
source_hash: "f1b325ea09df04193cb9fc9240228f425ac29b26216fdb8cd228c87929a187e7"
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 864 (2020) — Comprehensive harm reduction programs; public health emergency, repeals sunset provision.

Comprehensive harm reduction programs; public health emergency; repeal sunset. Repeals the sunset on the program established in 2017 that allows the Commissioner of Health to establish and operate local or regional comprehensive harm reduction programs during a declared public health emergency that include a provision for the distribution of sterile hypodermic needles and syringes and the disposal of used hypodermic needles and syringes. This bill is identical to HB 378.

## Version chain

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

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0303)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0303)
2. **Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB864ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB864ER)
3. **Impact statement from DPB (SB864)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB864)

## Votes

- VOTE: Passage (92-Y 5-N) — **91–5** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Education and Health (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Health, Welfare and Institutions (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (37-Y 0-N) — **37–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Todd E. Pillion — primary (person)
- Dave A. LaRock — cosponsor (person)
- Sam Rasoul — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-08** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20104765D `introduction`
- **2020-01-08** Referred to Committee on Education and Health `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-21** Impact statement from DPB (SB864)
- **2020-01-24** Assigned Education sub: Health `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-30** Reported from Education and Health (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-01-31** Constitutional reading dispensed (37-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-03** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2020-02-04** Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **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 (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** Passed House (92-Y 5-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-21** VOTE: Passage (92-Y 5-N)
- **2020-02-26** Enrolled
- **2020-02-26** Impact statement from DPB (SB864ER)
- **2020-02-27** Signed by President
- **2020-02-27** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-04** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 4, 2020
- **2020-03-04** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 11, 2020
- **2020-03-11** Approved by Governor-Chapter 303 (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/3dd9f011-5212-4dce-ab1c-18e8118684da`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).