---
type: "Bill"
title: "Vehicle registration; special communication needs indicator."
description: "Vehicle registration; special communicationneeds indicator. Expands eligibility for a special communicationneeds indicator on a vehicle registration to vehicle owners whosevehicle is regularly occupied by an individual who has a disabilitythat can impair communication. Current law authorizes those vehicleowners who have a disability that can impair communication to applyfor such an indicator. The bill authorizes the removal of such indicatorby request in writing to the Department of Motor Vehicles."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 1960"
citation: "Virginia HB 1960 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Robert B. Bell"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 29
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2021-01-11"
last_action: "2021-03-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c4a7240b-6546-4965-9112-d78c2a6b744b"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+HB1960"
source_hash: "91bba71abe457a11bf6f629f84875ac41b46e66dde50ff8a5c0f46a19fefa7fd"
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 1960 (2021) — Vehicle registration; special communication needs indicator.

Vehicle registration; special communicationneeds indicator. Expands eligibility for a special communicationneeds indicator on a vehicle registration to vehicle owners whosevehicle is regularly occupied by an individual who has a disabilitythat can impair communication. Current law authorizes those vehicleowners who have a disability that can impair communication to applyfor such an indicator. The bill authorizes the removal of such indicatorby request in writing to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0358** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+CHAP0358)
2. **HB1960ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB1960ER)
3. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21101543D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB1960)
4. **Printed as engrossed 21101543D-E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB1960E)

## Votes

- Reported from Transportation (14-Y 0-N) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Transportation (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (9-Y 0-N) — **9–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Transportation with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) — **21–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Robert B. Bell — primary (person)
- Dan I. Helmer — cosponsor (person)
- Mark H. Levine — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-11** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21101543D `introduction`
- **2021-01-11** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-14** Assigned Transportation sub: Motor Vehicles `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-18** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2021-01-18** Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (9-Y 0-N)
- **2021-01-21** Reported from Transportation with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-22** Impact statement from DPB (HB1960)
- **2021-01-22** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2021-01-25** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2021-01-25** Committee amendment agreed to
- **2021-01-25** Engrossed by House as amended HB1960E
- **2021-01-25** Printed as engrossed 21101543D-E
- **2021-01-26** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-01-26** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N)
- **2021-01-27** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2021-01-27** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-05** Impact statement from DPB (HB1960E)
- **2021-02-05** Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Transportation (15-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-11** Reported from Transportation (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-15** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-16** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-16** Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2021-02-19** Enrolled
- **2021-02-19** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-02-22** Impact statement from DPB (HB1960ER)
- **2021-02-22** Signed by President
- **2021-02-24** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on February 24, 2021
- **2021-02-24** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021
- **2021-03-25** Approved by Governor-Chapter 358 (effective 7/1/21) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/c4a7240b-6546-4965-9112-d78c2a6b744b`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).