---
type: "Bill"
title: "Facial recognition technology; authorization of use by local law-enforcement agencies, etc."
description: "Facial recognition technology; authorizationof use by local law-enforcement agencies and public institutionsof higher education. Allows a locality or a public institutionof higher education to authorize a local law-enforcement agency orcampus police department to purchase or deploy facial recognitiontechnology, which is defined in the bill. The bill prohibits a locallaw-enforcement agency or public institution of higher education currentlyusing facial recognition technology from continuing to use suchtechnology without such authorization after July 1, 2021."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 2031"
citation: "Virginia HB 2031 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Lashrecse D. Aird"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 51
vote_count: 10
first_action: "2021-01-12"
last_action: "2021-04-07"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/88df806c-fa9b-455f-8ae1-ffc5e1ff969e"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+HB2031"
source_hash: "1957bd95c87bcc7c4d8f8102cce8d6fd3daad01376674120ba6b7b2195a3084b"
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 2031 (2021) — Facial recognition technology; authorization of use by local law-enforcement agencies, etc.

Facial recognition technology; authorizationof use by local law-enforcement agencies and public institutionsof higher education. Allows a locality or a public institutionof higher education to authorize a local law-enforcement agency orcampus police department to purchase or deploy facial recognitiontechnology, which is defined in the bill. The bill prohibits a locallaw-enforcement agency or public institution of higher education currentlyusing facial recognition technology from continuing to use suchtechnology without such authorization after July 1, 2021.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0537** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+CHAP0537)
2. **HB2031ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2031ER)
3. **HB2031ER2** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2031ER2)
4. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21101718D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2031)
5. **Printed as engrossed 21101718D-E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2031E)

## Votes

- Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (40-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in General Laws and Technology (14-Y 0-N) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendment (12-Y 0-N) — **12–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate with amendments (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N) — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Communications, Technology and Innovation with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Adoption (99-Y 0-N) — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage #2 (100-Y 0-N) — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Adoption (99-Y 1-N) — **98–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Lashrecse D. Aird — primary (person)
- Don L. Scott — cosponsor (person)
- Elizabeth R. Guzman — cosponsor (person)
- Hala S. Ayala — cosponsor (person)
- Ibraheem S. Samirah — cosponsor (person)
- Jeffrey M. Bourne — cosponsor (person)
- Jerrauld C. "Jay" Jones — cosponsor (person)
- Kathleen Murphy — cosponsor (person)
- Kathy K.L. Tran — cosponsor (person)
- Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler — cosponsor (person)
- Kenneth R. Plum — cosponsor (person)
- Marcia S. "Cia" Price — cosponsor (person)
- Mark L. Keam — cosponsor (person)
- Paul E. Krizek — cosponsor (person)
- Sally L. Hudson — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-12** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21101718D `introduction`
- **2021-01-12** Referred to Committee on Communications, Technology and Innovation `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-18** House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2021-01-18** Reported from Communications, Technology and Innovation with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-19** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2021-01-20** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2021-01-20** Committee amendments agreed to
- **2021-01-20** Engrossed by House as amended HB2031E
- **2021-01-20** Printed as engrossed 21101718D-E
- **2021-01-21** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-01-21** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N)
- **2021-01-21** Reconsideration of passage agreed to by House
- **2021-01-21** Passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2021-01-21** VOTE: Block Vote Passage #2 (100-Y 0-N)
- **2021-01-22** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2021-01-22** Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-26** Impact statement from DPB (HB2031E)
- **2021-02-05** Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in General Laws and Technology (14-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-10** Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2021-02-10** Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendment (12-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-12** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-15** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-15** Reading of amendment waived
- **2021-02-15** Committee amendment agreed to
- **2021-02-15** Passed by for the day
- **2021-02-16** Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2021-02-16** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-16** Reading of amendments waived
- **2021-02-16** Amendments by Senator McDougle agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2021-02-16** Engrossed by Senate as amended
- **2021-02-16** Passed Senate with amendments (39-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2021-02-18** Placed on Calendar
- **2021-02-18** Senate amendments agreed to by House (99-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-18** VOTE: Adoption (99-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-22** Enrolled
- **2021-02-22** Impact statement from DPB (HB2031ER)
- **2021-02-22** Signed by President
- **2021-02-24** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-02-25** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on February 25, 2021
- **2021-02-25** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021
- **2021-03-31** Governor's recommendation received by House
- **2021-04-07** Placed on Calendar
- **2021-04-07** House concurred in Governor's recommendation (99-Y 1-N)
- **2021-04-07** VOTE: Adoption (99-Y 1-N)
- **2021-04-07** Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (40-Y 0-N)
- **2021-04-07** Governor's recommendation adopted
- **2021-04-07** Reenrolled
- **2021-04-07** Reenrolled bill text (HB2031ER2)
- **2021-04-07** Signed by Speaker as reenrolled
- **2021-04-07** Signed by President as reenrolled
- **2021-04-07** Enacted, Chapter 537 (effective 7/1/21) `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/88df806c-fa9b-455f-8ae1-ffc5e1ff969e`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).