---
type: "Bill"
title: "Death penalty; abolition of current penalty."
description: "Abolition of the death penalty. Abolishes the death penalty, including for those persons currently under a death sentence. The bill incorporates HB 1779."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 2263"
citation: "Virginia HB 2263 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Michael P. Mullin"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 47
vote_count: 9
first_action: "2021-01-13"
last_action: "2021-03-24"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/75c5425a-48fb-466a-bf29-d34abe72b344"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+HB2263"
source_hash: "a3571fdceeece4f7801decef40d29370fd43816ce255cb8946b52f41f0045cb5"
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 2263 (2021) — Death penalty; abolition of current penalty.

Abolition of the death penalty. Abolishes the death penalty, including for those persons currently under a death sentence. The bill incorporates HB 1779.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0344** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+CHAP0344)
2. **Committee substitute printed 21104346D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2263H1)
3. **Floor substitute printed 21200391D-S1 (Stanley)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2263S1)
4. **HB2263ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2263ER)
5. **Presented and ordered printed 21101951D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2263)

## Votes

- Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Judiciary (14-Y 0-N) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (57-Y 41-N) — **56–41** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (15-Y 6-N) — **15–6** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 3-N) — **10–3** (pass) · upper
- Substitute by Senator Stanley rejected 21200391D-S1 (18-Y 21-N) — **18–21** (fail) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (37-Y 0-N) — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Judiciary (9-Y 6-N) — **9–6** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 2-N) — **6–2** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate (22-Y 16-N) — **22–16** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Michael P. Mullin — primary (person)
- Alfonso H. Lopez — cosponsor (person)
- Betsy B. Carr — cosponsor (person)
- Charniele L. Herring — cosponsor (person)
- Chris L. Hurst — cosponsor (person)
- Dan I. Helmer — cosponsor (person)
- David A. Reid — cosponsor (person)
- Dawn M. Adams — cosponsor (person)
- Elizabeth R. Guzman — cosponsor (person)
- Ibraheem S. Samirah — cosponsor (person)
- Jeffrey M. Bourne — cosponsor (person)
- Jennifer L. McClellan — cosponsor (person)
- Jerrauld C. "Jay" Jones — cosponsor (person)
- Joshua G. Cole — cosponsor (person)
- Kaye Kory — cosponsor (person)
- Kenneth R. Plum — cosponsor (person)
- Lamont Bagby — cosponsor (person)
- Lashrecse D. Aird — cosponsor (person)
- Lee J. Carter — cosponsor (person)
- Marcia S. "Cia" Price — cosponsor (person)
- Marcus B. Simon — cosponsor (person)
- Patrick A. Hope — cosponsor (person)
- Paul E. Krizek — cosponsor (person)
- Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- Sam Rasoul — cosponsor (person)
- Shelly A. Simonds — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-13** Presented and ordered printed 21101951D `introduction`
- **2021-01-13** Impact statement from VCSC (HB2263)
- **2021-01-13** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-19** Impact statement from DPB (HB2263)
- **2021-01-28** Assigned Courts sub: Criminal `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-29** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 2-N)
- **2021-02-03** House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2021-02-03** Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (15-Y 6-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-03** Committee substitute printed 21104346D-H1 `substitution`
- **2021-02-03** Incorporates HB1779 (Carter)
- **2021-02-03** Impact statement from VCSC (HB2263H1)
- **2021-02-03** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2021-02-04** Impact statement from DPB (HB2263H1)
- **2021-02-04** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2021-02-04** Committee substitute agreed to 21104346D-H1
- **2021-02-04** Pending question ordered
- **2021-02-04** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB2263H1
- **2021-02-05** Pending question ordered
- **2021-02-05** Read third time and passed House (57-Y 41-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-02-05** VOTE: Passage (57-Y 41-N)
- **2021-02-05** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2021-02-05** Referred to Committee on the Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-05** Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Judiciary (14-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-10** Reported from Judiciary (9-Y 6-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-10** Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-16** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 3-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-16** Constitutional reading dispensed (37-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-17** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-17** Passed by for the day
- **2021-02-18** Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2021-02-18** Floor substitute printed 21200391D-S1 (Stanley)
- **2021-02-18** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-18** Passed by for the day
- **2021-02-18** Impact statement from VCSC (HB2263S1)
- **2021-02-19** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-19** Passed by for the day
- **2021-02-22** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-22** Reading of substitute waived
- **2021-02-22** Substitute by Senator Stanley rejected 21200391D-S1 (18-Y 21-N)
- **2021-02-22** Passed Senate (22-Y 16-N) `passage`
- **2021-02-24** Enrolled
- **2021-02-24** Signed by President
- **2021-02-25** Impact statement from DPB (HB2263ER)
- **2021-02-25** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-02-26** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on February 26, 2021
- **2021-02-26** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021
- **2021-03-24** Approved by Governor-Chapter 344 (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/75c5425a-48fb-466a-bf29-d34abe72b344`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).