---
type: "Bill"
title: "Learner's permits; use of personal communication devices, restrictions."
description: "Learner's permits; use of personal communications device. Eliminates the provision prohibiting a holder of a learner's permit to operate a vehicle while using a wireless communication device. Such provision was specific only to the holder of a learner's permit. Under a different current law, all drivers, including those with a learner's permit, are prohibited from holding a personal communications device while operating a vehicle."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "SB 1335"
citation: "Virginia SB 1335 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Richard H. Stuart"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 35
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2021-01-12"
last_action: "2021-03-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/8ee08182-e3ce-440e-98d4-3d7d975c3c21"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+SB1335"
source_hash: "1cc5843c1ddbb6466c00ded039e7fb8fea0c9b4a45825fcc0a44a8d619bfca62"
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 1335 (2021) — Learner's permits; use of personal communication devices, restrictions.

Learner's permits; use of personal communications device. Eliminates the provision prohibiting a holder of a learner's permit to operate a vehicle while using a wireless communication device. Such provision was specific only to the holder of a learner's permit. Under a different current law, all drivers, including those with a learner's permit, are prohibited from holding a personal communications device while operating a vehicle.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0381** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+CHAP0381)
2. **Committee substitute printed 21200108D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1335H1)
3. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21100741D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1335)
4. **SB1335ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1335ER)
5. **SB1335S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1335S1)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (9-Y 0-N) — **9–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (97-Y 0-N) — **96–0** (pass) · lower
- Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Transportation with substitute (21-Y 0-N) — **21–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Transportation (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Continued to Special Session 1 in Transportation — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- House substitute agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Richard H. Stuart — primary (person)
- Scott A. Surovell — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-12** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21100741D `introduction`
- **2021-01-12** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-19** Impact statement from DPB (SB1335)
- **2021-01-21** Reported from Transportation (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-25** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2021-01-26** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2021-01-26** Floor substitute printed 21103709D-S1 (Stuart)
- **2021-01-26** Reading of substitute waived
- **2021-01-26** Substitute by Senator Stuart agreed to 21103709D-S1
- **2021-01-26** Engrossed by Senate - floor substitute SB1335S1
- **2021-01-27** Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-01-28** Impact statement from DPB (SB1335S1)
- **2021-02-02** Placed on Calendar
- **2021-02-02** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2021-02-02** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-08** Continued to Special Session 1 in Transportation
- **2021-02-09** Assigned Transportation sub: Transportation Innovations and General Topics `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-16** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2021-02-16** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (9-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-18** Reported from Transportation with substitute (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-18** Committee substitute printed 21200108D-H1 `substitution`
- **2021-02-22** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2021-02-23** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-23** Committee substitute agreed to 21200108D-H1
- **2021-02-23** Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB1335H1
- **2021-02-23** Passed House with substitute BLOCK VOTE (97-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2021-02-23** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (97-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-24** House substitute agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-24** Title replaced 21200108D-H1
- **2021-03-09** Enrolled
- **2021-03-09** Signed by President
- **2021-03-11** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-03-15** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 15, 2021
- **2021-03-15** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021
- **2021-03-25** Approved by Governor-Chapter 381 (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/8ee08182-e3ce-440e-98d4-3d7d975c3c21`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).