---
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: "SB 1470"
citation: "Virginia SB 1470 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["George L. Barker"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 29
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2021-01-22"
last_action: "2021-03-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/df0969e3-6004-406a-a87f-9a51f456533a"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+SB1470"
source_hash: "da635ec58559d29b8a5a4c5dba748b589594bb19624e9973e1bef6fc507304ba"
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 1470 (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. **CHAP0359** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+CHAP0359)
2. **Presented and ordered printed 21102537D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1470)
3. **Printed as engrossed 21102537D-E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1470E)
4. **SB1470ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1470ER)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed (37-Y 0-N) — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Transportation (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Continued to Special Session 1 in Transportation — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Transportation with amendment (13-Y 1-N 1-A) — **13–1** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- George L. Barker — primary (person)
- Jennifer B. Boysko — cosponsor (person)
- Jennifer L. McClellan — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-22** Presented and ordered printed 21102537D `introduction`
- **2021-01-22** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-28** Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2021-01-28** Reported from Transportation with amendment (13-Y 1-N 1-A) `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-28** Impact statement from DPB (SB1470)
- **2021-02-01** Constitutional reading dispensed (37-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-02** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2021-02-02** Reading of amendment waived
- **2021-02-02** Committee amendment agreed to
- **2021-02-02** Engrossed by Senate as amended SB1470E
- **2021-02-02** Printed as engrossed 21102537D-E
- **2021-02-03** Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-02-05** Placed on Calendar
- **2021-02-05** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2021-02-05** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-08** Continued to Special Session 1 in Transportation
- **2021-02-08** Impact statement from DPB (SB1470E)
- **2021-02-11** Reported from Transportation (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-15** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2021-02-16** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-16** Passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2021-02-16** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-19** Enrolled
- **2021-02-22** Impact statement from DPB (SB1470ER)
- **2021-02-22** Signed by President
- **2021-02-22** Signed by Speaker
- **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 359 (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/df0969e3-6004-406a-a87f-9a51f456533a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).