---
type: "Bill"
title: "Emergency medical services agencies; ordinances or resolutions, designation as emergency response."
description: "Emergency medical services agencies; ordinances or resolutions, designation as emergency response."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 1246"
citation: "Virginia SB 1246 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Obenshain"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 28
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2023-01-10"
last_action: "2023-03-24"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/5b66b9b8-fcf9-4fd3-8337-1a6db12f9f18"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+sum+SB1246"
source_hash: "103021136d02fc8dc30cf6fc3636c6d5f5058be8336f8a962c0b50a8d4633c7c"
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 1246 (2023) — Emergency medical services agencies; ordinances or resolutions, designation as emergency response.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0459** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+CHAP0459)
2. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23102677D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB1246)
3. **Printed as engrossed 23102677D-E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB1246E)
4. **SB1246ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB1246ER)

## Votes

- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Reported from Local Government with amendment (14-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns (22-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper

## Sponsors

- Obenshain — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-10** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23102677D `filing, introduction`
- **2023-01-10** Referred to Committee on Local Government `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-16** Reported from Local Government with amendment (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-17** Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N)
- **2023-01-18** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-01-18** Reading of amendment waived
- **2023-01-18** Committee amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2023-01-18** Engrossed by Senate as amended SB1246E
- **2023-01-18** Printed as engrossed 23102677D-E
- **2023-01-19** Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-01-20** Impact statement from DPB (SB1246E)
- **2023-02-08** Placed on Calendar
- **2023-02-08** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2023-02-08** Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-10** Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-14** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-02-15** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-15** Passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-15** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-20** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-02-20** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1246ER) `passage`
- **2023-02-20** Impact statement from DPB (SB1246ER)
- **2023-02-20** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2023-02-21** Signed by President `passage`
- **2023-03-02** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 2, 2023 `enrolled`
- **2023-03-02** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 27, 2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-24** Approved by Governor-Chapter 459 (effective 7/1/23) `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-24** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0459)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/5b66b9b8-fcf9-4fd3-8337-1a6db12f9f18`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).