---
type: "Bill"
title: "Elections; filling vacancies in Gen. Assembly, certain vacancies to be filled between 30/45 days."
description: "Elections; filling vacancies in Gen. Assembly, certain vacancies to be filled between 30/45 days."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 944"
citation: "Virginia SB 944 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Suetterlein"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 29
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2023-01-06"
last_action: "2023-03-23"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d23f0aaa-552f-4527-8710-a3b810c9eb4a"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+sum+SB944"
source_hash: "e7f687cb3255f2e72dff9a3b3d61e52a86bd86b8db1045806a867c72d9d5104b"
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 944 (2023) — Elections; filling vacancies in Gen. Assembly, certain vacancies to be filled between 30/45 days.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0306** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+CHAP0306)
2. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23102711D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB944)
3. **SB944ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB944ER)

## Votes

- Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 1-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Privileges and Elections (15-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage #2 (99-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Privileges and Elections (22-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower

## Sponsors

- Suetterlein — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-06** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23102711D `filing, introduction`
- **2023-01-06** Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-17** Impact statement from DPB (SB944)
- **2023-01-24** Reported from Privileges and Elections (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-26** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2023-01-27** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2023-01-30** Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-08** Placed on Calendar
- **2023-02-08** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2023-02-08** Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-13** Assigned P & E sub: Subcommittee #1 `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-14** Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 1-N)
- **2023-02-17** Reported from Privileges and Elections (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-21** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-02-22** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-22** Passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-22** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-22** Reconsideration of House passage agreed to by House
- **2023-02-22** Passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-22** VOTE: Block Vote Passage #2 (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-03-07** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-03-07** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB944ER) `passage`
- **2023-03-08** Impact statement from DPB (SB944ER)
- **2023-03-08** Signed by President `passage`
- **2023-03-08** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2023-03-13** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 13, 2023 `enrolled`
- **2023-03-13** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 27, 2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-23** Approved by Governor-Chapter 306 (effective 7/1/23) `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-23** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0306)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d23f0aaa-552f-4527-8710-a3b810c9eb4a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).