---
type: "Bill"
title: "Flashing red and white warning lights; emergency vehicle exemptions."
description: "Flashing red and white warning lights; emergency vehicle exemptions."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 981"
citation: "Virginia SB 981 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Marsden"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 30
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2023-01-06"
last_action: "2023-03-21"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ffb2406b-9489-4f8b-a707-f9d5d9efd327"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+sum+SB981"
source_hash: "34db5a0194e5727efed7bea64bc4e151cc88faf08cac430a264114dbfffd5df6"
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 981 (2023) — Flashing red and white warning lights; emergency vehicle exemptions.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0089** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+CHAP0089)
2. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23101698D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB981)
3. **Printed as engrossed 23101698D-E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB981E)
4. **SB981ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB981ER)

## Votes

- Reported from Transportation (22-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Reported from Transportation with amendment (15-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper

## Sponsors

- Marsden — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-06** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23101698D `filing, introduction`
- **2023-01-06** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-16** Impact statement from DPB (SB981)
- **2023-01-26** Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2023-01-26** Reported from Transportation with amendment (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-30** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2023-01-31** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-01-31** Reading of amendment waived
- **2023-01-31** Committee amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2023-01-31** Engrossed by Senate as amended SB981E
- **2023-01-31** Printed as engrossed 23101698D-E
- **2023-02-01** Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-02** Impact statement from DPB (SB981E)
- **2023-02-08** Placed on Calendar
- **2023-02-08** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2023-02-08** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-09** Reported from Transportation (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-13** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-02-14** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-14** Passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-14** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-16** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-02-16** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB981ER) `passage`
- **2023-02-16** Impact statement from DPB (SB981ER)
- **2023-02-16** Signed by President `passage`
- **2023-02-16** Signed by Speaker `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`
- **2023-03-21** Approved by Governor-Chapter 89 (effective 7/1/23) `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-21** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0089)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ffb2406b-9489-4f8b-a707-f9d5d9efd327`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).