---
type: "Bill"
title: "Sickle cell anemia; prescription of opioids for pain management."
description: "Prescription of opioids; sickle cell anemia.Exempts prescribers from certain requirements of the PrescriptionMonitoring Program related to prescribing opioids if the opioid isprescribed to a patient for pain management related to sickle cellanemia."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 257"
citation: "Virginia HB 257 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Candi Mundon King"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 26
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2024-01-04"
last_action: "2024-04-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/b3103e47-8c29-44d3-934e-e8863da4e217"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB257"
source_hash: "3c235e513d0aad1073c3f511cc8dca5ef10719e22f3a4034147299ebb15082d8"
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 HB 257 (2024) — Sickle cell anemia; prescription of opioids for pain management.

Prescription of opioids; sickle cell anemia.Exempts prescribers from certain requirements of the PrescriptionMonitoring Program related to prescribing opioids if the opioid isprescribed to a patient for pain management related to sickle cellanemia.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0635** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+CHAP0635)
2. **HB257ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB257ER)
3. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24101289D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB257)

## Votes

- Reported from Health and Human Services (15-Y 7-N) — **15–7** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Education and Health (13-Y 2-N) — **13–2** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (63-Y 35-N) — **62–35** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 2-N) — **6–2** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Candi Mundon King — primary (person)
- Alfonso H. Lopez — cosponsor (person)
- Bonita G. Anthony — cosponsor (person)
- Delores L. McQuinn — cosponsor (person)
- Irene Shin — cosponsor (person)
- Joshua G. Cole — cosponsor (person)
- Marcia S. "Cia" Price — cosponsor (person)
- Marcus B. Simon — cosponsor (person)
- Marty Martinez — cosponsor (person)
- Michelle Lopes Maldonado — cosponsor (person)
- Nadarius E. Clark — cosponsor (person)
- Patrick A. Hope — cosponsor (person)
- Rozia A. Henson, Jr. — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-04** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24101289D `filing, introduction`
- **2024-01-04** Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-11** Impact statement from DPB (HB257)
- **2024-01-17** Assigned sub: Health `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-23** Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 2-N)
- **2024-01-25** Reported from Health and Human Services (15-Y 7-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-01-29** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2024-01-30** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2024-01-31** Read third time and passed House (63-Y 35-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-01-31** VOTE: Passage (63-Y 35-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-01** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2024-02-01** Referred to Committee on Education and Health `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-21** Assigned Education and Health Sub: Health Professions `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-29** Reported from Education and Health (13-Y 2-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-03-01** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2024-03-04** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-03-04** Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-03-07** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2024-03-07** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB257ER) `passage`
- **2024-03-07** Impact statement from DPB (HB257ER)
- **2024-03-07** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2024-03-08** Signed by President `passage`
- **2024-03-11** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-11** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024 `executive-receipt`
- **2024-04-08** Approved by Governor-Chapter 635 (effective 7/1/24) `executive-signature`
- **2024-04-08** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0635)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/b3103e47-8c29-44d3-934e-e8863da4e217`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).