---
type: "Bill"
title: "Prisoner; physical examination by licensed nurse practitioner."
description: "Physical examination of prisoner; licensed nurse practitioner; licensed physician assistant. Provides that each person received by the Department of Corrections shall be examined by a licensed physician, licensed nurse practitioner, or licensed physician assistant upon his arrival, within 30 days prior to any work assignment in food services, medical services, or cosmetological services or a change in work assignment, and at such other times thereafter as may be deemed necessary. Under current law, such examination may be performed only by a licensed physician."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 479"
citation: "Virginia HB 479 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Carrie E. Coyner"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 34
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2024-01-08"
last_action: "2024-03-28"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d07e1a38-1836-4f61-9947-0b9fcaab1a14"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB479"
source_hash: "5125c5ea5f95aa4855223a15fee47f8301239e7f4f5a4793e2a611150cd3699c"
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 479 (2024) — Prisoner; physical examination by licensed nurse practitioner.

Physical examination of prisoner; licensed nurse practitioner; licensed physician assistant. Provides that each person received by the Department of Corrections shall be examined by a licensed physician, licensed nurse practitioner, or licensed physician assistant upon his arrival, within 30 days prior to any work assignment in food services, medical services, or cosmetological services or a change in work assignment, and at such other times thereafter as may be deemed necessary. Under current law, such examination may be performed only by a licensed physician.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0193** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+CHAP0193)
2. **HB479ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB479ER)
3. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24102136D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB479)
4. **Printed as engrossed 24102136D-E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB479E)

## Votes

- Reported from Health and Human Services with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services with amendment (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N) — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Adoption (100-Y 0-N) — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate with amendment (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N) — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Carrie E. Coyner — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-08** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24102136D `filing, introduction`
- **2024-01-08** Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-17** Assigned sub: Health Professions `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-18** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2024-01-18** Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N)
- **2024-01-23** Reported from Health and Human Services with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-01-25** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2024-01-26** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2024-01-26** Committee amendments agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2024-01-26** Engrossed by House as amended HB479E
- **2024-01-26** Printed as engrossed 24102136D-E
- **2024-01-29** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-01-29** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-01-30** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2024-01-30** Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-02** Impact statement from DPB (HB479E)
- **2024-02-23** Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services with amendment (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-26** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2024-02-27** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-02-27** Reading of amendment waived
- **2024-02-27** Committee amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2024-02-27** Engrossed by Senate as amended
- **2024-02-27** Passed Senate with amendment (39-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-29** Senate amendment agreed to by House (100-Y 0-N) `amendment-passage`
- **2024-02-29** VOTE: Adoption (100-Y 0-N)
- **2024-03-06** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2024-03-06** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB479ER) `passage`
- **2024-03-06** Impact statement from DPB (HB479ER)
- **2024-03-06** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2024-03-07** 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`
- **2024-03-28** Approved by Governor-Chapter 193 (effective 7/1/24) `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-28** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0193)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d07e1a38-1836-4f61-9947-0b9fcaab1a14`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).