---
type: "Bill"
title: "Retail franchise agreements; governing law, competition restrictions."
description: "Retail franchise agreements; governing law; competition restrictions. Provides that retail franchise agreements shall be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth and prohibits any person from offering or entering into a franchise agreement that includes competition restrictions that extend beyond termination or expiration of the franchise agreement, except as a term of sale in the event that a franchisee sells a franchise to a third party or back to the franchisor. This bill is identical to SB 240."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 69"
citation: "Virginia HB 69 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Dan I. Helmer"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 34
vote_count: 9
first_action: "2025-12-30"
last_action: "2026-04-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/0d8948f0-721a-4327-b7ae-d64e0704b34d"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB69"
source_hash: "b913bb9ecf7b0d6cc7975dff1d981282a7345f6cc016979bfec5a63a190896ed"
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 69 (2026) — Retail franchise agreements; governing law, competition restrictions.

Retail franchise agreements; governing law; competition restrictions. Provides that retail franchise agreements shall be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth and prohibits any person from offering or entering into a franchise agreement that includes competition restrictions that extend beyond termination or expiration of the franchise agreement, except as a term of sale in the event that a franchisee sells a franchise to a third party or back to the franchisor. This bill is identical to SB 240.

## Version chain

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

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082265.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218733.PDF)
3. **Commerce and Labor Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1201757.PDF)
4. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213346.PDF)

## Votes

- Passage R — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reconsider R — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- H VOTE: — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting — **9–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage R — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- H VOTE: — **95–2** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Labor and Commerce — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute — **15–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Dan I. Helmer — primary (person)
- JJ Singh — cosponsor (person)
- Jason S. Ballard — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-12-30** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100313D `filing, introduction`
- **2025-12-30** Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-15** Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #1 `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-19** Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB69)
- **2026-01-20** Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N)
- **2026-01-22** Reported from Labor and Commerce (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-01-26** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-01-27** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2026-01-28** Read third time and passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-01-29** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- **2026-01-29** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-09** Senate committee offered
- **2026-03-09** Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-09** Committee substitute printed 26109317D-S1 `substitution`
- **2026-03-10** Rules suspended
- **2026-03-10** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) (37-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-03-10** Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
- **2026-03-11** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-11** Commerce and Labor Substitute agreed to
- **2026-03-11** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute `substitution`
- **2026-03-11** Passed Senate with substitute Block Vote (39-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-11** Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-03-11** Passed Senate with substitute Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-12** Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB69)
- **2026-03-12** Senate substitute agreed to by House (95-Y 2-N 0-A) `substitution`
- **2026-03-30** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-30** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB69ER) `passage`
- **2026-03-30** Signed by President `passage`
- **2026-03-31** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2026-03-31** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-31** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-04-06** Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB69)
- **2026-04-13** Approved by Governor-Chapter 553 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`
- **2026-04-13** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0553)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/0d8948f0-721a-4327-b7ae-d64e0704b34d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).