---
type: "Bill"
title: "Witness impeachment evidence designation; review process."
description: "Witness impeachment evidence designation; review process. Provides a review process when the attorney for the Commonwealth designates a law-enforcement officer as a witness with a witness impeachment evidence designation within certain time frames specified in the bill. The bill defines \"witness impeachment evidence designation\" as a determination that is made by or a designation that is created by the attorney for the Commonwealth relating to a law-enforcement officer who has engaged in conduct that meets the requirements for disclosure in a criminal prosecution according to the Constitution of the United States for any criminal prosecution in which the officer is a participant. The bill prohibits a law-enforcement officer from being discharged, disciplined, or threatened with discharge or discipline solely due to the designation of such officer as a witness with a witness impeachment evidence designation."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 974"
citation: "Virginia HB 974 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Marcia S. \"Cia\" Price"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 34
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2026-01-13"
last_action: "2026-04-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/10d13fb4-cfb2-4b8e-a0a8-3852b1d84ed9"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB974"
source_hash: "7ea19fa4cc3f5f34fbe63f056674a610292e36a2b46896002cd5fae6a0f1dcbc"
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 974 (2026) — Witness impeachment evidence designation; review process.

Witness impeachment evidence designation; review process. Provides a review process when the attorney for the Commonwealth designates a law-enforcement officer as a witness with a witness impeachment evidence designation within certain time frames specified in the bill. The bill defines "witness impeachment evidence designation" as a determination that is made by or a designation that is created by the attorney for the Commonwealth relating to a law-enforcement officer who has engaged in conduct that meets the requirements for disclosure in a criminal prosecution according to the Constitution of the United States for any criminal prosecution in which the officer is a participant. The bill prohibits a law-enforcement officer from being discharged, disciplined, or threatened with discharge or discipline solely due to the designation of such officer as a witness with a witness impeachment evidence designation.

## 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/1086751.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217910.PDF)
3. **Courts of Justice Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1199528.HTML)
4. **Criminal Subcommittee Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135742.HTML)
5. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1144629.PDF)
6. **Senate Amendments** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1204030.HTML)
7. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1212335.PDF)

## Votes

- Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments — **12–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) — **16–6** (pass) · lower
- Passage R — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) — **7–3** (pass) · lower
- H VOTE: — **63–33** (pass) · lower
- H VOTE: — **70–28** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Marcia S. "Cia" Price — primary (person)
- Jackie H. Glass — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-13** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103116D `filing, introduction`
- **2026-01-13** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-07** Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-09** House subcommittee offered
- **2026-02-09** Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (7-Y 3-N)
- **2026-02-11** Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (16-Y 6-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-13** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-16** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-16** committee amendments agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2026-02-16** Engrossed by House as amended
- **2026-02-16** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB974)
- **2026-02-17** Read third time and passed House (64-Y 33-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-18** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- **2026-02-18** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-02** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB974)
- **2026-03-05** Senate committee offered
- **2026-03-05** Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments (12-Y 0-N 2-A) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-09** Rules suspended
- **2026-03-09** Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-03-09** Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- **2026-03-10** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-10** Courts of Justice Amendments agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2026-03-10** Engrossed by Senate as amended
- **2026-03-10** Passed Senate with amendments (40-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-11** Senate amendments agreed to by House (70-Y 28-N 0-A) `amendment-passage`
- **2026-03-30** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-30** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB974ER) `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`
- **2026-04-01** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB974)
- **2026-04-08** Approved by Governor-Chapter 441 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`
- **2026-04-08** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0441)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/10d13fb4-cfb2-4b8e-a0a8-3852b1d84ed9`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).