---
type: "Bill"
title: "Pharmacist; remote verification and counseling in opioid treatment programs."
description: "Remote pharmacist verification and counseling in opioid treatment programs. Authorizes a pharmacist licensed in the Commonwealth to exercise verification, counseling, and supervision duties remotely when a pharmacy technician or other authorized personnel dispenses medication prescribed for the management of opioid use disorder at a federally certified opioid treatment program."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 421"
citation: "Virginia SB 421 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Barbara A. Favola"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 30
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2026-01-13"
last_action: "2026-04-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e757039f-223d-435d-b1b5-b877028592e7"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB421"
source_hash: "2d5780a41f033c60812dcc90bef09efe24e8a03cc19bc838cfab8c473150c09b"
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 421 (2026) — Pharmacist; remote verification and counseling in opioid treatment programs.

Remote pharmacist verification and counseling in opioid treatment programs. Authorizes a pharmacist licensed in the Commonwealth to exercise verification, counseling, and supervision duties remotely when a pharmacy technician or other authorized personnel dispenses medication prescribed for the management of opioid use disorder at a federally certified opioid treatment program.

## 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/1090002.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217438.PDF)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1188579.PDF)

## Votes

- Reported from Education and Health — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Health and Human Services — **19–3** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed R — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage R — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- H VOTE: — **91–5** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting — **10–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Barbara A. Favola — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-13** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104861D `filing, introduction`
- **2026-01-13** Referred to Committee on Education and Health `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-29** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB421)
- **2026-01-30** Assigned Education sub: Health Professions `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-05** Reported from Education and Health (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-06** Rules suspended
- **2026-02-06** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-02-06** Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
- **2026-02-06** Passed by for the day
- **2026-02-09** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-09** Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)
- **2026-02-10** Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-13** Placed on Calendar
- **2026-02-13** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-13** Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-16** Assigned sub: Health Professions `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-19** Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N)
- **2026-02-24** Reported from Health and Human Services (19-Y 3-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-26** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-27** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-02-27** Passed House (91-Y 5-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-04** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-04** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB421ER) `passage`
- **2026-03-04** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB421)
- **2026-03-04** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2026-03-04** Signed by President `passage`
- **2026-03-10** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-10** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-04-06** Approved by Governor-Chapter 345 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`
- **2026-04-06** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0345)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e757039f-223d-435d-b1b5-b877028592e7`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).