---
type: "Bill"
title: "Holding a handheld personal communications device while driving; driver improvement clinic."
description: "Holding a handheld personal communications device while driving; driver improvement clinic. Clarifies that a court may order, for a first violation of texting and driving, the satisfactory completion of a driver improvement clinic in lieu of a conviction."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 686"
citation: "Virginia SB 686 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["David R. Suetterlein"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 29
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2026-01-14"
last_action: "2026-04-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/3ed8087c-a139-4a18-afaf-d801829843e5"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB686"
source_hash: "370e43fda26917652f367e41dea9377cd7378395bb01144fe60cd614d7e3b2ed"
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 686 (2026) — Holding a handheld personal communications device while driving; driver improvement clinic.

Holding a handheld personal communications device while driving; driver improvement clinic. Clarifies that a court may order, for a first violation of texting and driving, the satisfactory completion of a driver improvement clinic in lieu of a conviction.

## 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/1091948.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218274.PDF)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1202792.PDF)

## Votes

- H VOTE: — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Transportation — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage R — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed R — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Transportation — **21–0** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting — **9–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- David R. Suetterlein — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-14** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100678D `filing, introduction`
- **2026-01-14** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-29** Reported from Transportation (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-02** Rules suspended
- **2026-02-02** Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-02-02** Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- **2026-02-02** Passed by for the day
- **2026-02-03** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-03** Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)
- **2026-02-04** Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-09** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB686)
- **2026-02-10** Placed on Calendar
- **2026-02-10** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-10** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-20** Assigned HTRAN sub: Highway Safety and Policy `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-25** Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N)
- **2026-03-03** Reported from Transportation (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-05** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-06** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-06** Passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-12** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-12** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB686ER) `passage`
- **2026-03-12** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB686)
- **2026-03-12** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2026-03-12** Signed by President `passage`
- **2026-03-14** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-14** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-04-08** Approved by Governor-Chapter 518 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`
- **2026-04-08** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0518)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/3ed8087c-a139-4a18-afaf-d801829843e5`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).