---
type: "Bill"
title: "Custody and visitation orders; use of term parenting time."
description: "Provides that the court, in its discretion and as to a parent, may use the phrase \"parenting time\" to be synonymous with the term \"visitation\" in a custody or visitation order."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2017"
identifier: "HB 1456"
citation: "Virginia HB 1456 (2017)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Courts Not of Record", "Domestic Relations", "Minors"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["David B. Albo"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 17
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2016-12-05"
last_action: "2017-02-17"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/976a3616-83e5-451e-9398-92e606987761"
source_url: "http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+sum+HB1456"
source_hash: "0f4676235e102929fa01289520b5d9510b9a015eb736db6770364d0981820e4c"
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 1456 (2017) — Custody and visitation orders; use of term parenting time.

Provides that the court, in its discretion and as to a parent, may use the phrase "parenting time" to be synonymous with the term "visitation" in a custody or visitation order.

## Version chain

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

1. **Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0046)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+CHAP0046)
2. **House: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1456ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+HB1456ER)
3. **House: Committee substitute printed 17104323D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+HB1456H1)
4. **House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17100855D** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+HB1456)

## Votes

- Passed Senate — **37–2** (pass) · legislature
- Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute — **21–0** (pass) · legislature
- Constitutional reading dispensed — **40–0** (pass) · legislature
- Reported from Courts of Justice — **10–1** (pass) · legislature
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment — **10–0** (pass) · legislature
- Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE — **99–0** (pass) · legislature

## Sponsors

- David B. Albo — primary (person)
- T. Scott Garrett — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2016-12-05** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17100855D `introduction`
- **2016-12-05** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2017-01-13** Assigned Courts sub: Civil Law `referral-committee`
- **2017-01-24** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2017-01-25** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2017-01-25** Committee substitute agreed to 17104323D-H1
- **2017-01-25** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB1456H1
- **2017-01-26** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2017-01-27** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2017-01-27** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-08** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2017-02-10** Enrolled
- **2017-02-10** Signed by Speaker
- **2017-02-13** Signed by President
- **2017-02-13** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on 2/13/17
- **2017-02-13** Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, February 20, 2017
- **2017-02-17** Approved by Governor-Chapter 46 (effective 7/1/17) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/976a3616-83e5-451e-9398-92e606987761`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).