---
type: "Bill"
title: "Habeas corpus; reorganizes, updates outdated language, and removes unused provisions."
description: "Reorganizes, updates outdated language, and removes unused provisions in several writ of habeas corpus statutes. The bill clarifies certain procedural issues such as service, venue, amendments for failure to name a proper party respondent, necessity of a response, and transfer for evidentiary hearings. This bill is a recommendation of the Judicial Council. This bill is identical to"
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2019"
identifier: "HB 1909"
citation: "Virginia HB 1909 (2019)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["James A. \"Jay\" Leftwich"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 15
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2019-01-04"
last_action: "2019-02-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/92aed33a-b95e-4e9a-b4ca-330cdc09bc21"
source_url: "http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+sum+HB1909"
source_hash: "16d85ec25dd912d2f4b824d627d3985eb66b77f4dc92ad033576f36c60887875"
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# Virginia HB 1909 (2019) — Habeas corpus; reorganizes, updates outdated language, and removes unused provisions.

Reorganizes, updates outdated language, and removes unused provisions in several writ of habeas corpus statutes. The bill clarifies certain procedural issues such as service, venue, amendments for failure to name a proper party respondent, necessity of a response, and transfer for evidentiary hearings. This bill is a recommendation of the Judicial Council. This bill is identical to

## Version chain

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

1. **Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0008)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+ful+CHAP0008)
2. **House: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1909ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+ful+HB1909ER)
3. **House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/09/19 19101170D** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+ful+HB1909)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Courts of Justice — **18–0** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting — **6–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Courts of Justice — **10–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE — **97–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- James A. "Jay" Leftwich — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2019-01-04** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/09/19 19101170D `introduction`
- **2019-01-04** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2019-01-10** Assigned Courts sub: Subcommittee #2 `referral-committee`
- **2019-01-23** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2019-01-24** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2019-01-25** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (97-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2019-01-28** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2019-01-28** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2019-02-04** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2019-02-05** Enrolled
- **2019-02-05** Signed by Speaker
- **2019-02-05** Signed by President
- **2019-02-06** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on February 6, 2019
- **2019-02-06** Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, February 13, 2019
- **2019-02-13** Approved by Governor-Chapter 8 (effective 7/1/19) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/92aed33a-b95e-4e9a-b4ca-330cdc09bc21`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).