---
type: "Bill"
title: "Crimes by gangs; expands definition, penalties for gang crimes."
description: "Crimes by gangs; expands definition, penalties for gang crimes."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2023"
identifier: "HB 1478"
citation: "Virginia HB 1478 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ballard"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 48
vote_count: 10
first_action: "2022-12-30"
last_action: "2023-03-23"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/297c5955-8783-49f9-bcf7-aeb0c6bac30f"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+sum+HB1478"
source_hash: "92eecf3f5705a67f26fa33ff913d0b41b5fa8e1fc7925642fcdd1a8790c1aacd"
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 1478 (2023) — Crimes by gangs; expands definition, penalties for gang crimes.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0396** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+CHAP0396)
2. **Committee substitute printed 23105571D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB1478H1)
3. **Committee substitute printed 23106872D-S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB1478S1)
4. **HB1478ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB1478ER)
5. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23102058D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB1478)

## Votes

- VOTE: Passage (58-Y 42-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- VOTE: Adoption (63-Y 34-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 1-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Appropriations (14-Y 8-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (13-Y 7-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Judiciary with substitute (14-Y 0-N 1-A) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Passed Senate with substitute (31-Y 9-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 3-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 2-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper

## Sponsors

- Ballard — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2022-12-30** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23102058D `filing, introduction`
- **2022-12-30** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-04** Impact statement from VCSC (HB1478)
- **2023-01-19** Impact statement from DPB (HB1478)
- **2023-01-24** Assigned Courts sub: Subcommittee #1 `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-25** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2023-01-25** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 1-N) `substitution`
- **2023-01-25** Subcommittee recommends referring to Committee on Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-27** Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (13-Y 7-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-27** Committee substitute printed 23105571D-H1 `substitution`
- **2023-01-27** Referred to Committee on Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-27** Assigned App. sub: Transportation & Public Safety `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-30** Impact statement from VCSC (HB1478H1)
- **2023-01-30** Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 3-N)
- **2023-01-30** Reported from Appropriations (14-Y 8-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-01** Impact statement from DPB (HB1478H1)
- **2023-02-01** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2023-02-02** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-02-02** Committee substitute agreed to 23105571D-H1 `substitution`
- **2023-02-02** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB1478H1 `substitution`
- **2023-02-03** Passed by for the day
- **2023-02-06** Read third time and passed House (58-Y 42-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-06** VOTE: Passage (58-Y 42-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-07** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2023-02-07** Referred to Committee on the Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-15** Reported from Judiciary with substitute (14-Y 0-N 1-A) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-15** Committee substitute printed 23106872D-S1 `substitution`
- **2023-02-15** Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-16** Impact statement from VCSC (HB1478S1)
- **2023-02-16** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 2-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-17** Impact statement from DPB (HB1478S1)
- **2023-02-20** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2023-02-21** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-21** Reading of substitute waived
- **2023-02-21** Committee substitute agreed to 23106872D-S1 `substitution`
- **2023-02-21** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB1478S1 `substitution`
- **2023-02-21** Passed Senate with substitute (31-Y 9-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-22** Senate substitute agreed to by House 23106872D-S1 (63-Y 34-N) `substitution`
- **2023-02-22** VOTE: Adoption (63-Y 34-N)
- **2023-03-07** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-03-07** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1478ER) `passage`
- **2023-03-07** Impact statement from DPB (HB1478ER)
- **2023-03-08** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2023-03-08** Signed by President `passage`
- **2023-03-13** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 13, 2023 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-13** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 27, 2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-23** Approved by Governor-Chapter 396 (effective 7/1/23) `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-23** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0396)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/297c5955-8783-49f9-bcf7-aeb0c6bac30f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).