---
type: "Bill"
title: "Essential health benefits benchmark plan; Bureau of Insurance to select a new plan."
description: "Essential health benefits benchmark plan; Bureau of Insurance to select a new plan."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2023"
identifier: "HB 2198"
citation: "Virginia HB 2198 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Byron"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 33
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2023-01-11"
last_action: "2023-03-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/df011ed0-daa8-4d42-a7b6-77ca4dc882bc"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+sum+HB2198"
source_hash: "40ee4379087171dc70d3f62a1c21c2139f6e4483b82778e94937d93e24b046aa"
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 2198 (2023) — Essential health benefits benchmark plan; Bureau of Insurance to select a new plan.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0271** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+CHAP0271)
2. **Committee substitute printed 23105975D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2198H1)
3. **HB2198** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2198)
4. **HB2198ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2198ER)

## Votes

- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (100-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Reported from Commerce and Energy with substitute (21-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Passed Senate with amendment (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Reported from Commerce and Labor with amendment (15-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: Adoption Emergency (98-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower

## Sponsors

- Byron — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-11** Prefiled and ordered printed with emergency clause; offered 01/11/23 `filing, introduction`
- **2023-01-11** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Energy `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-23** Impact statement from SCC (HB2198)
- **2023-01-31** House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2023-01-31** Reported from Commerce and Energy with substitute (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-31** Committee substitute printed 23105975D-H1 `substitution`
- **2023-02-02** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2023-02-03** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-02-03** Committee substitute agreed to 23105975D-H1 `substitution`
- **2023-02-03** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB2198H1 `substitution`
- **2023-02-06** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-06** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (100-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-07** Impact statement from SCC (HB2198H1)
- **2023-02-07** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2023-02-07** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-13** Reported from Commerce and Labor with amendment (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-15** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2023-02-16** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-16** Reading of amendment waived
- **2023-02-16** Committee amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2023-02-16** Engrossed by Senate as amended
- **2023-02-16** Passed Senate with amendment (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-20** Placed on Calendar
- **2023-02-20** Senate amendment agreed to by House (98-Y 0-N) `amendment-passage`
- **2023-02-20** VOTE: Adoption Emergency (98-Y 0-N)
- **2023-02-23** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-02-23** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB2198ER) `passage`
- **2023-02-23** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2023-02-25** Signed by President `passage`
- **2023-03-02** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 2, 2023 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-02** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 27, 2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-22** Approved by Governor-Chapter 271 (effective - see bill) `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-22** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0271)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/df011ed0-daa8-4d42-a7b6-77ca4dc882bc`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).