---
type: "Bill"
title: "Sexual extortion; penalty."
description: "Sexual extortion; penalty."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2023"
identifier: "HB 2398"
citation: "Virginia HB 2398 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Bell"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 57
vote_count: 13
first_action: "2023-01-17"
last_action: "2023-03-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c120aa59-bd88-4992-ab34-e7e29aca8a73"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+sum+HB2398"
source_hash: "09e641f658d096ff77ace47aa7961f027849c88faad24e847c5a01799da09452"
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 2398 (2023) — Sexual extortion; penalty.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0612** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+CHAP0612)
2. **Committee substitute printed 23106773D-S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2398S1)
3. **Committee substitute printed 23107010D-S2** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2398S2)
4. **Conference substitute printed 23107556D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2398H1)
5. **HB2398ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2398ER)
6. **Presented and ordered printed 23104440D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2398)

## Votes

- Passed Senate with substitute (38-Y 1-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: Adoption (96-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Courts of Justice (20-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Passed Senate with substitute (39-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Reported from Judiciary with substitute (12-Y 2-N 1-A) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Conference report agreed to by Senate (37-Y 3-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (14-Y 2-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Senate insisted on substitute (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: REJECTED (0-Y 97-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper

## Sponsors

- Bell — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-17** Presented and ordered printed 23104440D `introduction`
- **2023-01-17** Impact statement from VCSC (HB2398)
- **2023-01-17** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-26** Impact statement from DPB (HB2398)
- **2023-01-31** Assigned Courts sub: Subcommittee #1 `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-01** Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N)
- **2023-02-03** Reported from Courts of Justice (20-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-05** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2023-02-06** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2023-02-07** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-07** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-08** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2023-02-08** Referred to Committee on the Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-15** Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2023-02-15** Reported from Judiciary with substitute (12-Y 2-N 1-A) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-15** Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-15** Committee substitute printed 23106773D-S1 `substitution`
- **2023-02-16** Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (14-Y 2-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-16** Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2023-02-16** Committee substitute printed 23107010D-S2 `substitution`
- **2023-02-17** Impact statement from VCSC (HB2398S2)
- **2023-02-17** Impact statement from VCSC (HB2398S1)
- **2023-02-17** Impact statement from DPB (HB2398S2)
- **2023-02-20** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2023-02-21** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-21** Judiciary Committee substitute rejected 23106773D-S1
- **2023-02-21** Reading of substitute waived
- **2023-02-21** Finance and Appropriations Committee substitute agreed to 23107010D-S2 `substitution`
- **2023-02-21** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB2398S2 `substitution`
- **2023-02-21** Passed Senate with substitute (38-Y 1-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-21** Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
- **2023-02-21** Passed Senate with substitute (39-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-22** Senate substitute rejected by House 23107010D-S2 (0-Y 97-N)
- **2023-02-22** VOTE: REJECTED (0-Y 97-N)
- **2023-02-23** Senate insisted on substitute (40-Y 0-N) `substitution`
- **2023-02-23** Senate requested conference committee `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-23** House acceded to request
- **2023-02-23** Conferees appointed by House
- **2023-02-23** Delegates: Bell, Campbell, E.H., Herring
- **2023-02-23** Conferees appointed by Senate
- **2023-02-23** Senators: Petersen, Surovell, Stanley
- **2023-02-25** Amended by conference committee
- **2023-02-25** Conference substitute printed 23107556D-H1
- **2023-02-25** Conference report agreed to by Senate (37-Y 3-N) `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-25** Conference report agreed to by House (96-Y 0-N) `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-25** VOTE: Adoption (96-Y 0-N)
- **2023-02-28** Impact statement from DPB (HB2398H1)
- **2023-03-07** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-03-07** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB2398ER) `passage`
- **2023-03-08** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2023-03-08** Signed by President `passage`
- **2023-03-09** Impact statement from DPB (HB2398ER)
- **2023-03-09** Impact statement from VCSC (HB2398H1)
- **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`
- **2023-03-26** Approved by Governor-Chapter 612 (effective 7/1/23) `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-26** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0612)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/c120aa59-bd88-4992-ab34-e7e29aca8a73`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).