---
type: "Bill"
title: "Autopsies; decedents in the custody of Department of Corrections."
description: "Autopsies; decedents in the custody of Department of Corrections."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 1276"
citation: "Virginia SB 1276 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Dunnavant"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 36
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2023-01-10"
last_action: "2023-03-24"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/46ca4526-8728-4245-b536-80bf82c3e90d"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+sum+SB1276"
source_hash: "d3553f98dcd578d5a8d1bc4bec75db041faaf4590300d50c2c00fd14c781b559"
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 SB 1276 (2023) — Autopsies; decedents in the custody of Department of Corrections.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0478** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+CHAP0478)
2. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23104212D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB1276)
3. **Printed as engrossed 23104212D-E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB1276E)
4. **SB1276ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB1276ER)

## Votes

- Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage #2 (99-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Public Safety (21-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations (16-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Reported from Education and Health with amendment (15-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper

## Sponsors

- Dunnavant — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-10** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23104212D `filing, introduction`
- **2023-01-10** Referred to Committee on Education and Health `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-13** Assigned Education sub: Health `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-18** Senate subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2023-01-19** Reported from Education and Health with amendment (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-19** Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-24** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (16-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-25** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2023-01-26** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-01-26** Reading of amendment waived
- **2023-01-26** Committee amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2023-01-26** Engrossed by Senate as amended SB1276E
- **2023-01-26** Printed as engrossed 23104212D-E
- **2023-01-27** Impact statement from DPB (SB1276)
- **2023-01-27** Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-01-27** Impact statement from DPB (SB1276E)
- **2023-02-10** Placed on Calendar
- **2023-02-10** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2023-02-10** Referred to Committee on Public Safety `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-17** Reported from Public Safety (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-21** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-02-22** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-22** Passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-22** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-22** Reconsideration of House passage agreed to by House
- **2023-02-22** Passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-22** VOTE: Block Vote Passage #2 (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-03-07** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-03-07** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1276ER) `passage`
- **2023-03-08** Impact statement from DPB (SB1276ER)
- **2023-03-08** Signed by President `passage`
- **2023-03-08** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2023-03-13** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 13, 2023 `enrolled`
- **2023-03-13** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 27, 2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-24** Approved by Governor-Chapter 478 (effective 1/1/24) `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-24** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0478)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/46ca4526-8728-4245-b536-80bf82c3e90d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).