---
type: "Bill"
title: "Sexually violent predators; civil commitment, penalty."
description: "Sexually violent predators; civil commitment, penalty."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 973"
citation: "Virginia SB 973 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Peake"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 52
vote_count: 10
first_action: "2023-01-06"
last_action: "2023-03-23"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/8299f97a-92c3-4767-a623-781161b480fe"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+sum+SB973"
source_hash: "e7eb80aab1ceb523fdaa398b0a18a38a6f468af116edb3c57d9767071e3f85c4"
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 973 (2023) — Sexually violent predators; civil commitment, penalty.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0380** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+CHAP0380)
2. **Committee substitute printed 23105205D-S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB973S1)
3. **Committee substitute printed 23106683D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB973H1)
4. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23101625D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB973)
5. **SB973ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+SB973ER)

## Votes

- Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Judiciary with substitute (15-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Conference report agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Senate acceded to request (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- House substitute rejected by Senate (18-Y 22-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N 1-A) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: Adoption (95-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (19-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower

## Sponsors

- Peake — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-06** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23101625D `filing, introduction`
- **2023-01-06** Referred to Committee on the Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-09** Impact statement from VCSC (SB973)
- **2023-01-14** Impact statement from DPB (SB973)
- **2023-01-23** Reported from Judiciary with substitute (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-23** Committee substitute printed 23105205D-S1 `substitution`
- **2023-01-23** Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-25** Impact statement from VCSC (SB973S1)
- **2023-01-25** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N 1-A) `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-26** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2023-01-27** Passed by for the day
- **2023-01-30** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-01-30** Reading of substitute waived
- **2023-01-30** Committee substitute agreed to 23105205D-S1 `substitution`
- **2023-01-30** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB973S1 `substitution`
- **2023-01-31** Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-02** Impact statement from DPB (SB973S1)
- **2023-02-09** Placed on Calendar
- **2023-02-09** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2023-02-09** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-13** Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (19-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-13** Committee substitute printed 23106683D-H1 `substitution`
- **2023-02-14** Impact statement from VCSC (SB973H1)
- **2023-02-15** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-02-16** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-16** Committee substitute agreed to 23106683D-H1 `substitution`
- **2023-02-16** Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB973H1 `substitution`
- **2023-02-16** Passed House with substitute BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-16** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-17** Impact statement from DPB (SB973H1)
- **2023-02-20** Passed by temporarily
- **2023-02-20** House substitute rejected by Senate (18-Y 22-N)
- **2023-02-21** House insisted on substitute `substitution`
- **2023-02-21** House requested conference committee `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-22** Senate acceded to request (40-Y 0-N)
- **2023-02-22** Conferees appointed by Senate
- **2023-02-22** Senators: Peake, Surovell, Deeds
- **2023-02-23** Conferees appointed by House
- **2023-02-23** Delegates: Durant, Adams, L.R., Watts
- **2023-02-24** Amended by conference committee
- **2023-02-24** Conference report agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N) `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-24** Conference report agreed to by House (95-Y 0-N) `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-24** VOTE: Adoption (95-Y 0-N)
- **2023-03-07** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-03-07** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB973ER) `passage`
- **2023-03-08** Signed by President `passage`
- **2023-03-08** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2023-03-09** Impact statement from DPB (SB973ER)
- **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`
- **2023-03-23** Approved by Governor-Chapter 380 (effective 7/1/23) `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-23** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0380)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/8299f97a-92c3-4767-a623-781161b480fe`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).