---
type: "Bill"
title: "Child abuse and neglect; mandatory reporters, statute of limitations, penalties."
description: "Child abuse and neglect; mandatory reporters; statute of limitations; penalties. Adds aggravated sexual battery of a child and attempted rape, sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, or object sexual penetration of a child to the list of offenses for which a failure to report subjects a mandatory reporter to criminal liability. The bill further requires that a prosecution for any misdemeanor violation for failing to report certain sexual acts committed against a minor be commenced within one year of the discovery of the offense. This bill incorporates HB 449."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 1542"
citation: "Virginia HB 1542 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Candi Mundon King"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 44
vote_count: 10
first_action: "2024-01-19"
last_action: "2024-04-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/780e76ee-655e-4de4-8e36-824c87195c59"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB1542"
source_hash: "1c1cc466e0d41f040552be6fed8e46370fff764fc8e72fe1407b13c68bb24702"
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 1542 (2024) — Child abuse and neglect; mandatory reporters, statute of limitations, penalties.

Child abuse and neglect; mandatory reporters; statute of limitations; penalties. Adds aggravated sexual battery of a child and attempted rape, sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, or object sexual penetration of a child to the list of offenses for which a failure to report subjects a mandatory reporter to criminal liability. The bill further requires that a prosecution for any misdemeanor violation for failing to report certain sexual acts committed against a minor be commenced within one year of the discovery of the offense. This bill incorporates HB 449.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0615** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+CHAP0615)
2. **Committee substitute printed 24107285D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB1542H1)
3. **HB1542ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB1542ER)
4. **HB1542S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB1542S1)
5. **Presented and ordered printed 24105852D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB1542)

## Votes

- Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate with substitute (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 0-N) — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Courts of Justice (14-Y 0-N 1-A) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Adoption (98-Y 0-N) — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Referred from Courts of Justice — **0–0** (fail) · lower

## Sponsors

- Candi Mundon King — primary (person)
- Chris Obenshain — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-19** Presented and ordered printed 24105852D `introduction`
- **2024-01-19** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-30** Assigned Courts sub: Criminal `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-02** Referred from Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-02** Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-06** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 0-N) `substitution`
- **2024-02-08** Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-08** Incorporates HB449 (Obenshain)
- **2024-02-08** Committee substitute printed 24107285D-H1 `substitution`
- **2024-02-09** Impact statement from DPB (HB1542H1)
- **2024-02-11** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2024-02-12** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2024-02-12** Committee substitute agreed to 24107285D-H1 `substitution`
- **2024-02-12** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB1542H1 `substitution`
- **2024-02-13** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-02-13** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-14** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2024-02-14** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-28** Reported from Courts of Justice (14-Y 0-N 1-A) `committee-passage`
- **2024-03-01** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2024-03-04** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-03-04** Passed by for the day
- **2024-03-05** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-03-05** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-03-05** Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
- **2024-03-05** Passed by for the day
- **2024-03-06** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-03-06** Floor substitute printed 24108920D-S1 (Surovell)
- **2024-03-06** Reading of substitute waived
- **2024-03-06** Substitute by Senator Surovell agreed to 24108920D-S1
- **2024-03-06** Engrossed by Senate - floor substitute HB1542S1
- **2024-03-06** Passed Senate with substitute (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-03-06** Impact statement from DPB (HB1542S1)
- **2024-03-07** Senate substitute agreed to by House 24108920D-S1 (98-Y 0--N) `substitution`
- **2024-03-07** VOTE: Adoption (98-Y 0-N)
- **2024-03-25** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2024-03-25** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1542ER) `passage`
- **2024-03-25** Signed by President `passage`
- **2024-03-26** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2024-03-27** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 27, 2024 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-27** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024 `executive-receipt`
- **2024-04-08** Impact statement from DPB (HB1542ER)
- **2024-04-08** Approved by Governor-Chapter 615 (effective 7/1/24) `executive-signature`
- **2024-04-08** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0615)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/780e76ee-655e-4de4-8e36-824c87195c59`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).