---
type: "Bill"
title: "Water facilities; staffing of licensed operators."
description: "Water facilities; staffing; licensed operators. Requires sewage treatment works, classified waterworks, and classified water treatment facilities to employ a licensed operator. The bill establishes a protocol for responding to an unexpected vacancy of the licensed operator position. The bill also permits remote monitoring of the facility by the licensed operator upon a demonstration of sufficient technology for the remote operator to adequately monitor the waterworks or treatment facility and manage onsite operators."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 220"
citation: "Virginia HB 220 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Robert D. Orrock, Sr."]
version_count: 4
action_count: 29
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2024-01-04"
last_action: "2024-03-28"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d69a5cfa-5beb-4c1e-9a71-3a683c9032f2"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB220"
source_hash: "246668b73131325be258cf1e2a86d55fbacc2cf363c53a4d2fbfdff9882a28af"
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 220 (2024) — Water facilities; staffing of licensed operators.

Water facilities; staffing; licensed operators. Requires sewage treatment works, classified waterworks, and classified water treatment facilities to employ a licensed operator. The bill establishes a protocol for responding to an unexpected vacancy of the licensed operator position. The bill also permits remote monitoring of the facility by the licensed operator upon a demonstration of sufficient technology for the remote operator to adequately monitor the waterworks or treatment facility and manage onsite operators.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0178** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+CHAP0178)
2. **Committee substitute printed 24105932D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB220H1)
3. **HB220ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB220ER)
4. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24102899D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB220)

## Votes

- Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with substitute (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (14-Y 0-N) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (100-Y 0-N) — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (9-Y 0-N) — **9–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Robert D. Orrock, Sr. — primary (person)
- Ian T. Lovejoy — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-04** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24102899D `filing, introduction`
- **2024-01-04** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-15** Assigned ACNR sub: Chesapeake `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-22** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2024-01-22** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (9-Y 0-N) `substitution`
- **2024-01-24** Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with substitute (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-01-24** Committee substitute printed 24105932D-H1 `substitution`
- **2024-01-26** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2024-01-29** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2024-01-29** Committee substitute agreed to 24105932D-H1 `substitution`
- **2024-01-29** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB220H1 `substitution`
- **2024-01-29** Impact statement from DPB (HB220H1)
- **2024-01-30** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-01-30** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (100-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-01-31** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2024-01-31** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-16** Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-19** Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N)
- **2024-02-20** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-02-20** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-26** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2024-02-26** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB220ER) `passage`
- **2024-02-26** Impact statement from DPB (HB220ER)
- **2024-02-26** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2024-02-28** Signed by President `passage`
- **2024-03-11** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-11** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024 `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-28** Approved by Governor-Chapter 178 (effective 7/1/24) `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-28** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0178)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d69a5cfa-5beb-4c1e-9a71-3a683c9032f2`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).