---
type: "Bill"
title: "Written complaints; felony offenses to be provided."
description: "Written complaints; felony offenses. Provides that a written complaint is required for a felony offense, regardless of whether the complainant is a law-enforcement officer. Current law only requires a written complaint for any offense if the complainant is not a law-enforcement officer. The bill also provides that if no arrest warrant is issued in response to a written complaint made by a complainant, whether the complainant is a law-enforcement officer or not, the written complaint shall be returned to the complainant."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 438"
citation: "Virginia HB 438 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Jonathan \"Jed\" Arnold"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 40
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2024-01-08"
last_action: "2024-04-17"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/910625f7-823e-4af6-91a9-1ad08378f7eb"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB438"
source_hash: "3e7b565ea7fddc2890220395ec8e979c90af93b07c5c7b8fef76d2ab2bed9f7f"
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 438 (2024) — Written complaints; felony offenses to be provided.

Written complaints; felony offenses. Provides that a written complaint is required for a felony offense, regardless of whether the complainant is a law-enforcement officer. Current law only requires a written complaint for any offense if the complainant is not a law-enforcement officer. The bill also provides that if no arrest warrant is issued in response to a written complaint made by a complainant, whether the complainant is a law-enforcement officer or not, the written complaint shall be returned to the complainant.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0809** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+CHAP0809)
2. **HB438ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB438ER)
3. **HB438ER2** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB438ER2)
4. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24102515D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB438)
5. **Printed as engrossed 24102515D-E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB438E)

## Votes

- Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- BLOCK VOTE: (100-Y 0-N) — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N) — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Courts of Justice (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N) — **21–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Jonathan "Jed" Arnold — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-08** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24102515D `filing, introduction`
- **2024-01-08** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-18** Assigned Courts sub: Criminal `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-19** Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N)
- **2024-01-23** Impact statement from DPB (HB438)
- **2024-01-26** Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-01-30** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2024-01-31** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2024-01-31** Committee amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2024-01-31** Engrossed by House as amended HB438E
- **2024-01-31** Printed as engrossed 24102515D-E
- **2024-02-01** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-02-01** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-02** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2024-02-02** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-05** Impact statement from DPB (HB438E)
- **2024-02-14** Reported from Courts of Justice (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-16** Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N)
- **2024-02-19** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-02-19** Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-22** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2024-02-22** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB438ER) `passage`
- **2024-02-22** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2024-02-23** Impact statement from DPB (HB438ER)
- **2024-02-25** Signed by President `passage`
- **2024-03-01** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 1, 2024 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-01** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 8, 2024 `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-08** Governor's recommendation received by House `executive-veto-line-item`
- **2024-03-09** Placed on Calendar
- **2024-03-09** Passed by until Reconvene, Wednesday, April 17, 2024
- **2024-04-17** House concurred in Governor's recommendation BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N)
- **2024-04-17** BLOCK VOTE: (100-Y 0-N)
- **2024-04-17** Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (40-Y 0-N)
- **2024-04-17** Governor's recommendation adopted `executive-signature`
- **2024-04-17** Reenrolled `enrolled`
- **2024-04-17** Reenrolled bill text (HB438ER2) `enrolled`
- **2024-04-17** Signed by Speaker as reenrolled `enrolled, passage`
- **2024-04-17** Signed by President as reenrolled `enrolled, passage`
- **2024-04-17** Enacted, Chapter 809 (effective 7/1/24) `became-law`
- **2024-04-17** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0809)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/910625f7-823e-4af6-91a9-1ad08378f7eb`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).