---
type: "Bill"
title: "Commercial driver's licenses & learner's permits; definitions, training, drug & alcohol violations."
description: "Commercial driver's licenses and commercial learner's permits; definitions; commercial driver training; drug and alcohol violations. Conforms the definition of commercial motor vehicle to federal regulations, codifies the entry-level driver training system required by federal regulations, and removes contradictory provisions. The bill also prohibits the issuance or continued validity of commercial driver's licenses and commercial learner's permits after a drug or alcohol violation by the applicant, licensee, or permittee. The bill contains technical amendments. This bill is identical to SB 353."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 844"
citation: "Virginia HB 844 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Terry L. Austin"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 29
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2024-01-09"
last_action: "2024-03-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d706ca16-b64f-43f4-ac1b-bccd15c0cb3c"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB844"
source_hash: "fea3ba85843b5e934971334861be97b14b42848c0a4611b9b37aab367c4f22f3"
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 844 (2024) — Commercial driver's licenses & learner's permits; definitions, training, drug & alcohol violations.

Commercial driver's licenses and commercial learner's permits; definitions; commercial driver training; drug and alcohol violations. Conforms the definition of commercial motor vehicle to federal regulations, codifies the entry-level driver training system required by federal regulations, and removes contradictory provisions. The bill also prohibits the issuance or continued validity of commercial driver's licenses and commercial learner's permits after a drug or alcohol violation by the applicant, licensee, or permittee. The bill contains technical amendments. This bill is identical to SB 353.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0107** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+CHAP0107)
2. **HB844E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB844E)
3. **HB844ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB844ER)
4. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24103111D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB844)

## Votes

- Reported from Transportation with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N) — **21–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (100-Y 0-N) — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N) — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Transportation (12-Y 0-N) — **12–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) — **38–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Terry L. Austin — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-09** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24103111D `filing, introduction`
- **2024-01-09** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-18** Assigned Transportation sub: Department of Motor Vehicles `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-23** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2024-01-23** Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N)
- **2024-01-25** Reported from Transportation with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-01-29** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2024-01-30** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2024-01-30** Committee amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2024-01-30** Engrossed by House as amended HB844E
- **2024-01-30** Printed as engrossed 24103111D-E
- **2024-01-30** Engrossed bill reprinted 24103111D-E
- **2024-01-31** Read third time and passed House Block Vote (100-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-01-31** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (100-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-01** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2024-02-01** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-15** Reported from Transportation (12-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 (HB844ER) `passage`
- **2024-02-26** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2024-02-27** Impact statement from DPB (HB844ER)
- **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`
- **2024-03-20** Approved by Governor-Chapter 107 (effective 7/1/24) `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-20** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0107)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d706ca16-b64f-43f4-ac1b-bccd15c0cb3c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).