---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relief; Merritt, Gilbert, III, compensation for wrongful incarceration."
description: "Claims; Gilbert Merritt III; compensation for wrongful incarceration. Grants relief in an amount to be appropriated to Gilbert Merritt III, who was wrongly convicted of and subsequently incarcerated for first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 1780"
citation: "Virginia HB 1780 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Richard C. \"Rip\" Sullivan, Jr."]
version_count: 3
action_count: 26
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2025-01-06"
last_action: "2025-03-24"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/cc63c53e-949b-4949-90c4-77d3f253aad3"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20251/HB1780"
source_hash: "26a50b5bbda6fbefdc27e1bc2762fca229f2c5c75aa84ede417b6d820c273691"
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 1780 (2025) — Relief; Merritt, Gilbert, III, compensation for wrongful incarceration.

Claims; Gilbert Merritt III; compensation for wrongful incarceration. Grants relief in an amount to be appropriated to Gilbert Merritt III, who was wrongly convicted of and subsequently incarcerated for first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

## Version chain

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

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1012855.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1076979.PDF)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1054546.PDF)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Read third time and passed House (99-Y 0-N) — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate (36-Y 0-N) — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Appropriations (20-Y 1-N) — **20–1** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 0-N) — **7–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. — primary (person)
- Chris Obenshain — cosponsor (person)
- Destiny LeVere Bolling — cosponsor (person)
- Karen Keys-Gamarra — cosponsor (person)
- Thomas A. Garrett, Jr. — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-06** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-08-2025 25103761D `filing, introduction`
- **2025-01-06** Referred to Committee on Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-11** Assigned Approps sub: General Government and Capital Outlay `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-21** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1780)
- **2025-01-27** Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 0-N)
- **2025-01-29** Reported from Appropriations (20-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-31** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2025-02-03** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-02-04** Read third time and passed House (99-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-02-05** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- **2025-02-05** Referred to Committee on Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-12** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-13** Rules suspended
- **2025-02-13** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N)
- **2025-02-13** Passed by for the day
- **2025-02-14** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2025-02-14** Passed Senate (36-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2025-02-19** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2025-02-19** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1780ER) `passage`
- **2025-02-19** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2025-02-20** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1780)
- **2025-02-22** Signed by President `passage`
- **2025-03-03** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 3, 2025 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2025-03-03** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 24, 2025 `executive-receipt`
- **2025-03-24** Approved by Governor-Chapter 482 (Effective 07/01/25) `executive-signature`
- **2025-03-24** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0482)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/cc63c53e-949b-4949-90c4-77d3f253aad3`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).