---
type: "Bill"
title: "Certificate of public need; task force to develop recommendation for expedited application & review."
description: "Certificate of public need; expedited application and review; medical deserts. Instructs the State Health Commissioner to direct the State Health Services Plan Task Force to develop recommendations for establishing an expedited application and review process for projects requiring a certificate of public need in medical deserts. This bill is identical to HB 2119."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 1203"
citation: "Virginia SB 1203 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Christopher T. Head"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 33
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2025-01-08"
last_action: "2025-03-24"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/b0549ab8-0916-4da2-9ab2-148b12b87089"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20251/SB1203"
source_hash: "ed7797049bf9b01d7266f5a12edaf41b826e6911842f659f37eee7d62eedfa92"
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 SB 1203 (2025) — Certificate of public need; task force to develop recommendation for expedited application & review.

Certificate of public need; expedited application and review; medical deserts. Instructs the State Health Commissioner to direct the State Health Services Plan Task Force to develop recommendations for establishing an expedited application and review process for projects requiring a certificate of public need in medical deserts. This bill is identical to HB 2119.

## 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/1018218.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1074324.PDF)
3. **Education and Health Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1035817.PDF)
4. **SEH Sub: Health Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1032297.PDF)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1054570.PDF)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed House (96-Y 0-N) — **96–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Education and Health with substitute (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 3rd reading) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Health and Human Services (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Christopher T. Head — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-08** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-08-2025 25101906D `filing, introduction`
- **2025-01-08** Referred to Committee on Education and Health `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-20** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB1203)
- **2025-01-21** Assigned Education sub: Health `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-30** Reported from Education and Health with substitute (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-30** Committee substitute printed 25106319D-S1 `substitution`
- **2025-01-31** Rules suspended
- **2025-01-31** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N)
- **2025-01-31** Passed by for the day
- **2025-02-03** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-02-03** Reading of substitute waived
- **2025-02-03** Education and Health Substitute agreed to
- **2025-02-03** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute `substitution`
- **2025-02-03** Rules suspended
- **2025-02-03** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 3rd reading) (40-Y 0-N)
- **2025-02-03** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2025-02-04** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB1203)
- **2025-02-06** Placed on Calendar
- **2025-02-06** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2025-02-06** Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-11** Reported from Health and Human Services (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-13** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-02-14** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2025-02-14** Passed House (96-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2025-02-18** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2025-02-18** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1203ER) `passage`
- **2025-02-18** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB1203)
- **2025-02-18** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2025-02-20** Signed by President `passage`
- **2025-03-03** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 3, 2025 `enrolled`
- **2025-03-03** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 24, 2025 `executive-receipt`
- **2025-03-24** Approved by Governor-Chapter 410 (Effective 07/01/25) `executive-signature`
- **2025-03-24** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0410)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/b0549ab8-0916-4da2-9ab2-148b12b87089`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).