---
type: "Bill"
title: "Escape from jail or custody; penalty."
description: "Escape from jail or custody; penalty. Specifies that the definition of law-enforcement officer that currently applies for the crime of assault and battery of a law-enforcement officer shall be used for the purposes of the crimes related to escaping from jail or custody of a law-enforcement officer. This bill is identical to HB 2406."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 861"
citation: "Virginia SB 861 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Bryce E. Reeves"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 31
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2025-01-03"
last_action: "2025-03-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7dd4212e-dadc-43ef-b8b4-5ad0734c09fe"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20251/SB861"
source_hash: "fa963c20715a45c28dc625b53134e997bd7c8e1ff2d66e6aa3d5b927d71d9254"
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 861 (2025) — Escape from jail or custody; penalty.

Escape from jail or custody; penalty. Specifies that the definition of law-enforcement officer that currently applies for the crime of assault and battery of a law-enforcement officer shall be used for the purposes of the crimes related to escaping from jail or custody of a law-enforcement officer. This bill is identical to HB 2406.

## 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/1013639.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1071030.PDF)
3. **Public Safety Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1043982.PDF)
4. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1049797.PDF)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Read third time and passed Senate (38-Y 0-N) — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed House (97-Y 0-N) — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Public Safety with substitute (20-Y 1-N) — **20–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Bryce E. Reeves — primary (person)
- Christie New Craig — cosponsor (person)
- Phillip A. Scott — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-03** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-08-2025 25100237D `filing, introduction`
- **2025-01-03** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-07** Impact statement from VCSC (SB861)
- **2025-01-15** Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-22** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-23** Rules suspended
- **2025-01-23** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N)
- **2025-01-23** Passed by for the day
- **2025-01-24** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-01-24** Engrossed by Senate
- **2025-01-27** Read third time and passed Senate (38-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-02-04** Placed on Calendar
- **2025-02-04** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2025-02-04** Referred to Committee on Public Safety `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-07** Reported from Public Safety with substitute (20-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-07** Committee substitute printed 25106914D-H1 `substitution`
- **2025-02-07** Impact statement from VCSC (SB861)
- **2025-02-11** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB861)
- **2025-02-11** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-02-12** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2025-02-12** Public Safety Substitute rejected
- **2025-02-12** Passed House (97-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2025-02-17** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2025-02-17** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB861ER) `passage`
- **2025-02-17** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2025-02-20** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB861)
- **2025-02-20** Signed by President `passage`
- **2025-02-20** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on February 20, 2025 `enrolled`
- **2025-02-20** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 24, 2025 `executive-receipt`
- **2025-03-18** Approved by Governor-Chapter 41 (Effective 07/01/25) `executive-signature`
- **2025-03-18** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0041)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7dd4212e-dadc-43ef-b8b4-5ad0734c09fe`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).