---
type: "Bill"
title: "Drug-related investigations; use of confidential informants."
description: "Use of confidential informants in drug-related investigations. Directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish a model policy for the use of confidential informants in drug-related investigations and to include in such model policy that (i) no individual currently on probation or pretrial may serve as a confidential informant without notice to his probation, pretrial services, or parole officer; (ii) no individual who has, within the last six months, been found to have violated the terms of his probation or parole shall serve as a confidential informant whose testimony may be necessary in the prosecution of a criminal matter in the courts of the Commonwealth; (iii) law-enforcement personnel shall obtain approval from the appropriate local attorney for the Commonwealth prior to working with a confidential informant; and (iv) such confidential informant shall not unlawfully use or possess any controlled substances."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 1140"
citation: "Virginia HB 1140 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Mike A. Cherry"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 36
vote_count: 9
first_action: "2026-01-14"
last_action: "2026-04-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/69d8b42f-f423-4424-9eee-40ace3809356"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1140"
source_hash: "1baa91e911793a534e462828679620b824f02d2446445ca9b67dc502890deb93"
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 1140 (2026) — Drug-related investigations; use of confidential informants.

Use of confidential informants in drug-related investigations. Directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish a model policy for the use of confidential informants in drug-related investigations and to include in such model policy that (i) no individual currently on probation or pretrial may serve as a confidential informant without notice to his probation, pretrial services, or parole officer; (ii) no individual who has, within the last six months, been found to have violated the terms of his probation or parole shall serve as a confidential informant whose testimony may be necessary in the prosecution of a criminal matter in the courts of the Commonwealth; (iii) law-enforcement personnel shall obtain approval from the appropriate local attorney for the Commonwealth prior to working with a confidential informant; and (iv) such confidential informant shall not unlawfully use or possess any controlled substances.

## 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/1088332.PDF)
2. **Courts of Justice Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1190934.HTML)
3. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1144812.PDF)
4. **Public Safety Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132804.HTML)
5. **Senate Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1194823.HTML)
6. **Subcommittee #2 Subcommittee Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1128243.HTML)
7. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1203587.PDF)

## Votes

- Reported from Appropriations — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment — **13–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting — **7–0** (pass) · lower
- H VOTE: — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) — **7–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage R — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- H VOTE: — **96–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Public Safety with amendment(s) — **22–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Mike A. Cherry — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-14** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103740D `filing, introduction`
- **2026-01-14** Referred to Committee on Public Safety `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-23** Assigned HMPPS sub: Subcommittee #2 `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-28** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1140)
- **2026-02-05** House subcommittee offered
- **2026-02-05** Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) and referring to Appropriations (7-Y 0-N)
- **2026-02-06** Reported from Public Safety with amendment(s) and referred to Appropriations (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-06** Assigned HAPP sub: Transportation & Public Safety `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-06** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1140)
- **2026-02-11** Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 0-N)
- **2026-02-11** Reported from Appropriations (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-13** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-16** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-16** committee amendments agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2026-02-16** Engrossed by House as amended
- **2026-02-17** Read third time and passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-18** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1140)
- **2026-02-18** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- **2026-02-18** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-02** Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment (13-Y 0-N 2-A) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-03** Rules suspended
- **2026-03-03** Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-03-03** Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- **2026-03-04** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-04** Courts of Justice Amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2026-03-04** Engrossed by Senate as amended
- **2026-03-04** Passed Senate with amendment (38-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-06** Senate amendment agreed to by House (97-Y 0-N 0-A) `amendment-passage`
- **2026-03-13** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-13** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1140ER) `passage`
- **2026-03-13** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2026-03-13** Signed by President `passage`
- **2026-03-14** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-14** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-16** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1140)
- **2026-04-13** Approved by Governor-Chapter 742 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/69d8b42f-f423-4424-9eee-40ace3809356`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).