---
type: "Bill"
title: "Contractors, Board for; examinations available in alternative languages."
description: "Board for Contractors; examinations; alternative languages. Provides that any exam offered by the Board for Contractors that averaged over 50 administrations per year over the preceding four-year period shall be made available in any language that meets the threshold for having election materials printed in that language pursuant to state election law."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 165"
citation: "Virginia HB 165 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Joshua E. Thomas"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 31
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2026-01-06"
last_action: "2026-04-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1bbfdbb0-ce36-43e7-ba2c-94f90b479062"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB165"
source_hash: "d9c9c1fb3a316c4996e96776869b3f6943749a359687630a84a4ed17cd7c34be"
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 165 (2026) — Contractors, Board for; examinations available in alternative languages.

Board for Contractors; examinations; alternative languages. Provides that any exam offered by the Board for Contractors that averaged over 50 administrations per year over the preceding four-year period shall be made available in any language that meets the threshold for having election materials printed in that language pursuant to state election law.

## 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/1082683.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216298.PDF)
3. **General Laws and Technology Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1170751.HTML)
4. **Senate Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177204.HTML)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1181697.PDF)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage R — **31–7** (pass) · upper
- Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendment — **12–0** (pass) · upper
- H VOTE: — **92–6** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting — **9–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from General Laws — **21–0** (pass) · lower
- H VOTE: — **92–4** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Joshua E. Thomas — primary (person)
- Adele Y. McClure — cosponsor (person)
- Atoosa R. Reaser — cosponsor (person)
- Dan I. Helmer — cosponsor (person)
- Irene Shin — cosponsor (person)
- JJ Singh — cosponsor (person)
- Kathy K.L. Tran — cosponsor (person)
- Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler — cosponsor (person)
- Laura Jane Cohen — cosponsor (person)
- Marty Martinez — cosponsor (person)
- May Nivar — cosponsor (person)
- Michael B. Feggans — cosponsor (person)
- Shelly A. Simonds — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-06** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101338D `filing, introduction`
- **2026-01-06** Referred to Committee on General Laws `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-19** Assigned HGL sub: Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-22** Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N)
- **2026-01-27** Reported from General Laws (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-01-28** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB165)
- **2026-01-29** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-01-30** Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar
- **2026-01-30** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2026-02-02** Read third time and passed House (92-Y 6-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-03** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- **2026-02-03** Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-18** Senate committee offered
- **2026-02-18** Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendment (12-Y 0-N 2-A) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-20** Rules suspended
- **2026-02-20** Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-02-20** Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- **2026-02-23** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-02-23** General Laws and Technology Amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2026-02-23** Engrossed by Senate as amended
- **2026-02-23** Passed Senate with amendment (31-Y 7-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-02-25** Senate amendment agreed to by House (92-Y 4-N 0-A) `amendment-passage`
- **2026-03-02** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-02** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB165ER) `passage`
- **2026-03-02** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2026-03-02** Signed by President `passage`
- **2026-03-05** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB165)
- **2026-03-10** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-10** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-04-06** Approved by Governor-Chapter 80 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`
- **2026-04-06** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0080)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1bbfdbb0-ce36-43e7-ba2c-94f90b479062`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).