---
type: "Bill"
title: "Benefits consortium; sponsoring association."
description: "Benefits consortium; sponsoring association. Provides that the sponsoring association of a benefits consortium that offers health benefit plans to the members of such sponsoring association may operate as a nonprofit entity under § 501(c)(3), 501(c)(5), or 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code. Under current law, such a sponsoring association may only operate under § 501(c)(5) or 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 353"
citation: "Virginia HB 353 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Katrina Callsen"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 28
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2026-01-12"
last_action: "2026-04-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/78041d31-37fd-48f3-8c1a-1a6ae539cd06"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB353"
source_hash: "fe3d9c4b9f39bbaa35e64542ab01a25e0c785f21a64acdfd9e32a7867c4213cf"
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 353 (2026) — Benefits consortium; sponsoring association.

Benefits consortium; sponsoring association. Provides that the sponsoring association of a benefits consortium that offers health benefit plans to the members of such sponsoring association may operate as a nonprofit entity under § 501(c)(3), 501(c)(5), or 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code. Under current law, such a sponsoring association may only operate under § 501(c)(5) or 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code.

## 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/1083976.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216407.PDF)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1187047.PDF)

## Votes

- Reported from Commerce and Labor — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting — **9–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Labor and Commerce — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- H VOTE: — **97–1** (pass) · lower
- Passage R — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- H VOTE: — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — **40–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Katrina Callsen — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-12** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101926D `filing, introduction`
- **2026-01-12** Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-19** Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #1 `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-25** Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB353)
- **2026-01-27** Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N)
- **2026-01-29** Reported from Labor and Commerce (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-02** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-03** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2026-02-04** Read third time and passed House (97-Y 1-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-04** Reconsideration of passage agreed to by House
- **2026-02-04** Passed House Block Vote (98-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-02-05** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- **2026-02-05** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-23** Reported from Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-25** Rules suspended
- **2026-02-25** Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-02-25** Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- **2026-02-26** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-02-26** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-03** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-03** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB353ER) `passage`
- **2026-03-03** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2026-03-03** Signed by President `passage`
- **2026-03-05** Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB353)
- **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 120 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`
- **2026-04-06** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0120)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/78041d31-37fd-48f3-8c1a-1a6ae539cd06`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).