---
type: "Bill"
title: "International licensure and certification; regulations."
description: "Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; international licensure and certification; regulations. Directs the regulatory boards within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to promulgate regulations allowing the issuance of a license or certification to any applicant who holds a comparable international license or certification issued by another country. This bill is identical to HB 1940."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 1188"
citation: "Virginia SB 1188 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Stella G. Pekarsky"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 33
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2025-01-08"
last_action: "2025-03-19"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/2f7b2cd2-19e7-4e31-94bc-ab2ae4bb6186"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20251/SB1188"
source_hash: "fd326accfbb94d2a4c0fcfe2d2dbfb69e4aceefacdc4c9f835b7fade6aa7ba5c"
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 1188 (2025) — International licensure and certification; regulations.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; international licensure and certification; regulations. Directs the regulatory boards within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to promulgate regulations allowing the issuance of a license or certification to any applicant who holds a comparable international license or certification issued by another country. This bill is identical to HB 1940.

## 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/1018135.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1071643.PDF)
3. **General Laws Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1043363.HTML)
4. **House Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1048377.HTML)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1054132.PDF)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 1-A) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from General Laws with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N) — **21–0** (pass) · lower
- Passed House with amendment (92-Y 5-N) — **92–5** (pass) · lower
- Reported from General Laws and Technology and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- House Amendment agreed to by Senate (36-Y 0-N) — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 3rd reading) — **40–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Stella G. Pekarsky — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-08** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-08-2025 25104529D `filing, introduction`
- **2025-01-08** Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-22** Reported from General Laws and Technology and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-27** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB1188)
- **2025-01-29** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-30** Rules suspended
- **2025-01-30** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 1-A)
- **2025-01-30** Passed by for the day
- **2025-01-31** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-01-31** Rules suspended
- **2025-01-31** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 3rd reading) (40-Y 0-N)
- **2025-01-31** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2025-02-06** Placed on Calendar
- **2025-02-06** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2025-02-06** Referred to Committee on General Laws `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-06** Reported from General Laws with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-10** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-02-11** Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar
- **2025-02-11** Passed by for the day
- **2025-02-12** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2025-02-12** General Laws Amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2025-02-12** Engrossed by House as amended
- **2025-02-12** Passed House with amendment (92-Y 5-N) `passage`
- **2025-02-14** House Amendment agreed to by Senate (36-Y 0-N) `amendment-passage`
- **2025-02-18** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2025-02-18** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1188ER) `passage`
- **2025-02-18** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2025-02-19** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB1188)
- **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`
- **2025-03-19** Approved by Governor-Chapter 153 (Effective 07/01/25) `executive-signature`
- **2025-03-19** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0153)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/2f7b2cd2-19e7-4e31-94bc-ab2ae4bb6186`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).