republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2017/hb-1854.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, legislature, session, identifier, citation, classification, subjects, status, primary_sponsors, version_count, action_count, vote_count, first_action, last_action, source, source_identifier, source_url, source_hash, vintage, source_snapshot, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	legislature	session	identifier	citation	classification	subjects	status	primary_sponsors	version_count	action_count	vote_count	first_action	last_action	source	source_identifier	source_url	source_hash	vintage	source_snapshot	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
Bill	Conflicts of Interests Acts, State & Local Government & General Assembly, lobbyist; filing.	Makes numerous changes to the laws governing lobbyist reporting, the conflict of interest acts, and the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council (the Council), including (i) allowing the Secretary of the Commonwealth to suspend any penalty that could be assessed against a lobbyist's principal for failing to file the required disclosure if such failure is beyond the control of the principal; (ii) clarifying the procedures for terminating the services of a lobbyist; (iii) requiring that lobbyist registration forms be filed electronically; (iv) eliminating the requirement that a lobbyist list the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all other lobbyists representing the same principal; (v) creating a separate statement for a lobbyist's principal to waive the principal signature requirement on the lobbyist disclosure form; (vi) granting the clerk of the local governing body or school board the same power as the Council to redact from any disclosure form released to the public any residential address, personal telephone number, or signature; (vii) eliminating the minimum duration of the mandatory refresher ethics orientation session for General Assembly members; (viii) allowing written informal advice from the Council to confer immunity from prosecution upon individuals acting in accordance with such advice; (ix) clarifying the Council's authority to grant extensions from the filing deadline and imposing a $250 civil penalty on agency heads or local clerks who fail to provide the disclosure forms to filers in a timely manner; (x) requiring lobbyists to provide a report of gifts made during a regular session of the General Assembly no later than three weeks after adjournment to legislators and certain executive branch officials who are required to file a session gift report; and (xi) directing that candidates for statewide office and the General Assembly are required to file a disclosure form with the State Board of Elections and candidates for a constitutional office are required to file a disclosure form with the local general registrar. The bill also extends the filing deadline for disclosure forms from January 15 to February 1 and clarifies the reporting period covered by the disclosure forms. The bill eliminates events open to individuals who share a common interest from the definition of a "widely attended event," attendance at which is not subject to the gift cap. The bill also exempts from the definition of a "gift" (a) gifts from a person's child-in-law; (b) gifts related to a person's volunteer service; (c) meals provided for attendance at an official meeting of the Commonwealth, its political subdivisions, or certain other entities; and (d) attendance at a reception or similar function. The bill also exempts members of the judiciary from certain provisions governing prohibited gifts and prohibited personal interests in a transaction where such members are already subject to similar or greater prohibitions under the Canons of Judicial Conduct for the State of Virginia. The bill also clarifies that a legislator may have a personal interest in a contract with a government agency, not including a legislative branch agency, when the Virginia Public Procurement Act allows the award of such contract without competition. The bill further clarifies the exceptions that allow state and local officers and employees who have a personal interest in a transaction to participate in the transaction. Finally, the bill contains technical amendments. The bill contains an emergency clause that applies to the changes described in clauses (x) and (xi). This bill is identical to	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2017	HB 1854	Virginia HB 1854 (2017)	bill	Administration of Government Counties Cities and Towns Elections Emergency Legislation General Assembly	enacted	C. Todd Gilbert	5	35	11	2017-01-10	2017-04-26	openstates	ocd-bill/20187888-4bc9-49e8-bbf0-2c738011604a	http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+sum+HB1854	3c7439c208d9ae72d488c0dfe10803d451ca9f897f2af0d50c2b375b822c0599	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia HB 1854 (2017) — Conflicts of Interests Acts, State & Local Government & General Assembly, lobbyist; filing.

Makes numerous changes to the laws governing lobbyist reporting, the conflict of interest acts, and the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council (the Council), including (i) allowing the Secretary of the Commonwealth to suspend any penalty that could be assessed against a lobbyist's principal for failing to file the required disclosure if such failure is beyond the control of the principal; (ii) clarifying the procedures for terminating the services of a lobbyist; (iii) requiring that lobbyist registration forms be filed electronically; (iv) eliminating the requirement that a lobbyist list the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all other lobbyists representing the same principal; (v) creating a separate statement for a lobbyist's principal to waive the principal signature requirement on the lobbyist disclosure form; (vi) granting the clerk of the local governing body or school board the same power as the Council to redact from any disclosure form released to the public any residential address, personal telephone number, or signature; (vii) eliminating the minimum duration of the mandatory refresher ethics orientation session for General Assembly members; (viii) allowing written informal advice from the Council to confer immunity from prosecution upon individuals acting in accordance with such advice; (ix) clarifying the Council's authority to grant extensions from the filing deadline and imposing a $250 civil penalty on agency heads or local clerks who fail to provide the disclosure forms to filers in a timely manner; (x) requiring lobbyists to provide a report of gifts made during a regular session of the General Assembly no later than three weeks after adjournment to legislators and certain executive branch officials who are required to file a session gift report; and (xi) directing that candidates for statewide office and the General Assembly are required to file a disclosure form with the State Board of Elections and candidates for a constitutional office are required to file a disclosure form with the local general registrar. The bill also extends the filing deadline for disclosure forms from January 15 to February 1 and clarifies the reporting period covered by the disclosure forms. The bill eliminates events open to individuals who share a common interest from the definition of a "widely attended event," attendance at which is not subject to the gift cap. The bill also exempts from the definition of a "gift" (a) gifts from a person's child-in-law; (b) gifts related to a person's volunteer service; (c) meals provided for attendance at an official meeting of the Commonwealth, its political subdivisions, or certain other entities; and (d) attendance at a reception or similar function. The bill also exempts members of the judiciary from certain provisions governing prohibited gifts and prohibited personal interests in a transaction where such members are already subject to similar or greater prohibitions under the Canons of Judicial Conduct for the State of Virginia. The bill also clarifies that a legislator may have a personal interest in a contract with a government agency, not including a legislative branch agency, when the Virginia Public Procurement Act allows the award of such contract without competition. The bill further clarifies the exceptions that allow state and local officers and employees who have a personal interest in a transaction to participate in the transaction. Finally, the bill contains technical amendments. The bill contains an emergency clause that applies to the changes described in clauses (x) and (xi). This bill is identical to

Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0829) (committee substitute) — source
2. House: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1854ER) (committee substitute) — source
3. House: Committee substitute printed 17105218D-H1 (committee substitute) — source
4. House: Prefiled and ordered printed with emergency clause; offered 01/13/16 17102775D (committee substitute) — source
5. Senate: Committee substitute printed 17105400D-S1 (committee substitute) — source

Votes

• Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute — 19–0 (pass) · legislature
• Passed Senate with substitute — 39–1 (pass) · legislature
• Senate insisted on substitute — 40–0 (pass) · legislature
• Constitutional reading dispensed — 39–0 (pass) · legislature
• Senate substitute rejected by House 17105400D-S1 — 0–97 (fail) · legislature
• Conference report agreed to by Senate — 39–1 (pass) · legislature
• Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments — 9–0 (pass) · legislature
• Conference report agreed to by House — 94–0 (pass) · legislature
• Reported from Rules with substitute — 14–0 (pass) · legislature
• Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE — 97–0 (pass) · legislature
• House rejected Governor's recommendation — 36–62 (fail) · legislature

Sponsors

• C. Todd Gilbert — primary (person)

Timeline

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

• 2017-01-10 Prefiled and ordered printed with emergency clause; offered 01/13/16 17102775D introduction
• 2017-01-10 Referred to Committee on General Laws referral-committee
• 2017-01-17 Referred from General Laws by voice vote
• 2017-01-17 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice referral-committee
• 2017-02-01 Assigned Courts sub: Ethics referral-committee
• 2017-02-04 Read first time reading-1
• 2017-02-06 Read second time reading-2
• 2017-02-06 Committee substitute agreed to 17105218D-H1
• 2017-02-06 Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB1854H1
• 2017-02-07 Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (97-Y 0-N) passage, reading-3
• 2017-02-08 Constitutional reading dispensed
• 2017-02-08 Referred to Committee on Rules referral-committee
• 2017-02-14 Read third time reading-3
• 2017-02-14 Reading of substitute waived
• 2017-02-14 Committee substitute agreed to 17105400D-S1
• 2017-02-14 Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB1854S1
• 2017-02-16 Placed on Calendar
• 2017-02-16 Senate substitute rejected by House 17105400D-S1 (0-Y 97-N)
• 2017-02-20 Senate requested conference committee
• 2017-02-21 House acceded to request
• 2017-02-22 Conferees appointed by Senate
• 2017-02-23 Conferees appointed by House
• 2017-02-23 Amended by conference committee
• 2017-02-24 Conference report agreed to by House (94-Y 0-N)
• 2017-03-07 Enrolled
• 2017-03-07 Signed by Speaker
• 2017-03-10 Signed by President
• 2017-03-13 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on 3/13/17
• 2017-03-13 Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, March 27, 2017
• 2017-03-27 Governor's recommendation received by House
• 2017-04-05 Placed on Calendar
• 2017-04-05 House rejected Governor's recommendation (36-Y 62-N)
• 2017-04-05 Communicated to Governor
• 2017-04-05 Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, May 5, 2017
• 2017-04-26 Approved by Governor-Chapter 829 (effective - see bill) executive-signature

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/20187888-4bc9-49e8-bbf0-2c738011604a. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).