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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 Immunity of persons; statements regarding matters of public concern communicated to a third party. Adds defamation to the causes of action from which a citizen shall be immune when making statements (i) regarding matters of public concern to a third party or (ii) at a public hearing before the governing body of any locality or other political subdivision, or the boards, commissions, agencies, and authorities thereof, and other governing bodies of any local governmental entity. The bill further provides that the immunity does not apply to any statements made with actual or constructive knowledge that they are false, or with reckless disregard for whether they are false. This bill is identical to us/states/va Virginia General Assembly 2017 HB 1941 Virginia HB 1941 (2017)
bill
Civil Remedies and Procedure
enacted
Terry G. Kilgore
6 29 10 2017-01-10 2017-03-16 openstates ocd-bill/fdb567c9-0f21-4b64-96b4-005c376165d6 http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+sum+HB1941 3d3ad126cb96a761c483d7b4d49fe1dfe8f054e80f36670770e77dfb7b72b7c4 2026-07-01 https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump 2026-07-06 reported
legislation
bill
us-va

Virginia HB 1941 (2017) — Immunity of persons; statements regarding matters of public concern communicated to a third party.

Adds defamation to the causes of action from which a citizen shall be immune when making statements (i) regarding matters of public concern to a third party or (ii) at a public hearing before the governing body of any locality or other political subdivision, or the boards, commissions, agencies, and authorities thereof, and other governing bodies of any local governmental entity. The bill further provides that the immunity does not apply to any statements made with actual or constructive knowledge that they are false, or with reckless disregard for whether they are false. 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 (CHAP0586) (committee substitute) — source
  2. House: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1941ER) (committee substitute) — source
  3. House: Committee substitute printed 17104831D-H1 (committee substitute) — source
  4. House: Conference substitute printed 17105858D-H2 (committee substitute) — source
  5. House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17103695D (committee substitute) — source
  6. Senate: Committee substitute printed 17105353D-S1 (committee substitute) — source

Votes

  • Constitutional reading dispensed — 390 (pass) · legislature
  • Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments — 73 (pass) · legislature
  • Passed Senate with substitute — 381 (pass) · legislature
  • Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute — 150 (pass) · legislature
  • Senate insisted on substitute — 400 (pass) · legislature
  • Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute — 137 (pass) · legislature
  • Senate substitute rejected by House 17105353D-S1 — 097 (fail) · legislature
  • Conference report agreed to by Senate — 400 (pass) · legislature
  • Conference report agreed to by House — 970 (pass) · legislature
  • Read third time and passed House — 7423 (pass) · legislature

Sponsors

  • Terry G. Kilgore — primary (person)
  • Mark H. Levine — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

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

  • 2017-01-10 Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17103695D introduction
  • 2017-01-10 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice referral-committee
  • 2017-01-16 Assigned Courts sub: Civil Law 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 17104831D-H1
  • 2017-02-06 Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB1941H1
  • 2017-02-07 Read third time and passed House (74-Y 23-N) passage, reading-3
  • 2017-02-08 Constitutional reading dispensed
  • 2017-02-08 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice referral-committee
  • 2017-02-20 Read third time reading-3
  • 2017-02-20 Reading of substitute waived
  • 2017-02-20 Committee substitute agreed to 17105353D-S1
  • 2017-02-20 Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB1941S1
  • 2017-02-21 Placed on Calendar
  • 2017-02-21 Senate substitute rejected by House 17105353D-S1 (0-Y 97-N)
  • 2017-02-22 Senate requested conference committee
  • 2017-02-23 House acceded to request
  • 2017-02-23 Conferees appointed by House
  • 2017-02-23 Conferees appointed by Senate
  • 2017-02-25 Amended by conference committee
  • 2017-02-25 Conference substitute printed 17105858D-H2
  • 2017-02-25 Conference report agreed to by House (97-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
  • 2017-03-16 Approved by Governor-Chapter 586 (effective 7/1/17) executive-signature

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/fdb567c9-0f21-4b64-96b4-005c376165d6. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).