republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2020/hb-791.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Comprehensive harm reduction programs; authority to establish and operate."
description: "Comprehensive harm reduction programs. Repeals the sunset on the authority of the Commissioner of Health to establish and operate local or regional comprehensive harm reduction programs that include the distribution of sterile hypodermic needles and syringes and the disposal of used hypodermic needles and syringes; allows a local health department or other organization that promotes scientifically proven methods of mitigating health risks associated with drug use and other high-risk behaviors to establish comprehensive harm reduction programs, if authorized by the Commissioner of Health; and eliminates the requirement that comprehensive harm reduction programs be located in communities for which data indicates an increase in or increased risk of transmission of HIV, viral hepatitis, or other blood-borne disease as a result of injection drug use."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 791"
citation: "Virginia HB 791 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Kenneth R. Plum"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 30
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2020-01-07"
last_action: "2020-04-07"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c1ac95d5-b0d6-4df0-ac25-b4a1829b7a51"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB791"
source_hash: "63e2afdf2f3bc023a760a7c1a7cd6f5d9302d3a93509032e40e7fe10180450dd"
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 791 (2020) — Comprehensive harm reduction programs; authority to establish and operate.

Comprehensive harm reduction programs. Repeals the sunset on the authority of the Commissioner of Health to establish and operate local or regional comprehensive harm reduction programs that include the distribution of sterile hypodermic needles and syringes and the disposal of used hypodermic needles and syringes; allows a local health department or other organization that promotes scientifically proven methods of mitigating health risks associated with drug use and other high-risk behaviors to establish comprehensive harm reduction programs, if authorized by the Commissioner of Health; and eliminates the requirement that comprehensive harm reduction programs be located in communities for which data indicates an increase in or increased risk of transmission of HIV, viral hepatitis, or other blood-borne disease as a result of injection drug use.

## Version chain

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

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0839)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0839)
2. **Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB791ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB791ER)
3. **Engrossed by House as amended HB791E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB791E)
4. **Impact statement from DPB (HB791)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB791)

## Votes

- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N) — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Health, Welfare and Institutions with amendments (21-Y 1-N) — **21–1** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Education and Health (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (83-Y 14-N) — **82–14** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (32-Y 0-N) — **32–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Kenneth R. Plum — primary (person)
- Betsy B. Carr — cosponsor (person)
- Dawn M. Adams — cosponsor (person)
- Ibraheem S. Samirah — cosponsor (person)
- Sam Rasoul — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-07** Presented and ordered printed with emergency clause 20105027D `introduction`
- **2020-01-07** Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-17** Assigned HWI sub: Health `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-28** Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N)
- **2020-01-29** Impact statement from DPB (HB791)
- **2020-02-04** Reported from Health, Welfare and Institutions with amendments (21-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-05** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-06** Passed by for the day
- **2020-02-07** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-07** Committee amendments agreed to
- **2020-02-07** Emergency clause deleted
- **2020-02-07** Engrossed by House as amended HB791E
- **2020-02-07** Printed as engrossed 20105027D-E
- **2020-02-10** Read third time and passed House (83-Y 14-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-10** VOTE: Passage (83-Y 14-N)
- **2020-02-10** Impact statement from DPB (HB791E)
- **2020-02-11** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2020-02-11** Referred to Committee on Education and Health `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-17** Assigned Education sub: Health `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-20** Reported from Education and Health (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-21** Constitutional reading dispensed (32-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-24** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-24** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-28** Enrolled
- **2020-02-28** Impact statement from DPB (HB791ER)
- **2020-02-28** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-02** Signed by President
- **2020-03-11** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2020
- **2020-03-11** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-07** Approved by Governor-Chapter 839 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/c1ac95d5-b0d6-4df0-ac25-b4a1829b7a51`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).