Fabio
7.6 KiB
7.6 KiB
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 | |||||
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| Bill | Handheld personal communications devices; holding devices while driving a motor vehicle, penalty. | Holding handheld personal communications devices while driving a motor vehicle. Prohibits any person from holding a handheld personal communications device while driving a motor vehicle. Current law prohibits (i) the reading of any email or text message and manually entering letters or text in such a device as a means of communicating and (ii) holding a personal communications device while driving in a work zone. The bill expands the exemptions to include handheld personal communications devices that are being held and used (a) as an amateur radio or a citizens band radio or (b) for official Department of Transportation or traffic incident management services. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2021. This bill incorporates SB 136 and SB 944 and is identical to HB 874. | us/states/va | Virginia General Assembly | 2020 | SB 160 | Virginia SB 160 (2020) |
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enacted |
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5 | 37 | 7 | 2019-12-19 | 2020-03-31 | openstates | ocd-bill/29785fb1-0de7-46f5-b930-81cf8212e128 | https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB160 | f38784ae63df52086d46b38bd922154d94977893521ec498937b56d8a02b64ec | 2026-07-01 | https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump | 2026-07-06 | reported |
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Virginia SB 160 (2020) — Handheld personal communications devices; holding devices while driving a motor vehicle, penalty.
Holding handheld personal communications devices while driving a motor vehicle. Prohibits any person from holding a handheld personal communications device while driving a motor vehicle. Current law prohibits (i) the reading of any email or text message and manually entering letters or text in such a device as a means of communicating and (ii) holding a personal communications device while driving in a work zone. The bill expands the exemptions to include handheld personal communications devices that are being held and used (a) as an amateur radio or a citizens band radio or (b) for official Department of Transportation or traffic incident management services. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2021. This bill incorporates SB 136 and SB 944 and is identical to HB 874.
Version chain
The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.
- Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0543) (committee substitute) — source
- Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB160ER) (committee substitute) — source
- Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB160S1 (committee substitute) — source
- Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB160S1 (committee substitute) — source
- Impact statement from DPB (SB160H1) (committee substitute) — source
Votes
- Reported from Transportation with substitute (12-Y 3-N) — 12–3 (pass) · upper
- Read third time and passed Senate (33-Y 7-N) — 33–7 (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — 39–0 (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (69-Y 29-N) — 68–29 (pass) · lower
- House substitute agreed to by Senate (32-Y 8-N) — 32–8 (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 1-N) — 7–1 (pass) · lower
- Reported from Transportation with substitute (18-Y 4-N) — 18–4 (pass) · lower
Sponsors
- Scott A. Surovell — primary (person)
- Adam P. Ebbin — cosponsor (person)
- Barbara A. Favola — cosponsor (person)
- David W. Marsden — cosponsor (person)
- George L. Barker — cosponsor (person)
- Ghazala F. Hashmi — cosponsor (person)
- J. Chapman Petersen — cosponsor (person)
- Janet D. Howell — cosponsor (person)
- Jennifer B. Boysko — cosponsor (person)
- Jennifer L. McClellan — cosponsor (person)
- Jeremy S. McPike — cosponsor (person)
- John A. Cosgrove, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- John J. Bell — cosponsor (person)
- John S. Edwards — cosponsor (person)
- Joseph D. Morrissey — cosponsor (person)
- Kaye Kory — cosponsor (person)
- L. Louise Lucas — cosponsor (person)
- Lionell Spruill, Sr. — cosponsor (person)
- Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- Mamie E. Locke — cosponsor (person)
- R. Creigh Deeds — cosponsor (person)
- Richard H. Stuart — cosponsor (person)
- Richard L. Saslaw — cosponsor (person)
- T. Montgomery "Monty" Mason — cosponsor (person)
- William M. Stanley, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
Timeline
The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.
- 2019-12-19 Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20100741D
introduction - 2019-12-19 Referred to Committee on Transportation
referral-committee - 2020-01-23 Reported from Transportation with substitute (12-Y 3-N)
committee-passage - 2020-01-23 Incorporates SB136 (Stuart)
- 2020-01-23 Incorporates SB944 (Saslaw)
- 2020-01-23 Committee substitute printed 20106310D-S1
substitution - 2020-01-27 Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- 2020-01-28 Read second time
reading-2 - 2020-01-28 Reading of substitute waived
- 2020-01-28 Committee substitute agreed to 20106310D-S1
- 2020-01-28 Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB160S1
- 2020-01-29 Read third time and passed Senate (33-Y 7-N)
passage, reading-3 - 2020-02-03 Placed on Calendar
- 2020-02-03 Read first time
reading-1 - 2020-02-03 Referred to Committee on Transportation
referral-committee - 2020-02-11 Assigned Transportation sub: Motor Vehicles
referral-committee - 2020-02-17 Impact statement from DPB (SB160S1)
- 2020-02-17 Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 1-N)
- 2020-02-20 House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- 2020-02-20 Reported from Transportation with substitute (18-Y 4-N)
committee-passage - 2020-02-20 Committee substitute printed 20108445D-H1
substitution - 2020-02-21 Impact statement from DPB (SB160H1)
- 2020-02-24 Read second time
reading-2 - 2020-02-25 Read third time
reading-3 - 2020-02-25 Committee substitute agreed to 20108445D-H1
- 2020-02-25 Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB160H1
- 2020-02-25 Passed House with substitute (69-Y 29-N)
passage - 2020-02-25 VOTE: Passage (69-Y 29-N)
- 2020-02-26 House substitute agreed to by Senate (32-Y 8-N)
- 2020-02-26 Title replaced 20108445D-H1
- 2020-03-03 Enrolled
- 2020-03-03 Impact statement from DPB (SB160ER)
- 2020-03-03 Signed by Speaker
- 2020-03-04 Signed by President
- 2020-03-12 Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 12, 2020
- 2020-03-12 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- 2020-03-31 Approved by Governor-Chapter 543 (effective 1/1/21)
executive-signature
Source
OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/29785fb1-0de7-46f5-b930-81cf8212e128. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).