republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2021/hb-1985.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	Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for COVID-19.	Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for COVID-19. Establishes a presumption that COVID-19 causing the death or disability of health care providers is an occupational disease compensable under the Workers' Compensation Act. The bill provides that the COVID-19 virus is established by a positive diagnostic test for COVID-19, an incubation period consistent with COVID-19, and signs and symptoms of COVID-19 that require medical treatment. The bill provides that such presumption applies to any death or disability occurring on or after March 12, 2020, caused by infection from the COVID-19 virus, provided that for any such death or disability that occurred on or after March 12, 2020, and prior to December 31, 2021, the claimant received a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 from a licensed physician, after either a presumptive positive test or a laboratory-confirmed test for COVID-19, and presented with signs and symptoms of COVID-19 that required medical treatment. The bill provides that such presumptions do not apply to any person offered by his employer a vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 unless the person's physician determines in writing that immunization would pose a significant risk to the person's health.	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2021	HB 1985	Virginia HB 1985 (2021)	bill		enacted	Chris L. Hurst	6	60	16	2021-01-11	2021-03-31	openstates	ocd-bill/0ade3673-3ce4-4012-b09d-c322ea7d790c	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+HB1985	9c492e8ab0982f6a0582ffca830a920ad48154e3545f1972838cf412dd3d0ed2	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia HB 1985 (2021) — Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for COVID-19.

Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for COVID-19. Establishes a presumption that COVID-19 causing the death or disability of health care providers is an occupational disease compensable under the Workers' Compensation Act. The bill provides that the COVID-19 virus is established by a positive diagnostic test for COVID-19, an incubation period consistent with COVID-19, and signs and symptoms of COVID-19 that require medical treatment. The bill provides that such presumption applies to any death or disability occurring on or after March 12, 2020, caused by infection from the COVID-19 virus, provided that for any such death or disability that occurred on or after March 12, 2020, and prior to December 31, 2021, the claimant received a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 from a licensed physician, after either a presumptive positive test or a laboratory-confirmed test for COVID-19, and presented with signs and symptoms of COVID-19 that required medical treatment. The bill provides that such presumptions do not apply to any person offered by his employer a vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 unless the person's physician determines in writing that immunization would pose a significant risk to the person's health.

Version chain

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

1. CHAP0507 (committee substitute) — source
2. Committee substitute printed 21103301D-H1 (committee substitute) — source
3. Committee substitute printed 21200277D-S1 (committee substitute) — source
4. Conference substitute printed 21200647D-H2 (committee substitute) — source
5. HB1985EH1 (committee substitute) — source
6. HB1985ER (committee substitute) — source

Votes

• Passed Senate with substitute (39-Y 0-N) — 39–0 (pass) · upper
• VOTE: Passage (98-Y 0-N 1-A) — 97–0 (pass) · lower
• Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 2-N) — 6–2 (pass) · lower
• VOTE: REJECTED (0-Y 95-N 2-A) — 0–94 (fail) · lower
• Reported from Finance and Appropriations (16-Y 0-N) — 16–0 (pass) · upper
• Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N) — 39–0 (pass) · upper
• Passed Senate with substitute (38-Y 0-N) — 38–0 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (15-Y 0-N) — 15–0 (pass) · upper
• Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N) — 15–0 (pass) · upper
• Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N) — 8–0 (pass) · lower
• Conference report agreed to by Senate (38-Y 0-N) — 38–0 (pass) · upper
• Senate insisted on substitute (39-Y 0-N) — 39–0 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Appropriations with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) — 22–0 (pass) · lower
• Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — 39–0 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (21-Y 0-N) — 21–0 (pass) · lower
• VOTE: Agreed To (95-Y 0-N 2-A) — 94–0 (pass) · lower

Sponsors

• Chris L. Hurst — primary (person)
• Alex Q. Askew — cosponsor (person)
• Angelia Williams Graves — cosponsor (person)
• Betsy B. Carr — cosponsor (person)
• C. Matthew Fariss — cosponsor (person)
• Candi Mundon King — cosponsor (person)
• Charniele L. Herring — cosponsor (person)
• Clinton L. Jenkins — cosponsor (person)
• Dan I. Helmer — cosponsor (person)
• Danica A. Roem — cosponsor (person)
• Dawn M. Adams — cosponsor (person)
• Elizabeth R. Guzman — cosponsor (person)
• Hala S. Ayala — cosponsor (person)
• Ibraheem S. Samirah — cosponsor (person)
• Jeffrey M. Bourne — cosponsor (person)
• Joshua G. Cole — cosponsor (person)
• Kathleen Murphy — cosponsor (person)
• Kaye Kory — cosponsor (person)
• Kenneth R. Plum — cosponsor (person)
• Lashrecse D. Aird — cosponsor (person)
• Lee J. Carter — cosponsor (person)
• Marcus B. Simon — cosponsor (person)
• Mark H. Levine — cosponsor (person)
• Mark L. Keam — cosponsor (person)
• Patrick A. Hope — cosponsor (person)
• Sally L. Hudson — cosponsor (person)
• Sam Rasoul — cosponsor (person)
• Shelly A. Simonds — cosponsor (person)
• Suhas Subramanyam — cosponsor (person)
• Vivian E. Watts — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

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

• 2021-01-11 Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21101723D introduction
• 2021-01-11 Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce referral-committee
• 2021-01-14 Assigned L & C sub: Subcommittee #1 referral-committee
• 2021-01-19 House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
• 2021-01-19 Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
• 2021-01-19 Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 2-N)
• 2021-01-21 Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (21-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2021-01-21 Committee substitute printed 21103301D-H1 substitution
• 2021-01-21 Referred to Committee on Appropriations referral-committee
• 2021-01-22 Assigned App. sub: Compensation & General Government referral-committee
• 2021-01-25 Impact statement from DPB (HB1985H1)
• 2021-01-29 House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
• 2021-01-29 Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N)
• 2021-01-29 Reported from Appropriations with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2021-02-01 Read first time reading-1
• 2021-02-02 Read second time reading-2
• 2021-02-02 Committee on Labor and Commerce substitute agreed to 21103301D-H1
• 2021-02-02 Committee on Appropriations amendments agreed to
• 2021-02-02 Engrossed by House - committee substitute with amendments HB1985EH1
• 2021-02-02 Printed as engrossed 21103301D-EH1
• 2021-02-03 Read third time and passed House (98-Y 0-N 1-A) passage, reading-3
• 2021-02-03 VOTE: Passage (98-Y 0-N 1-A)
• 2021-02-04 Impact statement from DPB (HB1985EH1)
• 2021-02-04 Constitutional reading dispensed
• 2021-02-04 Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor referral-committee
• 2021-02-05 Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N)
• 2021-02-15 Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
• 2021-02-15 Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (15-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2021-02-15 Committee substitute printed 21200277D-S1 substitution
• 2021-02-15 Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations referral-committee
• 2021-02-17 Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
• 2021-02-17 Reported from Finance and Appropriations (16-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2021-02-18 Read third time reading-3
• 2021-02-18 Reading of substitute waived
• 2021-02-18 Committee substitute agreed to 21200277D-S1
• 2021-02-18 Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB1985S1
• 2021-02-18 Passed Senate with substitute (38-Y 0-N) passage
• 2021-02-18 Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
• 2021-02-18 Passed Senate with substitute (39-Y 0-N) passage
• 2021-02-22 Placed on Calendar
• 2021-02-22 Senate substitute rejected by House 21200277D-S1 (0-Y 95-N 2-A)
• 2021-02-22 VOTE: REJECTED (0-Y 95-N 2-A)
• 2021-02-23 Senate insisted on substitute (39-Y 0-N)
• 2021-02-23 Senate requested conference committee
• 2021-02-24 House acceded to request
• 2021-02-24 Conferees appointed by House
• 2021-02-25 Conferees appointed by Senate
• 2021-02-25 Amended by conference committee
• 2021-02-25 Conference substitute printed 21200647D-H2
• 2021-02-25 Conference report agreed to by House (95-Y 0-N 2-A)
• 2021-02-25 VOTE: Agreed To (95-Y 0-N 2-A)
• 2021-02-27 Conference report agreed to by Senate (38-Y 0-N)
• 2021-02-27 Impact statement from DPB (HB1985H2)
• 2021-03-09 Enrolled
• 2021-03-09 Signed by President
• 2021-03-11 Signed by Speaker
• 2021-03-12 Impact statement from DPB (HB1985ER)
• 2021-03-15 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 15, 2021
• 2021-03-15 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021
• 2021-03-31 Approved by Governor-Chapter 507 (effective 7/1/21) executive-signature

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/0ade3673-3ce4-4012-b09d-c322ea7d790c. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).