republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2024/hb-159.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	State correctional and juvenile correctional facilities; use of canines, prohibited acts.	Use of canines in correctional and juvenile correctional facilities; prohibited acts. Makes it unlawful for any correctional officer or other employee of a state correctional facility who is permitted to handle canines to use a patrol or security canine in any state correctional facility unless such correctional officer or other employee (i) reasonably believes that the use of a patrol or security canine is immediately necessary to protect any prisoner or any officer or employee from the threat of serious bodily injury or death or (ii) has the prior approval of the warden or a supervisor to use a patrol or security canine to intervene in an altercation, fight, or other incident between three or more prisoners. The bill also makes it unlawful for any juvenile correctional officer or other employee of a juvenile correctional facility to use a patrol or security canine in any juvenile correctional facility. The bill specifies that such provisions shall not apply to the training or use of detector canines or detector canine handlers.	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2024	HB 159	Virginia HB 159 (2024)	bill		enacted	Holly M. Seibold	4	34	8	2024-01-02	2024-03-20	openstates	ocd-bill/3b61ceda-7585-42cd-9768-33edb8257d2d	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB159	da3ca5b988662d242f701b920275c7fc75a045ee2afebb186c0571ff14a1dc18	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia HB 159 (2024) — State correctional and juvenile correctional facilities; use of canines, prohibited acts.

Use of canines in correctional and juvenile correctional facilities; prohibited acts. Makes it unlawful for any correctional officer or other employee of a state correctional facility who is permitted to handle canines to use a patrol or security canine in any state correctional facility unless such correctional officer or other employee (i) reasonably believes that the use of a patrol or security canine is immediately necessary to protect any prisoner or any officer or employee from the threat of serious bodily injury or death or (ii) has the prior approval of the warden or a supervisor to use a patrol or security canine to intervene in an altercation, fight, or other incident between three or more prisoners. The bill also makes it unlawful for any juvenile correctional officer or other employee of a juvenile correctional facility to use a patrol or security canine in any juvenile correctional facility. The bill specifies that such provisions shall not apply to the training or use of detector canines or detector canine handlers.

Version chain

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

1. CHAP0099 (committee substitute) — source
2. Committee substitute printed 24105546D-H1 (committee substitute) — source
3. HB159ER (committee substitute) — source
4. Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24100849D (committee substitute) — source

Votes

• Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — 40–0 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Public Safety with substitute (22-Y 0-N) — 22–0 (pass) · lower
• Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N) — 8–0 (pass) · lower
• Reported from Appropriations (22-Y 0-N) — 22–0 (pass) · lower
• Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) — 38–0 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services (14-Y 0-N) — 14–0 (pass) · upper
• VOTE: Passage (82-Y 15-N) — 81–15 (pass) · lower
• Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 0-N) — 6–0 (pass) · lower

Sponsors

• Holly M. Seibold — primary (person)
• Adele Y. McClure — cosponsor (person)
• Barbara A. Favola — cosponsor (person)
• Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker — cosponsor (person)
• Irene Shin — cosponsor (person)
• Jennifer B. Boysko — cosponsor (person)
• Joshua G. Cole — cosponsor (person)
• Karen Keys-Gamarra — cosponsor (person)
• Laura Jane Cohen — cosponsor (person)
• Marty Martinez — cosponsor (person)
• Michael J. Webert — cosponsor (person)
• Michelle Lopes Maldonado — cosponsor (person)
• Nadarius E. Clark — cosponsor (person)
• Patrick A. Hope — cosponsor (person)
• Rae Cousins — cosponsor (person)
• Rozia A. Henson, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
• Saddam Azlan Salim — cosponsor (person)
• Sam Rasoul — cosponsor (person)
• Shelly A. Simonds — cosponsor (person)
• Stella G. Pekarsky — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

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

• 2024-01-02 Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24100849D filing, introduction
• 2024-01-02 Referred to Committee on Public Safety referral-committee
• 2024-01-13 Assigned PS sub: Public Safety referral-committee
• 2024-01-18 Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 0-N) substitution
• 2024-01-24 Impact statement from DPB (HB159)
• 2024-01-26 House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
• 2024-01-26 Committee substitute printed 24105546D-H1 substitution
• 2024-01-26 Assigned App. sub: Transportation & Public Safety referral-committee
• 2024-01-26 Reported from Public Safety with substitute (22-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2024-01-26 Referred to Committee on Appropriations referral-committee
• 2024-01-31 Impact statement from DPB (HB159H1)
• 2024-01-31 Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N)
• 2024-02-02 Reported from Appropriations (22-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2024-02-06 Read first time reading-1
• 2024-02-07 Read second time reading-2
• 2024-02-07 Committee substitute agreed to 24105546D-H1 substitution
• 2024-02-07 Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB159H1 substitution
• 2024-02-08 Read third time and passed House (82-Y 15-N) passage, reading-3
• 2024-02-08 VOTE: Passage (82-Y 15-N) passage
• 2024-02-09 Constitutional reading dispensed
• 2024-02-09 Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services referral-committee
• 2024-02-16 Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services (14-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2024-02-19 Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N)
• 2024-02-20 Read third time reading-3
• 2024-02-20 Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) passage
• 2024-02-26 Enrolled enrolled
• 2024-02-26 Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB159ER) passage
• 2024-02-26 Impact statement from DPB (HB159ER)
• 2024-02-26 Signed by Speaker passage
• 2024-02-28 Signed by President passage
• 2024-03-11 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024 enrolled, executive-receipt
• 2024-03-11 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024 executive-receipt
• 2024-03-20 Approved by Governor-Chapter 99 (effective 7/1/24) executive-signature
• 2024-03-20 Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0099)

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/3b61ceda-7585-42cd-9768-33edb8257d2d. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).