republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2024/hb-78.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Search warrants, subpoenas, court orders, or other process; menstrual health data prohibited."
description: "Search warrants, subpoenas, court orders, or other process; menstrual health data prohibited. Prohibits the issuance of a search warrant, subpoena, court order, or other process for the purpose of the search and seizure or production of menstrual health data, as defined in the bill, including data stored on a computer, computer network, or other device containing electronic or digital information. This bill incorporates HB 1359 and is identical to SB 16."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 78"
citation: "Virginia HB 78 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Vivian E. Watts"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 34
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2023-12-26"
last_action: "2024-04-05"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/6e7baa6d-1c72-4958-ba7f-6ba677ae2f5c"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB78"
source_hash: "964e2183dc2e81fdcc09d5077794573746d2b5bade8cb1493d2b0009192829ad"
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 78 (2024) — Search warrants, subpoenas, court orders, or other process; menstrual health data prohibited.

Search warrants, subpoenas, court orders, or other process; menstrual health data prohibited. Prohibits the issuance of a search warrant, subpoena, court order, or other process for the purpose of the search and seizure or production of menstrual health data, as defined in the bill, including data stored on a computer, computer network, or other device containing electronic or digital information. This bill incorporates HB 1359 and is identical to SB 16.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0523** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+CHAP0523)
2. **Committee substitute printed 24107463D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB78H1)
3. **Committee substitute printed 24108044D-S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB78S1)
4. **HB78ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB78ER)
5. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24100769D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB78)

## Votes

- VOTE: Passage (51-Y 48-N) — **50–48** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (12-Y 10-N) — **12–10** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Adoption (51-Y 49-N) — **50–49** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (9-Y 6-N) — **9–6** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate with substitute (22-Y 18-N) — **22–18** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 3-N) — **5–3** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Vivian E. Watts — primary (person)
- Amy J. Laufer — cosponsor (person)
- Betsy B. Carr — cosponsor (person)
- Dan I. Helmer — cosponsor (person)
- Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker — cosponsor (person)
- Holly M. Seibold — cosponsor (person)
- Irene Shin — cosponsor (person)
- Kathy K.L. Tran — cosponsor (person)
- Marcia S. "Cia" Price — cosponsor (person)
- Rae Cousins — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-12-26** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24100769D `filing, introduction`
- **2023-12-26** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-06** Assigned Courts sub: Subcommittee #4 `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-07** Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 3-N)
- **2024-02-09** Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (12-Y 10-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-09** Committee substitute printed 24107463D-H1 `substitution`
- **2024-02-09** Incorporates HB1359 (Convirs-Fowler)
- **2024-02-11** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2024-02-12** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2024-02-12** Committee substitute agreed to 24107463D-H1 `substitution`
- **2024-02-12** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB78H1 `substitution`
- **2024-02-13** Read third time and passed House (51-Y 48-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-02-13** VOTE: Passage (51-Y 48-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-14** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2024-02-14** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-21** Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2024-02-21** Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (9-Y 6-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-21** Committee substitute printed 24108044D-S1 `substitution`
- **2024-02-23** Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N)
- **2024-02-26** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-02-26** Reading of substitute waived
- **2024-02-26** Committee substitute agreed to 24108044D-S1 `substitution`
- **2024-02-26** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB78S1 `substitution`
- **2024-02-26** Passed Senate with substitute (22-Y 18-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-28** Senate substitute agreed to by House 24108044D-S1 (51-Y 49-N) `substitution`
- **2024-02-28** VOTE: Adoption (51-Y 49-N)
- **2024-03-05** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2024-03-05** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB78ER) `passage`
- **2024-03-05** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2024-03-07** 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`
- **2024-04-05** Approved by Governor-Chapter 523 (effective 7/1/24) `executive-signature`
- **2024-04-05** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0523)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/6e7baa6d-1c72-4958-ba7f-6ba677ae2f5c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).