republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2025/hb-1728.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	Child victims and witnesses; using two-way closed-circuit television.	Child victims and witnesses using two-way closed-circuit television or other securely encrypted two-way audio and video technology; standard. Allows the court to order that the testimony of a child be taken by two-way closed-circuit television or other securely encrypted two-way audio and video technology if it finds that the child is unavailable to testify in open court in the presence of the defendant, the jury, the judge, and the public if the court finds, by clear and convincing evidence, based upon expert opinion testimony, that the child will suffer at least moderate emotional trauma that is more than nervousness or excitement or some reluctance to testify as a result of testifying in the defendant's presence and not in the courtroom generally where such trauma would impair the child's ability to communicate.Under current law, the court may order such testimony be taken by two-way closed-circuit television if it finds that (i) the child has a substantial inability to communicate about the offense or (ii) there is a substantial likelihood, based upon expert opinion testimony, that the child will suffer severe emotional trauma from so testifying.The bill also extends the application window for the party seeking such order from seven to 14 days before the trial date or such other preliminary proceeding to which such order is to apply.	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2025	HB 1728	Virginia HB 1728 (2025)	bill		enacted	Karrie K. Delaney	7	40	10	2025-01-04	2025-03-21	openstates	ocd-bill/65a7ad99-d061-4aa9-8807-3660d6e8e0b8	https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20251/HB1728	53b9029786cfadc5a76af8612cf5bb8dc13b9c1f37446ca870f9997ed0df09fe	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia HB 1728 (2025) — Child victims and witnesses; using two-way closed-circuit television.

Child victims and witnesses using two-way closed-circuit television or other securely encrypted two-way audio and video technology; standard. Allows the court to order that the testimony of a child be taken by two-way closed-circuit television or other securely encrypted two-way audio and video technology if it finds that the child is unavailable to testify in open court in the presence of the defendant, the jury, the judge, and the public if the court finds, by clear and convincing evidence, based upon expert opinion testimony, that the child will suffer at least moderate emotional trauma that is more than nervousness or excitement or some reluctance to testify as a result of testifying in the defendant's presence and not in the courtroom generally where such trauma would impair the child's ability to communicate.Under current law, the court may order such testimony be taken by two-way closed-circuit television if it finds that (i) the child has a substantial inability to communicate about the offense or (ii) there is a substantial likelihood, based upon expert opinion testimony, that the child will suffer severe emotional trauma from so testifying.The bill also extends the application window for the party seeking such order from seven to 14 days before the trial date or such other preliminary proceeding to which such order is to apply.

Version chain

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

1. Introduced (filed) — source
2. Appropriations Substitute (committee substitute) — source
3. Chaptered (committee substitute) — source
4. Courts of Justice Substitute (committee substitute) — source
5. Courts of Justice Amendment (committee substitute) — source
6. Senate Amendments (committee substitute) — source
7. Enrolled (enrolled) — source

Votes

• Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N) — 40–0 (pass) · upper
• Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 0-N) — 8–0 (pass) · lower
• Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Appropriations (19-Y 3-N) — 19–3 (pass) · lower
• Reported from Appropriations with substitute (22-Y 0-N) — 22–0 (pass) · lower
• Passed Senate with amendments (32-Y 4-N) — 32–4 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (12-Y 3-N) — 12–3 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 2-N) — 13–2 (pass) · upper
• Read third time and passed House (89-Y 10-N) — 89–10 (pass) · lower
• Subcommittee recommends reporting and rereferred to Appropriations (7-Y 0-N) — 7–0 (pass) · lower
• Senate Amendments agreed to by House (92-Y 4-N) — 92–4 (pass) · lower

Sponsors

• Karrie K. Delaney — primary (person)

Timeline

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

• 2025-01-04 Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-08-2025 25100100D filing, introduction
• 2025-01-04 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice referral-committee
• 2025-01-14 Assigned Courts sub: Criminal referral-committee
• 2025-01-15 Subcommittee recommends reporting and referred to Appropriations (7-Y 0-N)
• 2025-01-17 Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and referred to Appropriations (19-Y 3-N) committee-passage
• 2025-01-17 Committee substitute printed 25105207D-H1 substitution
• 2025-01-18 Assigned Approps sub: General Government and Capital Outlay referral-committee
• 2025-01-20 Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 0-N) substitution
• 2025-01-21 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1728)
• 2025-01-22 Reported from Appropriations with substitute (22-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2025-01-22 Committee substitute printed 25105399D-H2 substitution
• 2025-01-24 Read first time reading-1
• 2025-01-25 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1728)
• 2025-01-27 Read second time reading-2
• 2025-01-27 Courts of Justice Substitute rejected
• 2025-01-27 Appropriations Substitute agreed to
• 2025-01-27 Engrossed by House - committee substitute substitution
• 2025-01-28 Read third time and passed House (89-Y 10-N) passage, reading-3
• 2025-01-29 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
• 2025-01-29 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice referral-committee
• 2025-02-10 Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (12-Y 3-N) committee-passage
• 2025-02-12 Reported from Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 2-N) committee-passage
• 2025-02-13 Rules suspended
• 2025-02-13 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N)
• 2025-02-13 Passed by for the day
• 2025-02-14 Read third time reading-3
• 2025-02-14 Reading of amendments waived
• 2025-02-14 Courts of Justice Amendments agreed to amendment-passage
• 2025-02-14 Engrossed by Senate as amended
• 2025-02-14 Passed Senate with amendments (32-Y 4-N) passage
• 2025-02-18 Senate Amendments agreed to by House (92-Y 4-N) amendment-passage
• 2025-02-20 Enrolled enrolled
• 2025-02-20 Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1728ER) passage
• 2025-02-20 Signed by Speaker passage
• 2025-02-23 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1728)
• 2025-02-23 Signed by President passage
• 2025-03-05 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 5, 2025 enrolled, executive-receipt
• 2025-03-05 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 24, 2025 executive-receipt
• 2025-03-21 Approved by Governor-Chapter 191 (Effective 07/01/25) executive-signature
• 2025-03-21 Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0191)

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/65a7ad99-d061-4aa9-8807-3660d6e8e0b8. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).