republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2025/hb-1961.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	Public elementary & secondary schools; bell-to-bell student cell phone & smart device possession.	Public elementary and secondary schools; student cell phone possession and use policies; development and implementation. Directs each school board to develop and each public elementary and secondary school to implement policies relating to the possession and use of cell phones and smart devices by students on school property from bell to bell, as defined in the law, and requires such policies, among other things, to (i) restrict student cell phone and smart device possession and use on school property from bell to bell and (ii) permit any student, pursuant to an Individualized Education Plan, Section 504 Plan, individualized health care plan, or Limited English Proficiency plan, to possess and use a cell phone or smart device on school property, including in the classroom, from bell to bell to monitor or address a health concern or as an accommodation or assistive technology support. This bill is identical to SB 738.	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2025	HB 1961	Virginia HB 1961 (2025)	bill		enacted	Sam Rasoul	8	46	10	2025-01-06	2025-04-02	openstates	ocd-bill/1cdf6ead-d9b3-4f8c-96e1-02b807536259	https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20251/HB1961	aaa41ab1821ccdf8b5656af577973a6aa1faea7957cb4862303d70df16ece91c	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia HB 1961 (2025) — Public elementary & secondary schools; bell-to-bell student cell phone & smart device possession.

Public elementary and secondary schools; student cell phone possession and use policies; development and implementation. Directs each school board to develop and each public elementary and secondary school to implement policies relating to the possession and use of cell phones and smart devices by students on school property from bell to bell, as defined in the law, and requires such policies, among other things, to (i) restrict student cell phone and smart device possession and use on school property from bell to bell and (ii) permit any student, pursuant to an Individualized Education Plan, Section 504 Plan, individualized health care plan, or Limited English Proficiency plan, to possess and use a cell phone or smart device on school property, including in the classroom, from bell to bell to monitor or address a health concern or as an accommodation or assistive technology support. This bill is identical to SB 738.

Version chain

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

1. Introduced (filed) — source
2. Chaptered (committee substitute) — source
3. Education Substitute (committee substitute) — source
4. Education and Health Substitute (committee substitute) — source
5. Governor Substitute (committee substitute) — source
6. Governor's Recommendation (committee substitute) — source
7. Reenrolled (committee substitute) — source
8. Enrolled (enrolled) — source

Votes

• House concurred in Governor's recommendation (96-Y 0-N) — 96–0 (pass) · lower
• Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N) — 21–19 (pass) · upper
• Reading waived (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N) — 39–0 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Education and Health with substitute (9-Y 6-N) — 9–6 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Education with substitute (16-Y 6-N) — 16–6 (pass) · lower
• Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (40-Y 0-N) — 40–0 (pass) · upper
• Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 2-N) — 6–2 (pass) · lower
• Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — 39–0 (pass) · upper
• Senate substitute agreed to by House (75-Y 22-N) — 75–22 (pass) · lower
• Read third time and passed House (69-Y 30-N) — 69–30 (pass) · lower

Sponsors

• Sam Rasoul — primary (person)
• Dan I. Helmer — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

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

• 2025-01-06 Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-08-2025 25103580D filing, introduction
• 2025-01-06 Referred to Committee on Education referral-committee
• 2025-01-24 Assigned Educ sub: K-12 Subcommittee referral-committee
• 2025-01-28 Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 2-N) substitution
• 2025-01-28 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1961)
• 2025-01-29 Reported from Education with substitute (16-Y 6-N) committee-passage
• 2025-01-29 Committee substitute printed 25106011D-H1 substitution
• 2025-01-31 Read first time reading-1
• 2025-02-03 Read second time reading-2
• 2025-02-03 Education Substitute agreed to
• 2025-02-03 Engrossed by House - committee substitute substitution
• 2025-02-04 Read third time and passed House (69-Y 30-N) passage, reading-3
• 2025-02-05 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
• 2025-02-05 Referred to Committee on Education and Health referral-committee
• 2025-02-10 Assigned Education sub: Public Education referral-committee
• 2025-02-13 Reported from Education and Health with substitute (9-Y 6-N) committee-passage
• 2025-02-13 Committee substitute printed 25107492D-S1 substitution
• 2025-02-14 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1961)
• 2025-02-17 Rules suspended
• 2025-02-17 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N)
• 2025-02-17 Passed by for the day
• 2025-02-18 Passed by for the day
• 2025-02-19 Read third time reading-3
• 2025-02-19 Reading of substitute waived
• 2025-02-19 Education and Health Substitute agreed to
• 2025-02-19 Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute substitution
• 2025-02-19 Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N) passage
• 2025-02-20 Senate substitute agreed to by House (75-Y 22-N) substitution
• 2025-03-07 Enrolled enrolled
• 2025-03-07 Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1961ER) passage
• 2025-03-07 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1961)
• 2025-03-07 Signed by Speaker passage
• 2025-03-10 Signed by President passage
• 2025-03-11 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2025 enrolled, executive-receipt
• 2025-03-11 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 24, 2025 executive-receipt
• 2025-03-24 Governor's recommendation received by House executive-veto-line-item
• 2025-03-24 Governor's substitute printed (HB1961H2)
• 2025-04-02 House concurred in Governor's recommendation (96-Y 0-N)
• 2025-04-02 Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (40-Y 0-N)
• 2025-04-02 Governor's recommendation adopted executive-signature
• 2025-04-02 Reenrolled enrolled
• 2025-04-02 Reenrolled bill text (HB1961ER2) enrolled
• 2025-04-02 Signed by Speaker as reenrolled enrolled, passage
• 2025-04-02 Signed by President as reenrolled enrolled, passage
• 2025-04-02 Enacted, Chapter 644 (Effective 07/01/25) became-law
• 2025-04-02 Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0644)

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/1cdf6ead-d9b3-4f8c-96e1-02b807536259. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).