republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2026/hb-494.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	Virginia Personnel Act; hiring preference in state government, certain former federal employees.	Virginia Personnel Act; hiring preference in state government; certain former federal employees. Allows for an applicant's status as a former federal employee to be given consideration when applying for employment with the Commonwealth if such applicant was terminated from a position of employment with the federal government on or after January 1, 2025, due to a reduction in the federal budget or initiatives put in place by the federal Department of Government Efficiency, provided that such person meets all of the knowledge, skill, and ability requirements for the available position. The bill directs the Department of Human Resource Management, on or before January 1 of each year, to submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly that includes the number of job applications submitted by candidates who self-identified as former federal employees, as well as the number of jobs offered to such candidates. The bill has an expiration date of January 21, 2029.	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2026	HB 494	Virginia HB 494 (2026)	bill		enacted	Elizabeth R. Guzman	11	45	9	2026-01-12	2026-04-06	openstates	ocd-bill/e5444db7-ac44-4ee5-aaf2-e4690d317863	https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB494	3e7ff2a6952ac2c5ff300fe3bcf0688965c028978ce64f6150f2d7a6fa88fa96	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia HB 494 (2026) — Virginia Personnel Act; hiring preference in state government, certain former federal employees.

Virginia Personnel Act; hiring preference in state government; certain former federal employees. Allows for an applicant's status as a former federal employee to be given consideration when applying for employment with the Commonwealth if such applicant was terminated from a position of employment with the federal government on or after January 1, 2025, due to a reduction in the federal budget or initiatives put in place by the federal Department of Government Efficiency, provided that such person meets all of the knowledge, skill, and ability requirements for the available position. The bill directs the Department of Human Resource Management, on or before January 1 of each year, to submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly that includes the number of job applications submitted by candidates who self-identified as former federal employees, as well as the number of jobs offered to such candidates. The bill has an expiration date of January 21, 2029.

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. Delegate Guzman Amendments (committee substitute) — source
5. Engrossed (committee substitute) — source
6. General Government and Capital Outlay Subcommittee Substitute (committee substitute) — source
7. General Laws Substitute (committee substitute) — source
8. General Laws and Technology Amendment (committee substitute) — source
9. Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process Subcommittee Substitute (committee substitute) — source
10. Senate Amendment (committee substitute) — source
11. Enrolled (enrolled) — source

Votes

• Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute — 5–2 (pass) · lower
• Reported from Appropriations with substitute — 15–7 (pass) · lower
• Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendment — 9–6 (pass) · upper
• H VOTE: — 63–33 (pass) · lower
• Passage R — 21–19 (pass) · upper
• Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — 37–0 (pass) · upper
• H VOTE: — 61–35 (pass) · lower
• Reported from General Laws with substitute — 15–6 (pass) · lower
• Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute — 7–2 (pass) · lower

Sponsors

• Elizabeth R. Guzman — primary (person)
• Charlie Schmidt — cosponsor (person)
• John Chilton McAuliff — cosponsor (person)
• Joshua G. Cole — cosponsor (person)
• Karen R. "Kacey" Carnegie — cosponsor (person)
• Michelle Lopes Maldonado — cosponsor (person)
• Nadarius E. Clark — cosponsor (person)
• Patrick A. Hope — cosponsor (person)
• Rozia A. Henson, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
• Stacey Annie Carroll — cosponsor (person)
• Virgil Thornton — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

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

• 2026-01-12 Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102456D filing, introduction
• 2026-01-12 Referred to Committee on General Laws referral-committee
• 2026-01-19 Assigned HGL sub: Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process referral-committee
• 2026-01-22 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB494)
• 2026-01-29 House subcommittee offered
• 2026-01-29 Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute and referring to Appropriations (7-Y 2-N) substitution
• 2026-02-03 Reported from General Laws with substitute and referred to Appropriations (15-Y 6-N) committee-passage
• 2026-02-03 Assigned HAPP sub: General Government and Capital Outlay referral-committee
• 2026-02-03 Committee substitute printed 26105902D-H1 substitution
• 2026-02-05 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB494)
• 2026-02-06 House subcommittee offered
• 2026-02-06 Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 2-N) substitution
• 2026-02-09 Reported from Appropriations with substitute (15-Y 7-N) committee-passage
• 2026-02-09 Committee substitute printed 26107309D-H2 substitution
• 2026-02-11 Read first time reading-1
• 2026-02-12 Floor offered Delegate Guzman Amendments
• 2026-02-12 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB494)
• 2026-02-12 Read second time reading-2
• 2026-02-12 committee substitute rejected
• 2026-02-12 committee substitute agreed to substitution
• 2026-02-12 Delegate Guzman Floor amendments agreed to amendment-passage
• 2026-02-12 Engrossed by House - committee substitute as amended substitution
• 2026-02-13 Read third time and passed House (61-Y 35-N 0-A) passage, reading-3
• 2026-02-16 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
• 2026-02-16 Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology referral-committee
• 2026-02-17 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB494)
• 2026-02-25 Senate committee offered
• 2026-02-25 Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendment (9-Y 6-N) committee-passage
• 2026-02-27 Rules suspended
• 2026-02-27 Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (37-Y 0-N 0-A)
• 2026-02-27 Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
• 2026-03-02 Read third time reading-3
• 2026-03-02 General Laws and Technology Amendment agreed to amendment-passage
• 2026-03-02 Engrossed by Senate as amended
• 2026-03-02 Passed Senate with amendment (21-Y 19-N 0-A) passage
• 2026-03-04 Senate amendment agreed to by House (63-Y 33-N 0-A) amendment-passage
• 2026-03-11 Enrolled enrolled
• 2026-03-11 Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB494ER) passage
• 2026-03-11 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB494)
• 2026-03-11 Signed by President passage
• 2026-03-12 Signed by Speaker passage
• 2026-03-14 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026 enrolled, executive-receipt
• 2026-03-14 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 executive-receipt
• 2026-04-06 Approved by Governor-Chapter 154 (effective 7/1/2026) executive-signature
• 2026-04-06 Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0154)

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/e5444db7-ac44-4ee5-aaf2-e4690d317863. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).