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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 Exemptions from garnishment; minimum protected account balance, certain benefit payments. Exemptions from garnishment; minimum protected account balance; certain benefit payments; procedure for financial institutions. Requires certain financial institutions to automatically exempt from garnishment (i) a minimum protected account balance, defined in the bill as the combined total of not more than $1,000 in a judgment debtor's account or across multiple accounts in the same financial institution, and (ii) a protected amount of certain benefit payments, defined in the bill, that have been deposited into the account via direct deposit or electronic deposit within the two months immediately preceding the day before a financial institution commences an account review. The bill describes an account review as a process of examining an account of a judgment conducted by a financial institution upon such financial institution's receipt of a garnishment summons to determine if any eligible benefit payments have been deposited within the applicable time period and, if so, to calculate the total sum of such benefit payments and establish the total as a protected amount that shall be automatically exempt from garnishment. The bill provides that such procedure to automatically exempt such funds shall not apply if the debt arises from a child support or spousal support obligation or if an exemption is otherwise prohibited by law.The bill further provides that a judgment debtor is not required to claim nor request a hearing for such automatic exemptions. Finally, the bill makes updates to the relevant provisions governing garnishment proceedings, notices to the garnishee and judgment debtor, and the form of a garnishment summons consistent with the provisions of the bill. This bill is identical to SB 301. us/states/va Virginia General Assembly 2026 HB 601 Virginia HB 601 (2026)
bill
enacted
Phil M. Hernandez
6 27 6 2026-01-13 2026-04-13 openstates ocd-bill/95b95b4c-11b4-4d3d-9c8c-1c626b292c3b https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB601 bba21cd2512d43259520885a03ce01ea729401c3c11554cc2ff784a36bd8dd5f 2026-07-01 https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump 2026-07-06 reported
legislation
bill
us-va

Virginia HB 601 (2026) — Exemptions from garnishment; minimum protected account balance, certain benefit payments.

Exemptions from garnishment; minimum protected account balance; certain benefit payments; procedure for financial institutions. Requires certain financial institutions to automatically exempt from garnishment (i) a minimum protected account balance, defined in the bill as the combined total of not more than $1,000 in a judgment debtor's account or across multiple accounts in the same financial institution, and (ii) a protected amount of certain benefit payments, defined in the bill, that have been deposited into the account via direct deposit or electronic deposit within the two months immediately preceding the day before a financial institution commences an account review. The bill describes an account review as a process of examining an account of a judgment conducted by a financial institution upon such financial institution's receipt of a garnishment summons to determine if any eligible benefit payments have been deposited within the applicable time period and, if so, to calculate the total sum of such benefit payments and establish the total as a protected amount that shall be automatically exempt from garnishment. The bill provides that such procedure to automatically exempt such funds shall not apply if the debt arises from a child support or spousal support obligation or if an exemption is otherwise prohibited by law.The bill further provides that a judgment debtor is not required to claim nor request a hearing for such automatic exemptions. Finally, the bill makes updates to the relevant provisions governing garnishment proceedings, notices to the garnishee and judgment debtor, and the form of a garnishment summons consistent with the provisions of the bill. This bill is identical to SB 301.

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. Civil Subcommittee Amendment (committee substitute) — source
  4. Courts of Justice Amendment (committee substitute) — source
  5. Engrossed (committee substitute) — source
  6. Enrolled (enrolled) — source

Votes

  • Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) — 91 (pass) · lower
  • Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — 400 (pass) · upper
  • Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) — 211 (pass) · lower
  • H VOTE: — 926 (pass) · lower
  • Passage R — 2018 (pass) · upper
  • Reported from Courts of Justice — 95 (pass) · upper

Sponsors

  • Phil M. Hernandez — primary (person)
  • Adele Y. McClure — cosponsor (person)
  • Bonita G. Anthony — cosponsor (person)
  • Debra D. Gardner — cosponsor (person)
  • Delores L. McQuinn — cosponsor (person)
  • Destiny LeVere Bolling — cosponsor (person)
  • Jeion A. Ward — cosponsor (person)
  • Kathy K.L. Tran — cosponsor (person)
  • Katrina Callsen — cosponsor (person)
  • Nicole Cole — cosponsor (person)
  • Rae Cousins — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

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

  • 2026-01-13 Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104988D filing, introduction
  • 2026-01-13 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice referral-committee
  • 2026-01-26 Assigned HCJ sub: Civil referral-committee
  • 2026-01-28 House subcommittee offered
  • 2026-01-28 Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (9-Y 1-N)
  • 2026-02-04 Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (21-Y 1-N) committee-passage
  • 2026-02-06 Read first time reading-1
  • 2026-02-09 Read second time reading-2
  • 2026-02-09 committee amendments agreed to amendment-passage
  • 2026-02-09 Engrossed by House as amended
  • 2026-02-10 Read third time and passed House (92-Y 6-N 0-A) passage, reading-3
  • 2026-02-11 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
  • 2026-02-11 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice referral-committee
  • 2026-02-18 Reported from Courts of Justice (9-Y 5-N) committee-passage
  • 2026-02-20 Rules suspended
  • 2026-02-20 Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
  • 2026-02-20 Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
  • 2026-02-23 Read third time reading-3
  • 2026-02-23 Passed Senate (20-Y 18-N 0-A) passage
  • 2026-02-25 Enrolled enrolled
  • 2026-02-25 Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB601ER) passage
  • 2026-02-25 Signed by Speaker passage
  • 2026-02-25 Signed by President passage
  • 2026-03-10 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 enrolled, executive-receipt
  • 2026-03-10 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 executive-receipt
  • 2026-04-13 Approved by Governor-Chapter 637 (effective 7/1/2026) executive-signature
  • 2026-04-13 Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0637)

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/95b95b4c-11b4-4d3d-9c8c-1c626b292c3b. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).