republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2020/hb-253.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act; offenses requiring registration."
description: "Offenses requiring registration under the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act; unlawful dissemination or sale of images of another. Adds a third or subsequent conviction of unlawful dissemination or sale of images of another to the list of offenses requiring registration under the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry if the offense was committed on or after July 1, 2020. The bill contains technical amendments."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 253"
citation: "Virginia HB 253 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Vivian E. Watts"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 34
vote_count: 11
first_action: "2019-12-30"
last_action: "2020-03-23"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e227ccd5-6f7c-47fa-bdc8-fb59d464500c"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB253"
source_hash: "0e14dc4d363a621c765ef574af7684f5354b420dcd65eb585ffcd5ebe5aab173"
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 253 (2020) — Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act; offenses requiring registration.

Offenses requiring registration under the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act; unlawful dissemination or sale of images of another. Adds a third or subsequent conviction of unlawful dissemination or sale of images of another to the list of offenses requiring registration under the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry if the offense was committed on or after July 1, 2020. The bill contains technical amendments.

## Version chain

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

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0389)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0389)
2. **Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB253ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB253ER)
3. **Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB253H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB253H1)
4. **Impact statement from VCSC (HB253)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB253)

## Votes

- Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 0-N) — **5–0** (pass) · lower
- Reconsideration of passage agreed to by Senate (36-Y 0-N) — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (85-Y 12-N) — **84–12** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate (37-Y 0-N) — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (37-Y 0-N) — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (36-Y 0-N) — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (37-Y 0-N) — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Judiciary (14-Y 0-N) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (13-Y 2-N) — **13–2** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Vivian E. Watts — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2019-12-30** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20103884D `introduction`
- **2019-12-30** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-02** Impact statement from VCSC (HB253)
- **2020-01-13** Impact statement from DPB (HB253)
- **2020-02-07** Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-07** Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (13-Y 2-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-07** Committee substitute printed 20108030D-H1 `substitution`
- **2020-02-09** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-10** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-10** Committee substitute agreed to 20108030D-H1
- **2020-02-10** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB253H1
- **2020-02-11** Impact statement from VCSC (HB253H1)
- **2020-02-11** Read third time and passed House (85-Y 12-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-11** VOTE: Passage (85-Y 12-N)
- **2020-02-11** Impact statement from DPB (HB253H1)
- **2020-02-12** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2020-02-12** Referred to Committee on the Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-19** Reported from Judiciary (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-19** Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-26** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-27** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-28** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-28** Passed Senate (37-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-28** Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (37-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-28** Passed Senate (36-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-28** Reconsideration of passage agreed to by Senate (36-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-28** Passed Senate (37-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-03-05** Enrolled
- **2020-03-05** Impact statement from DPB (HB253ER)
- **2020-03-06** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-06** Signed by President
- **2020-03-12** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 12, 2020
- **2020-03-12** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-03-23** Approved by Governor-Chapter 389 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e227ccd5-6f7c-47fa-bdc8-fb59d464500c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).