HB686Introduced in the House of Delegates
Open school enrollment policies; guidance on best practices available to school boards.
Introduced by Eric Zehr, District 51
What does this bill do?
Plain-English breakdown
Writing a plain-English summary of this bill… this can take a few seconds the first time.
Official description
Department of Education; open school enrollment policies; guidance on best practices. Requires the Department of Education to develop and make available to each school board guidance on best practices relating to open school enrollment.
Where it stands
Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N)
March 5, 2026
How did lawmakers vote?
House of Delegates votes
3 recorded votes · each counted separately
Senate votes
1 recorded vote · each counted separately
SenateStage: Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N) · March 5, 2026
9
Yes
6
No
0
Absent or Not Voting
15 senators recorded in this Senate vote. Colors show vote categories only, not whether a vote was good or bad.
See how each senator voted
| Senator | District | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Head | 3 | No |
| David Suetterlein | 4 | No |
| Todd Pillion | 6 | No |
| Mark Peake | 8 | No |
| Lashrecse Aird | 13 | Yes |
| Lamont Bagby | 14 | Yes |
| Schuyler VanValkenburg | 16 | Yes |
| Louise Lucas | 18 | Yes |
| Christie New Craig | 19 | No |
| Mamie Locke | 23 | Yes |
Bill history
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103148D
Referred to Committee on Education
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB686)
Assigned HED sub: K-12 Subcommittee
Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 4-N)
Reported from Education with substitute (18-Y 3-N)
Committee substitute printed 26107695D-H1
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB686)
Read first time
Read second time
committee substitute agreed to
Engrossed by House - committee substitute
Read third time and passed House (85-Y 11-N 0-A)
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
Referred to Committee on Education and Health
Assigned Education sub: Public Education
Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N)
Verify the information
Our commitment to neutrality
We provide factual information only. We never tell you which politicians or bills to support, and we do not rank, score, or endorse anyone.