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SB60Introduced in the Senate

Virginia Parole Board; powers and duties, juvenile offenders, parole procedures and considerations.

Passed

Introduced by Mamie Locke, District 23

What does this bill do?

Plain-English breakdown

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Official description

Virginia Parole Board; powers and duties; juvenile offenders; parole procedures and considerations. Requires the Virginia Parole Board (the Board) to consist of five members. Current law allows the Board to consist of up to five members. The bill specifies that all members of the Board shall have significant professional experience working in criminal law, corrections, mental health and adolescent development, reentry and community services, or victim services. These provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2028. The bill also requires the Board to provide a meaningful opportunity for release to certain juvenile offenders eligible for parole and specifies various factors the Board shall give substantial weight to when making a determination on whether to grant parole to such juvenile offender. The bill allows a juvenile offender to request for reconsideration or appeal of a decision by the Board not to grant parole based on (a) the Board's failure to give substantial weight to such juvenile offender's age and its related mitigating circumstances as required by the bill or (b) the Board's overreliance on static factors such as the nature and circumstances of the offense and failure to ground its decision in evidence of maturity, rehabilitation, and a lack of present danger to public safety. The bill requires the Board to provide individualized reasons for the grant or denial of parole upon reconsideration or appeal. The bill also requires that if parole is denied for any such juvenile offender, each Board member shall identify his reasoning for such decision at the time such member's vote is cast, including any youth-related factor and evidence of maturity and rehabilitation that was considered. The bill requires that the Board provide to such prisoner for whom parole is denied recommendations to demonstrate commitment to rehabilitation and at the next hearing, the Board is required to consider whether the prisoner has followed such recommendations. The bill also requires the Board to annually review the cases of such juvenile offenders eligible for parole. This bill is identical to HB 318.

Where it stands

Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0984)

April 22, 2026

How did lawmakers vote?

House of Delegates votes

4 recorded votes · each counted separately

Senate votes

6 recorded votes · each counted separately

SenateStage: Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (21-Y 18-N 0-A) · April 22, 2026

21

Yes

18

No

1

Absent or Not Voting

40 senators recorded in this Senate vote. Colors show vote categories only, not whether a vote was good or bad.

See how each senator voted

SenatorDistrictVote
Elizabeth Bennett-Parker5Yes
Michael Jones77Yes
Timmy French1No
Mark Obenshain2No
Chris Head3Absent
David Suetterlein4No
Travis Hackworth5No
Todd Pillion6No
William Stanley7No
Mark Peake8No

Bill history

  1. Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102029D

  2. Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services

  3. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB60)

  4. Senate committee offered

  5. Senate committee offered

  6. Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 7-N)

  7. Committee substitute printed 26105956D-S1

  8. Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (10-Y 5-N)

  9. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB60)

  10. Committee substitute printed 26107382D-S2

  11. Rules suspended

  12. Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  13. Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)

  14. Passed by for the day

  15. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB60)

  16. Read second time

  17. Rehabilitation and Social Services Substitute rejected

  18. Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to

  19. Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote)

  20. Read third time and passed Senate (20-Y 19-N 0-A)

  21. Placed on Calendar

  22. Read first time

  23. Referred to Committee on Public Safety

  24. Committee substitute printed 26108328D-H1

  25. Reported from Public Safety with substitute (13-Y 4-N)

  26. Reconsidered by Public Safety

  27. Reported from Public Safety with substitute (17-Y 3-N)

  28. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB60)

  29. Read second time

  30. Read third time

  31. committee substitute agreed to

  32. Engrossed by House - committee substitute

  33. Passed House with substitute (69-Y 29-N 0-A)

  34. House substitute agreed to by Senate (20-Y 19-N 0-A)

  35. Enrolled

  36. Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB60ER)

  37. Signed by Speaker

  38. Signed by President

  39. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB60)

  40. Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026

  41. Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  42. Governor's recommendation received by Senate

  43. Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (21-Y 18-N 0-A)

  44. House concurred in Governor's recommendation (66-Y 31-N 0-A)

  45. Governor's recommendation adopted

  46. Reenrolled

  47. Reenrolled bill text (SB60ER2)

  48. Signed by Speaker

  49. Signed by President

  50. Approved by Governor-Chapter 984 (Effective - see bill)

  51. Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0984)

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