# Virginia HB127: Person not free on bail; court appearance, right to counsel.

Virginia HB127, Person not free on bail; court appearance, right to counsel., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Katrina Callsen (Democratic); status passed house, last action 2026-03-03 (Continued to 2027 in Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N 1-A)) (as of 2026-10-13).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB127-2026
- As of: 2026-10-13
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB127
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Person not free on bail; court appearance, right to counsel.
- Status: passed house
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-02
- Last action: 2026-03-03, Continued to 2027 in Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N 1-A)
- Sponsor: Katrina Callsen (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Finance and Appropriations
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 7 (167 yes, 14 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Court appearance of a person not free on bail. Makes various changes to provisions regarding bail hearings in jurisdictions having a public defender office, including (i) the appointment of counsel for the accused and (ii) a requirement that counsel for the accused, when practicable, be provided with adequate time to confer with the accused prior to any bail hearing. The bill also allows a jurisdiction that does not have a public defender office establish to implement such provisions. The bill provides that, effective in due course, the chief judge in each circuit shall create a plan to be completed by November 1, 2026, that establishes the means by which the jurisdiction will meet such provisions. The remaining provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Katrina Callsen (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-03 | Senate | Continued to 2027 in Finance and Appropriations | pass | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 2026-02-23 | Senate | Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations | pass | 11 | 3 |   |
| 2026-02-13 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 84 | 10 |   |
| 2026-02-09 | House | Reported from Appropriations with amendment(s) | pass | 21 | 1 |   |
| 2026-02-06 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) | pass | 7 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-04 | House | Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and referred to Appropriations | pass | 22 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-28 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute and referring to Appropriations | pass | 9 | 0 |   |

## Actions (27)

- 2026-03-03: Continued to 2027 in Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N 1-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-02: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB127) (House)
- 2026-02-23: Committee substitute printed 26108450D-S1 (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (11-Y 3-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-19: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB127) (House)
- 2026-02-16: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Read third time and passed House (84-Y 10-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-12: Engrossed by House - committee substitute as amended (House)
- 2026-02-12: committee amendment agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-12: committee substitute agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-12: Read second time (House)
- 2026-02-11: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-09: Reported from Appropriations with amendment(s) (21-Y 1-N) (House)
- 2026-02-06: Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (7-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-02-06: House subcommittee offered (House)
- 2026-02-05: Assigned HAPP sub: General Government and Capital Outlay (House)
- 2026-02-04: Committee substitute printed 26106177D-H1 (House)
- 2026-02-04: Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and referred to Appropriations (22-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-02-04: Racial and Ethnic Impact Statement From JLARC (2/4/2026 11:49 am) (House)
- 2026-02-04: Racial and Ethnic Impact Statement From JLARC (2/4/2026 11:36 am) (House)
- 2026-01-28: House subcommittee offered (House)
- 2026-01-28: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute and referring to Appropriations (9-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-22: Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal (House)
- 2026-01-21: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB127) (House)
- 2026-01-02: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (House)
- 2026-01-02: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101174D (House)

## Bill text

- Substitute, 2026-02-23: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177628.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177627.PDF)
- Engrossed, 2026-02-12: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1138305.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1138304.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-02-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135795.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135798.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-02-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1133371.HTML)
- Substitute, 2026-02-04: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127388.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127387.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-01-29: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1101169.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1101168.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-01-28: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100341.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100340.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-02: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082502.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082501.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177628.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177627.PDF)
- [Engrossed (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1138305.HTML)
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1138304.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135795.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135798.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1133371.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127388.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127387.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1101169.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1101168.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100341.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100340.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082502.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082501.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB127-2026 (as of 2026-10-13).