# Virginia HB1299: Rules of construction; use of "shall," effective clause, report.

Virginia HB1299, Rules of construction; use of "shall," effective clause, report., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Karrie K. Delaney (Democratic); status passed house, last action 2026-03-09 (Continued to 2027 in Courts of Justice (11-Y 4-N)) (as of 2026-11-06).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1299-2026
- As of: 2026-11-06
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB1299
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Rules of construction; use of "shall," effective clause, report.
- Status: passed house
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-15
- Last action: 2026-03-09, Continued to 2027 in Courts of Justice (11-Y 4-N)
- Sponsor: Karrie K. Delaney (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Courts of Justice
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 5 (130 yes, 4 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Rules of construction; use of "shall." Provides that "shall," as used in the Code of Virginia, establishes a mandatory requirement and is not merely directory, unless the statute explicitly provides otherwise. The bill responds to the holding in Henderson v. Commonwealth, 77 Va. App. 250 (2023), in which the Court of Appeals held that when the General Assembly uses "shall" in a statute commanding action by a public official or public body such usage is directory and not mandatory. The foregoing provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2027 Session of the General Assembly. The bill requires, effective in due course, the Virginia Code Commission to review the bill's provisions and evaluate the bill's effect on the Code of Virginia and to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than December 1, 2026.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Karrie K. Delaney (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Continued to 2027 in Courts of Justice | pass | 11 | 4 |   |
| 2026-02-12 | House | Read third time and passed House Block Vote | pass | 98 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-06 | House | Reported from Rules with amendment(s) | pass | 16 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-02 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting | pass | 5 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-28 | House | Referred from Courts of Justice and referred to Rules (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |

## Actions (14)

- 2026-03-09: Continued to 2027 in Courts of Justice (11-Y 4-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Read third time and passed House Block Vote (98-Y 0-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-11: Engrossed by House as amended (House)
- 2026-02-11: committee amendments agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-11: Read second time (House)
- 2026-02-10: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-06: Reported from Rules with amendment(s) (16-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-02-02: Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-02-02: Assigned HRUL sub: Studies Subcommittee (House)
- 2026-01-28: Referred from Courts of Justice and referred to Rules (Voice Vote) (House)
- 2026-01-15: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (House)
- 2026-01-15: Presented and ordered printed 26104509D (House)

## Bill text

- Engrossed, 2026-02-11: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1134219.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1134218.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-02-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1133516.HTML)
- Introduced, 2026-01-15: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1089270.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1089269.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB20: Minimum wage; farm laborers or farm employees, temporary foreign workers. (signed)
- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB1011: Compost and other products containing organic soil amendments; waste disposal infrastructure, etc. (signed)
- HB848: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; material noncompliance by landlord, rent escrow, relief. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)

## Sources
- [Engrossed (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1134219.HTML)
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1134218.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1133516.HTML)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1089270.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1089269.PDF)

## Related
- [HB20: Minimum wage; farm laborers or farm employees, temporary foreign workers.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB20-2026)
- [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)
- [HB1011: Compost and other products containing organic soil amendments; waste disposal i…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1011-2026)
- [HB848: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; material noncompliance by landlord, re…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB848-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1299-2026 (as of 2026-11-06).