# Virginia HB191: Victims of sex trafficking; immunity for minors to arrest or prosecution for prostitution.

Virginia HB191, Victims of sex trafficking; immunity for minors to arrest or prosecution for prostitution., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-13 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0577)) (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB191-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB191
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Victims of sex trafficking; immunity for minors to arrest or prosecution for prostitution.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-07
- Last action: 2026-04-13, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0577)
- Sponsor: Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 8 (280 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

Victims of sex trafficking; minors; immunity to prosecution for prostitution. Provides that no minor shall be subject to arrest or prosecution for a qualifying offense, defined in relevant law, if at the time of the offense leading to such charge, such minor was a victim of sex trafficking, defined in relevant law. The bill also provides that such minor shall be referred to the local department of social services for a human trafficking or other assessment pursuant to relevant law and a law-enforcement officer or the local department of social services may take custody of such minor. Lastly, the bill provides that no law-enforcement officer acting in good faith shall be found liable for false arrest if it is later determined that the minor arrested was immune from prosecution.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Defense for trafficking victims in prostitution cases: benefit, high. If you are charged under § 18.2-346 or § 18.2-347, you can claim an affirmative defense if you were a sex‑trafficking victim at the time. You count as a victim if you committed the act because someone solicited, invited, recruited, encouraged, forced, intimidated, or deceived you. The defense appli…
- Trafficked minors avoid charges and get help: benefit, high. The law bars arrest and prosecution of any minor for § 18.2-346 or § 18.2-347 if the child was a sex‑trafficking victim when the act happened. The minor must be sent to the local Department of Social Services for a human‑trafficking or other assessment under § 63.2‑1506.1.
- Good-faith shield for officers: benefit, low. An officer who acts in good faith is not liable for false arrest if a minor later is found immune under this law. This protects officers who reasonably believed the arrest was lawful.
- Protective custody for trafficked minors: mixed, medium. A police officer or the local social services agency can take custody of a minor identified as a sex‑trafficking victim. They must follow the protective‑custody steps in § 63.2‑1517. This aims to protect the child and may change where the child stays during the process.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-25 | House | Senate amendment agreed to by House | pass | 96 | 1 |   |
| 2026-02-23 | Senate | Courts of Justice Amendment agreed to | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-20 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-20 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-18 | Senate | Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment | pass | 14 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-10 | House | Read third time and passed House Block Vote | pass | 98 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-04 | House | Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute | pass | 22 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-30 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute | pass | 10 | 0 |   |

## Actions (34)

- 2026-04-13: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0577) (Governor)
- 2026-04-13: Approved by Governor-Chapter 577 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-03-10: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-10: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 (House)
- 2026-03-02: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB191) (House)
- 2026-03-02: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB191ER) (House)
- 2026-03-02: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-03-02: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-02: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-02-25: Senate amendment agreed to by House (96-Y 1-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-23: Courts of Justice Amendment agreed to (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: Passed Senate with amendment Block Vote (38-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: Engrossed by Senate as amended (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-02-20: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-20: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-20: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-02-18: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB191) (House)
- 2026-02-18: Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment (14-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-10: Read third time and passed House Block Vote (98-Y 0-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-09: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House)
- 2026-02-09: committee substitute agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-09: Read second time (House)
- 2026-02-06: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-04: Committee substitute printed 26106683D-H1 (House)
- 2026-02-04: Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (22-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-30: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (10-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-30: House subcommittee offered (House)
- 2026-01-29: Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal (House)
- 2026-01-19: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB191) (House)
- 2026-01-07: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (House)
- 2026-01-07: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101466D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218803.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218802.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-02: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1181717.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1181716.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-02-23: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177198.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-02-20: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1171261.HTML)
- Substitute, 2026-02-04: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127326.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127325.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-01-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1104678.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1105161.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1104677.PDF), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1105160.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-07: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082783.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082782.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
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218803.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218802.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1181717.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1181716.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177198.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1171261.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127326.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127325.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1104678.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1105161.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1104677.PDF)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1105160.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082783.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082782.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)
- [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-HB191-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).