# Virginia HB251: Assault and battery; creates Class 6 felony for serious bodily injury.

Virginia HB251, Assault and battery; creates Class 6 felony for serious bodily injury., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Vivian E. Watts (Democratic); status in committee, last action 2026-02-13 (Continued to 2027 in Courts of Justice (Voice Vote)) (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB251-2026
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB251
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Assault and battery; creates Class 6 felony for serious bodily injury.
- Status: in committee
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-08
- Last action: 2026-02-13, Continued to 2027 in Courts of Justice (Voice Vote)
- Sponsor: Vivian E. Watts (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Criminal
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (0 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Assault and battery; serious bodily injury; penalty. Creates a Class 6 felony for any person who commits an assault and battery that results in serious bodily injury, as defined in relevant law, but does not rise to the level of the current offenses of unlawful or malicious wounding. The bill adds such new offense to the list of violent felony offenses for the purposes of the discretionary sentencing guidelines.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Vivian E. Watts (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-13 | House | Continued to 2027 in Courts of Justice (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-11 | House | Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2027 (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |

## Actions (7)

- 2026-02-13: Continued to 2027 in Courts of Justice (Voice Vote) (House)
- 2026-02-11: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2027 (Voice Vote) (House)
- 2026-02-10: Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal (House)
- 2026-01-14: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB251) (House)
- 2026-01-09: Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/9/2026 11:01 am) (House)
- 2026-01-08: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (House)
- 2026-01-08: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102460D (House)

## Bill text

- Introduced, 2026-01-08: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083261.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083260.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
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083261.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083260.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-HB251-2026 (as of 2026-10-11).