# Virginia HB449: Civil actions filed on behalf of multiple persons; class actions.

Virginia HB449, Civil actions filed on behalf of multiple persons; class actions., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Marcus B. Simon (Democratic); status vetoed, last action 2026-05-19 (Vetoed by Governor) (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB449-2026
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB449
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Civil actions filed on behalf of multiple persons; class actions.
- Status: vetoed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-12
- Last action: 2026-05-19, Vetoed by Governor
- Sponsor: Marcus B. Simon (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 8 (166 yes, 70 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Civil actions filed on behalf of multiple persons; class actions; violations of Virginia Consumer Protection Act; award of damages. Provides that one or more members of a class may, as representative parties on behalf of all members, bring a civil action or may be proceeded against in a civil action, provided that (i) the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable, (ii) there are questions of law or fact common to the class, (iii) the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class, and (iv) the representative parties shall fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class. The bill further sets out the procedure to certify a class action, the duties of counsel appointed in a class action, the various orders a court may issue during the course of a class action, and the process by which a settlement, voluntary dismissal, or compromise may occur. The bill also applies the procedure by which an individual may be awarded damages in an action for a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act to a class action. Finally, the bill permits the Court of Appeals to permit an appeal to be taken from an order certifying a class in accordance with the provisions of the bill or any other order that is not a final order of the circuit court in a class action. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 229.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Marcus B. Simon (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-04 | Senate | Passed Senate | pass | 22 | 18 |   |
| 2026-03-03 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-03 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-03 | Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations | pass | 9 | 5 |   |
| 2026-02-18 | Senate | Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations | pass | 10 | 4 |   |
| 2026-02-03 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 64 | 34 |   |
| 2026-01-28 | House | Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute | pass | 14 | 6 |   |
| 2026-01-26 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute | pass | 7 | 3 |   |

## Actions (36)

- 2026-05-19: Vetoed by Governor (Governor)
- 2026-05-19: Governor's Veto Received by House (House)
- 2026-04-23: Passed by for the day (House)
- 2026-04-23: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., May 23, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-04-23: Communicated to Governor (House)
- 2026-04-22: Passed by for the day (House)
- 2026-04-11: Governor's recommendation received by House (Governor)
- 2026-03-14: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-14: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026 (House)
- 2026-03-12: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-11: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB449) (House)
- 2026-03-11: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-03-11: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-03-11: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Passed Senate (22-Y 18-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-03-03: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-03-03: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-03: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-03-03: Reported from Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 5-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-24: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB449) (House)
- 2026-02-18: Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 4-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB449) (House)
- 2026-02-04: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (Senate)
- 2026-02-04: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-03: Read third time and passed House (64-Y 34-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-02: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House)
- 2026-02-02: committee substitute agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-02: Read second time (House)
- 2026-01-30: Read first time (House)
- 2026-01-28: Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (14-Y 6-N) (House)
- 2026-01-26: House subcommittee offered (House)
- 2026-01-26: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 3-N) (House)
- 2026-01-22: Assigned HCJ sub: Civil (House)
- 2026-01-12: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (House)
- 2026-01-12: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105384D (House)

## Bill text

- Veto Explanation, 2026-05-19: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225792.HTML)
- Substitute, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218962.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218961.PDF)
- Gov Recommendation, 2026-04-11: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218954.HTML)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-11: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1200606.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1200605.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-01-28: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100141.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100140.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-01-26: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1096927.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1096892.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1096891.PDF), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1096926.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-12: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084482.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084481.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
- [Veto Explanation (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225792.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218962.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218961.PDF)
- [Gov Recommendation (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218954.HTML)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1200606.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1200605.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100141.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100140.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1096927.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1096892.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1096891.PDF)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1096926.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084482.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084481.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)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB449-2026 (as of 2026-10-11).