# Virginia HB459: Hate crimes; crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information.

Virginia HB459, Hate crimes; crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Laura Jane Cohen (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-06 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0147)) (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB459-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB459
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Hate crimes; crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-12
- Last action: 2026-04-06, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0147)
- Sponsor: Laura Jane Cohen (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 7 (217 yes, 4 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

Crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information; hate crimes. Prohibits a law-enforcement agency from disclosing to the public information that directly or indirectly identifies the victim of a hate crime, defined in relevant law, except to the extent that disclosure is (i) of the site of the crime, (ii) required by law, (iii) necessary for law-enforcement purposes, or (iv) permitted by the court for good cause unless such victim, or his next of kin if he is a minor and his death results from any crime, provides written consent. The bill also prohibits, at the request of the victim, the Court of Appeals of Virginia and the Supreme Court of Virginia from listing the first or last name of the victim of a hate crime in an appellate decision.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Stronger privacy for crime victims: benefit, low. The law limits what police, prosecutors, defense lawyers, courts, and Corrections can share about victims and witnesses. If you are a victim, or a witness in certain listed prosecutions or any violent felony, and you ask, they cannot release your home address, phone, email, or workplace, or that of…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Laura Jane Cohen (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-23 | Senate | Passed Senate | pass | 38 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-20 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-20 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-18 | Senate | Reported from Courts of Justice | pass | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 2026-02-10 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 93 | 4 |   |
| 2026-02-04 | House | Reported from Courts of Justice | pass | 22 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-30 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting | pass | 10 | 0 |   |

## Actions (27)

- 2026-04-06: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0147) (Governor)
- 2026-04-06: Approved by Governor-Chapter 147 (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)
- 2026-02-25: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB459) (House)
- 2026-02-25: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB459ER) (House)
- 2026-02-25: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-02-25: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-02-23: Passed Senate (38-Y 0-N 0-A) (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: Reported from Courts of Justice (14-Y 0-N 1-A) (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 (93-Y 4-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-09: Read second time and engrossed (House)
- 2026-02-09: Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar (House)
- 2026-02-06: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-04: Reported from Courts of Justice (22-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-30: Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-29: Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal (House)
- 2026-01-21: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB459) (House)
- 2026-01-12: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (House)
- 2026-01-12: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100507D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216694.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216693.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-02-25: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177941.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177940.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-12: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084543.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084542.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/1216694.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216693.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177941.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177940.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084543.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084542.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)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB459-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).