# Virginia HB768: Custody and visitation arrangements for minor; custody evaluation, report.

Virginia HB768, Custody and visitation arrangements for minor; custody evaluation, report., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Charniele L. Herring (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-05-14 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1116)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB768-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB768
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Custody and visitation arrangements for minor; custody evaluation, report.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-05-14, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1116)
- Sponsor: Charniele L. Herring (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 8 (283 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 8

## Summary

Custody and visitation arrangements for minor; custody evaluation; report. Provides that a circuit or district court may order a custody evaluation to assist with determining the custody or visitation arrangements for a minor. Current law provides that such custody evaluations can be ordered in a proceeding for custody or visitation before a juvenile and domestic relations district court. The bill also directs the Board of Psychology, in consultation with the Board of Medicine, to convene a stakeholder advisory group to study the availability of qualified mental health professionals willing to serve as court-appointed experts in family law proceedings and to report its findings and any recommendations to the Chairs of the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice and House Committee on Health and Human Services no later than November 1, 2026.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Support for older teens and disabled adults: benefit, high. Child support continues for an 18-year-old who is a full-time high school student, not self-supporting, and living with the parent who receives support. It ends at age 19 or high school graduation, whichever comes first. Courts can keep support going for an adult child with a severe, permanent disa…
- Best interests, mediation, and parenting time: benefit, low. Courts decide custody based on the child’s best interests, with no automatic preference for either parent or any custody type. Judges use mediation in custody or visitation cases when it is appropriate. Courts may use the term “parenting time” instead of “visitation.”
- Give schools custody orders in 3 days: benefit, low. If an order blocks school pickup or changes school enrollment, you must give a copy to the school within three business days after you get the order. If you cannot deliver it, give the court the principal’s name and address and the court will mail it. Schools do not have to interpret or enforce the…
- Grandparent visits after death or incapacity: benefit, low. A grandparent may show that a deceased or incapacitated parent agreed to grandparent visitation. If the court finds that more likely than not, it then decides if visits are in the child’s best interests.
- Filing bans and child advocate in risky cases: benefit, low. If a parent is convicted of serious crimes against a child or the other parent, the court can bar new custody or visitation filings for up to 10 years when it is in the child’s best interests. When someone asks the court to impose this filing ban, the court must appoint a guardian ad litem to repre…
- No support from deceased parent’s estate: cost, medium. The court cannot order a deceased parent's estate to pay child support. This removes a way to recover support after a paying parent dies.
- Medical support and special needs payments: mixed, medium. In child support orders, the court can require one or both parents to provide health insurance, cash medical support, or both. Either party can ask the court to send child support into a special needs trust or an ABLE account for a child with disabilities.
- Court-ordered custody evaluations and costs: mixed, low. In custody and visitation cases, the court can order custody or mental health evaluations to help decide what is best for the child. The judge can require one or both parties to pay the evaluation costs.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Charniele L. Herring (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-11 | House | Senate amendments agreed to by House | pass | 99 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-10 | Senate | Courts of Justice Amendment agreed to | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-05 | Senate | Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments | 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 amendment(s) | pass | 22 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-28 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) | pass | 10 | 0 |   |

## Actions (38)

- 2026-05-14: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1116) (Governor)
- 2026-05-14: Approved by Governor-Chapter 1116 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 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)
- 2026-04-13: Governor's recommendation received by House (Governor)
- 2026-03-31: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB768) (House)
- 2026-03-31: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-31: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 (House)
- 2026-03-31: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-30: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB768ER) (House)
- 2026-03-30: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-03-30: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-11: Senate amendments agreed to by House (99-Y 0-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-03-10: Courts of Justice Amendment agreed to (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Passed Senate with amendments Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Engrossed by Senate as amended (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-03-05: Senate committee offered (Senate)
- 2026-03-05: Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments (14-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB768) (House)
- 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: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB768) (House)
- 2026-02-09: Engrossed by House as amended (House)
- 2026-02-09: committee amendment agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-09: Read second time (House)
- 2026-02-06: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-04: Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-28: Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (10-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-26: Assigned HCJ sub: Civil (House)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (House)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103527D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-05-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225708.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225707.PDF)
- Gov Recommendation, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219476.HTML)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1212201.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1212200.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-03-10: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1203224.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-03-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1199543.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-03-05: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1197353.HTML)
- Engrossed, 2026-02-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1131961.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1131960.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-02-04: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127312.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-01-28: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100162.HTML)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085832.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085831.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/1225708.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225707.PDF)
- [Gov Recommendation (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219476.HTML)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1212201.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1212200.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1203224.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1199543.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1197353.HTML)
- [Engrossed (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1131961.HTML)
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1131960.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127312.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100162.HTML)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085832.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085831.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-HB768-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).