# Virginia HB853: Petition for modification of a sentence; eligibility, procedures, report.

Virginia HB853, Petition for modification of a sentence; eligibility, procedures, report., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Rae Cousins (Democratic); status in committee, last action 2026-02-11 (Continued to 2027 in Courts of Justice (Voice Vote)) (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB853-2026
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB853
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Petition for modification of a sentence; eligibility, procedures, report.
- Status: in committee
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-02-11, Continued to 2027 in Courts of Justice (Voice Vote)
- Sponsor: Rae Cousins (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Criminal
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (0 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Petition for modification of a sentence; eligibility; procedures; report. Provides procedures for individuals serving a sentence for certain felony convictions or a combination of such convictions who remain incarcerated in a state or local correctional facility or secure facility and meet certain criteria to petition the circuit court that entered the original judgment or order to (i) suspend the unserved portion of such sentence or run the unserved portion of such sentence concurrently with another sentence, (ii) place such person on probation for such time as the court shall determine, or (iii) otherwise modify the sentence imposed. Depending on the type of conviction, the bill allows the court to grant a hearing on such petition after an individual has served at least 25 years for certain offenses, after 20 years for certain other offenses, and after 15 years for any other felony conviction not specified. The bill directs the Department of Corrections to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to (a) consider and recommend best practices for implementation of the bill and (b) evaluate and recommend updates to victim notification systems. The work group shall complete its meetings by November 1, 2026, and report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than December 1, 2026.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Rae Cousins (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-11 | House | Continued to 2027 in Courts of Justice (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-09 | House | Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2027 (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |

## Actions (9)

- 2026-02-11: Continued to 2027 in Courts of Justice (Voice Vote) (House)
- 2026-02-09: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2027 (Voice Vote) (House)
- 2026-02-09: Racial and Ethnic Impact Statement From JLARC (2/9/2026 11:33 am) (House)
- 2026-02-04: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB853) (House)
- 2026-02-04: Racial and Ethnic Impact Statement From JLARC (2/4/2026 10:34 am) (House)
- 2026-02-03: Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal (House)
- 2026-01-29: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB853) (House)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (House)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105027D (House)

## Bill text

- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086543.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086542.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/1086543.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086542.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-HB853-2026 (as of 2026-10-11).