# Virginia HB973: Health records; disclosure of laboratory test results, waiting period. Virginia HB973, Health records; disclosure of laboratory test results, waiting period., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Marcia S. "Cia" Price (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-06 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0248)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB973-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Virginia HB973 - State: Virginia - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: Health records; disclosure of laboratory test results, waiting period. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-01-13 - Last action: 2026-04-06, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0248) - Sponsor: Marcia S. "Cia" Price (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 7 (215 yes, 2 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 5 ## Summary Health records; disclosure of laboratory test results; waiting period. Requires health care entities to wait 72 hours before disclosing test results that could indicate malignancy or genetic markers as part of a patient's health records unless the disclosure of such test results is requested by the patient, is not possible due to the health care entity's electronic health records system, or such early disclosure is in the patient's best interest. The bill permits health care entities to disclose health records to an electronic health information exchange to comply with the federal 21st Century Cures Act. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Providers can share records through health networks: benefit, low. Virginia health care entities can share records with electronic health information exchanges or networks. Sharing must serve compliance with the federal 21st Century Cures Act and its regulations. This permission creates no new household payment or benefit. - Stronger limits on outside health record access: benefit, low. Virginia removes a specific permission to share records with school-board, public-college, and private nonprofit-college threat assessment teams. Other legal permissions remain available. For covered subpoenas seeking adult or minor records, requesters generally must give required notice. Return da… - Patients can challenge withheld health records: mixed, low. Virginia health care entities can withhold copies or electronic access when a listed treating professional documents a serious risk. The risk must involve danger to someone's life or physical safety, or substantial harm to a non-provider named in the record. The treating professional must be a phys… - Patients control written permission to share records: mixed, low. Written permission must identify the patient, provider, recipient, records, and purpose, and include a dated signature and the signer's authority. It must explain treatment or payment conditions, revocation rights, and the risk that shared records lose privacy protection. Permission ends at the ear… - Patients face waits for sensitive test results: mixed, low. Virginia health care entities requesting laboratory tests cannot block information in ways barred by federal law. But electronic patient access generally waits until 72 hours after certain results are finalized. This covers pathology and radiology reports reasonably likely to show cancer, and tests… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Marcia S. "Cia" Price (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-02 | Senate | Passed Senate Block Vote | pass | 40 | 0 | | | 2026-02-27 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 37 | 0 | | | 2026-02-27 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-26 | Senate | Reported from Education and Health | pass | 15 | 0 | | | 2026-02-17 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 94 | 2 | | | 2026-02-12 | House | Reported from Health and Human Services | pass | 21 | 0 | | | 2026-02-10 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting | pass | 8 | 0 | | ## Actions (28) - 2026-04-06: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0248) (Governor) - 2026-04-06: Approved by Governor-Chapter 248 (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) - 2026-03-09: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB973) (House) - 2026-03-09: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB973ER) (House) - 2026-03-09: Enrolled (House) - 2026-03-09: Signed by President (Senate) - 2026-03-09: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2026-03-02: Passed Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Read third time (Senate) - 2026-02-27: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-02-27: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (37-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-02-27: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Reported from Education and Health (15-Y 0-N) (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Assigned Education sub: Health (Senate) - 2026-02-18: Referred to Committee on Education and Health (Senate) - 2026-02-18: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate) - 2026-02-17: Read third time and passed House (94-Y 2-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-16: Read second time and engrossed (House) - 2026-02-16: Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar (House) - 2026-02-15: Read first time (House) - 2026-02-12: Reported from Health and Human Services (21-Y 0-N) (House) - 2026-02-10: Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N) (House) - 2026-01-23: Assigned sub: Health (House) - 2026-01-20: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB973) (House) - 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services (House) - 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102418D (House) ## Bill text - Chaptered, 2026-04-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217259.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217258.PDF) - Enrolled, 2026-03-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1194436.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1194435.PDF) - Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086738.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086737.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/1217259.HTML) - [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217258.PDF) - [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1194436.HTML) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1194435.PDF) - [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086738.HTML) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086737.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-HB973-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).