# Virginia SB228: Localities; liability insurance, certain waiver of sovereign immunity.

Virginia SB228, Localities; liability insurance, certain waiver of sovereign immunity., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Scott A. Surovell (Democratic); status in committee, last action 2026-02-12 (Referred to Committee on Finance and Appropriations) (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB228-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia SB228
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Localities; liability insurance, certain waiver of sovereign immunity.
- Status: in committee
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-10
- Last action: 2026-02-12, Referred to Committee on Finance and Appropriations
- Sponsor: Scott A. Surovell (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Finance and Appropriations
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 4 (42 yes, 12 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Localities; liability insurance; certain waiver of sovereign immunity. Provides that a locality or political subdivision may provide liability insurance, including self-insurance, to cover damages or other expenses in certain civil actions arising out of an act or omission of certain officers, employees, board or commission members, or volunteers while such person is acting within the scope of his official duties. The bill provides that the provision of such liability insurance or self-insurance shall constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity in an amount not to exceed the combined total of any self-insurance coverage, insurance coverage under a group self-insurance pool, or any coverage pursuant to a policy purchased from an insurance company, including any excess or reserve coverage. The bill also provides that the insurer or self-insured shall not have a duty to defend or indemnify any covered person in cases where the act or omission took place outside the scope of such covered person's employment or official duties, where such act or omission was done maliciously or occurred as a result of gross negligence or willful misconduct, or is otherwise excluded by the terms of the policy.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Scott A. Surovell (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-12 | Senate | Continued to 2027 in Finance and Appropriations | pass | 15 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-04 | Senate | Failed to report from Courts of Justice with substitute | pass | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| 2026-02-04 | Senate | Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations | pass | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| 2026-01-19 | Senate | Rereferred from Local Government to Courts of Justice | pass | 14 | 0 |   |

## Actions (10)

- 2026-02-12: Referred to Committee on Finance and Appropriations (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Continued to 2027 in Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-06: Committee substitute printed 26106267D-S1 (Senate)
- 2026-02-04: Senate committee offered (Senate)
- 2026-02-04: Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (6-Y 5-N 3-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-04: Failed to report from Courts of Justice with substitute (Senate)
- 2026-01-21: Fiscal Impact statement From CLG (1/21/2026 3:35 pm) (Senate)
- 2026-01-19: Rereferred from Local Government to Courts of Justice (14-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-01-10: Referred to Committee on Local Government (Senate)
- 2026-01-10: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101500D (Senate)

## Bill text

- Substitute, 2026-02-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132537.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132536.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-04: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127640.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127639.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-10: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084149.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084148.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
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132537.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132536.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127640.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127639.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084149.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084148.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)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB228-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).