# Virginia SB247: Nursing homes; application to Commissioner of Health for change of operator license, civil penalty. Virginia SB247, Nursing homes; application to Commissioner of Health for change of operator license, civil penalty., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Barbara A. Favola (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-08 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0415)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB247-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Virginia SB247 - State: Virginia - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: Nursing homes; application to Commissioner of Health for change of operator license, civil penalty. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-12 - Last action: 2026-04-08, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0415) - Sponsor: Barbara A. Favola (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 9 (268 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary Nursing homes; change of operator; application to Commissioner of Health for change of operator license; civil penalty. Requires a person taking over the daily operations and management of a nursing home when change of ownership or control occurs to apply to the Commissioner of Health for a change of operator license. The bill establishes the requirements for the application for and for the granting of such license and establishes a civil penalty for failing to provide the Commissioner with information or documentation, effectuating a change of operator without applying for a change of operator license, or providing fraudulent information on an application for a change of operator license. This bill is identical to HB 717. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Heavy fines for unapproved operator changes: cost, high. If someone changes the operator without filing the application, or files false information, they owe $2,000 for each day after the change. If they still do not apply within 60 days after the Commissioner learns of it, the state starts revoking the nursing home’s license. New operators must correct… - Big bond to protect nursing home residents: mixed, high. The new operator or property owner must post a bond equal to $10,000 per licensed bed. They must keep it for five years. The bond is waived if the operator, or a person who owns at least 50% of the operator, directly or indirectly owns at least 50% of the nursing home and its assets. If the bond la… - Stricter vetting for new nursing home operators: mixed, medium. Applicants must list anyone who owns 5% or more of the operator, the property, bed rights, or related service companies. They must disclose past nursing home ownership and any bad events in the last five years, like closures, bankruptcy, license actions, or court cases. The person in charge must ha… - New license steps for nursing home operators: mixed, low. A new operator must get a state license before taking over a nursing home. They must file the form and pay the fee 45 days before the start, or 90 days if residents will move. The Commissioner can waive these deadlines in an emergency. After all rules are met, the Commissioner issues a notice of in… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Barbara A. Favola (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-02-24 | House | Passed House Block Vote | pass | 98 | 0 | | | 2026-02-19 | House | Reported from Health and Human Services | pass | 21 | 0 | | | 2026-02-10 | Senate | Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-10 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 3rd reading) | pass | 40 | 0 | | | 2026-02-10 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote | pass | 40 | 0 | | | 2026-02-09 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) | pass | 40 | 0 | | | 2026-02-09 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-05 | Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations | pass | 15 | 0 | | | 2026-01-22 | Senate | Reported from Education and Health and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations | pass | 14 | 0 | | ## Actions (31) - 2026-04-08: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0415) (Governor) - 2026-04-08: Approved by Governor-Chapter 415 (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 (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB247) (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB247ER) (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Enrolled (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Signed by President (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2026-02-24: Passed House Block Vote (98-Y 0-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-24: Read third time (House) - 2026-02-23: Read second time (House) - 2026-02-19: Reported from Health and Human Services (21-Y 0-N) (House) - 2026-02-13: Read first time (House) - 2026-02-13: Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services (House) - 2026-02-13: Placed on Calendar (House) - 2026-02-10: Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-02-10: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 3rd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-02-10: Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-02-10: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2026-02-10: Read second time (Senate) - 2026-02-09: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-02-09: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-02-09: Passed by for the day (Senate) - 2026-02-09: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2026-02-05: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB247) (Senate) - 2026-02-05: Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) (Senate) - 2026-01-22: Reported from Education and Health and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N) (Senate) - 2026-01-20: Assigned Education sub: Health (Senate) - 2026-01-12: Referred to Committee on Education and Health (Senate) - 2026-01-12: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104796D (Senate) ## Bill text - Chaptered, 2026-04-08: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217935.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217934.PDF) - Enrolled, 2026-02-26: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1178917.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1178916.PDF) - Introduced, 2026-01-12: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086980.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086979.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/1217935.HTML) - [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217934.PDF) - [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1178917.HTML) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1178916.PDF) - [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086980.HTML) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086979.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-SB247-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).