# Virginia SB283: Penalties for failure to appear; definition, contempt.

Virginia SB283, Penalties for failure to appear; definition, contempt., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Lashrecse D. Aird (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-06 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0242)) (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB283-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia SB283
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Penalties for failure to appear; definition, contempt.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-04-06, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0242)
- Sponsor: Lashrecse D. Aird (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 7 (145 yes, 67 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

Penalties for failure to appear; contempt. Provides that a court shall consider certain mitigating factors to determine whether the failure of any person to appear before any court or judicial officer as required was willful. Under current law, no mitigating factors are specified for a court or judicial officer to consider in determining whether a person willfully failed to appear. This bill is identical to HB 933.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Stronger penalties for missing court: mixed, medium. The law sets crimes and money penalties for missing court on purpose. If you are charged with a felony, or your felony sentence is suspended, and you willfully miss court, it is a Class 6 felony. If it is tied to a misdemeanor, or your misdemeanor sentence is suspended, it is a Class 1 misdemeanor.…
- Clearer court contempt rules and limits: mixed, low. The law lists six acts that let a judge punish contempt on the spot. These include disrupting court, threats or violence, vile insults at the judge, disobeying orders, officer misconduct, and willful failure to appear. When using contempt, the judge must write which rule applies. Using contempt for…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Lashrecse D. Aird (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-04 | House | Passed House | pass | 64 | 35 |   |
| 2026-03-02 | House | Reported from Courts of Justice | pass | 15 | 7 |   |
| 2026-02-17 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate | pass | 21 | 19 |   |
| 2026-02-16 | Senate | Committee substitute agreed to (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-13 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) | pass | 36 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-13 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-11 | Senate | Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute | pass | 9 | 6 |   |

## Actions (30)

- 2026-04-06: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0242) (Governor)
- 2026-04-06: Approved by Governor-Chapter 242 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-03-14: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-14: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026 (Senate)
- 2026-03-11: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB283) (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB283ER) (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Enrolled (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-04: Passed House (64-Y 35-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-03-04: Read third time (House)
- 2026-03-03: Read second time (House)
- 2026-03-02: Reported from Courts of Justice (15-Y 7-N) (House)
- 2026-02-24: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (House)
- 2026-02-24: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-24: Placed on Calendar (House)
- 2026-02-17: Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Committee substitute agreed to (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Read second time (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (36-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB283) (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Committee substitute printed 26107528D-S1 (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Senate committee offered (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (9-Y 6-N) (Senate)
- 2026-01-27: Racial and Ethnic Impact Statement From JLARC (1/27/2026 3:08 pm) (Senate)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (Senate)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101354D (Senate)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217054.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217053.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-10: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1198825.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1198824.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-12: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1143303.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1143302.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-11: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1142377.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1142376.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088539.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088538.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/1217054.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217053.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1198825.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1198824.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1143303.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1143302.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1142377.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1142376.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088539.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088538.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)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB283-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).