# Virginia SB986: Assault and battery; Class 1 misdemeanor against sports official.

Virginia SB986, Assault and battery; Class 1 misdemeanor against sports official., is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Angelia Williams Graves (Democratic); status to governor, last action 2025-03-21 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0361)) (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB986-2025
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia SB986
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2025 Regular Session
- Title: Assault and battery; Class 1 misdemeanor against sports official.
- Status: to governor
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-01-07
- Last action: 2025-03-21, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0361)
- Sponsor: Angelia Williams Graves (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 7 (258 yes, 2 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Assault and battery; sports official; penalty. Makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for a person to commit a battery against another knowing or having reason to know that such individual is a sports official, defined in the bill, for an entity sponsoring an interscholastic or intercollegiate sports event or any person performing services as a sports official for a public entity or a private, nonprofit organization that sponsors an amateur sports event who (i) is engaged in the performance of his duties or (ii) is on the premises of such event prior to engaging in his duties or upon conclusion of his duties. The bill provides that such person, upon conviction, may be prohibited from attending any such sports event operated by the entity or organization that employed such sports official for a period of not less than six months as a term and condition of such sentence.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Angelia Williams Graves (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-02-20 | Senate | House substitute agreed to by Senate | pass | 37 | 2 |   |
| 2025-02-19 | House | Passed House with substitute Block Vote | pass | 97 | 0 |   |
| 2025-02-14 | House | Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute | pass | 21 | 0 |   |
| 2025-02-10 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute | pass | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025-01-21 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2025-01-17 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2025-01-15 | Senate | Reported from Courts of Justice | pass | 15 | 0 |   |

## Actions (32)

- 2025-03-21: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0361) (Governor)
- 2025-03-21: Approved by Governor-Chapter 361 (Effective 07/01/25) (Governor)
- 2025-03-11: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB986) (Senate)
- 2025-03-11: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 24, 2025 (Governor)
- 2025-03-11: Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 11, 2025 (Senate)
- 2025-03-10: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2025-03-07: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB986ER) (Senate)
- 2025-03-07: Enrolled (Senate)
- 2025-03-07: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2025-02-20: House substitute agreed to by Senate (37-Y 2-N) (Senate)
- 2025-02-19: Passed House with substitute Block Vote (97-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2025-02-19: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House)
- 2025-02-19: Courts of Justice Substitute agreed to (House)
- 2025-02-19: Read third time (House)
- 2025-02-18: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB986) (Senate)
- 2025-02-18: Read second time (House)
- 2025-02-14: Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (21-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2025-02-14: Committee substitute printed 25107101D-H1 (House)
- 2025-02-10: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2025-02-05: Assigned Courts sub: Criminal (House)
- 2025-02-05: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (House)
- 2025-02-05: Read first time (House)
- 2025-02-05: Placed on Calendar (House)
- 2025-01-21: Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2025-01-20: Read second time and engrossed (Senate)
- 2025-01-17: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2025-01-17: Passed by for the day (Senate)
- 2025-01-17: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2025-01-15: Reported from Courts of Justice (15-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2025-01-10: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB986) (Senate)
- 2025-01-07: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (Senate)
- 2025-01-07: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-08-2025 25101551D (Senate)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2025-03-21: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1072679.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1072678.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2025-03-07: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1068545.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1068544.PDF)
- Substitute, 2025-02-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1053472.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1053471.PDF)
- Substitute, 2025-02-10: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1045662.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1045708.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1045661.PDF), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1045707.PDF)
- Introduced, 2025-01-07: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1014728.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1014727.PDF)

## Related bills

- HR671: Commending JR's Auto Care. (adopted)
- SB941: Robbery; use of air or gas operated weapon, etc., penalty. (failed)
- HB1746: Public safety officer; definition. (failed)
- HB1600: Budget Bill. (failed)
- SB1449: Data centers; site assessment for high energy use facility. (failed)
- HB1609: Essential health benefits benchmark plan; Commission to consider coverage for infertility treatment. (to governor)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1072679.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1072678.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1068545.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1068544.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1053472.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1053471.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1045662.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1045708.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1045661.PDF)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1045707.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1014728.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1014727.PDF)

## Related
- [HR671: Commending JR's Auto Care.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HR671-2025)
- [SB941: Robbery; use of air or gas operated weapon, etc., penalty.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB941-2025)
- [HB1746: Public safety officer; definition.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1746-2025)
- [HB1600: Budget Bill.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1600-2025)
- [SB1449: Data centers; site assessment for high energy use facility.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB1449-2025)
- [HB1609: Essential health benefits benchmark plan; Commission to consider coverage for i…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1609-2025)
- [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-SB986-2025 (as of 2026-10-17).