summary
Introduced
11/17/2025
11/17/2025
In Committee
02/17/2026
02/17/2026
Crossed Over
02/11/2026
02/11/2026
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
Potential new amendment
2026 Regular Regular Session
Bill Summary
Plea agreements and court orders; prohibited provisions. Prohibits plea agreements and court orders executed or entered on or after July 1, 2026, from containing any provision that purports to waive, release, or extinguish a defendant's (i) rights under the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution of Virginia; (ii) right to file a petition requesting expungement of the police records and the court records; or (iii) right to have criminal history record information and court records sealed. The bill provides that any such prohibited provision of a plea agreement or court order is void and unenforceable as against public policy. The bill provides that such prohibition does not apply to any plea agreements, written agreements, or court orders entered into by a defendant and the Commonwealth (a) as a condition for participation in a specialty docket or (b) in a case involving a sexual offense where the victim is younger than 18 years of age. The bill further provides that any waiver, release, or extinguishment of rights under the Fourth Amendment permissible by law shall be no longer than the period of supervised probation imposed against the defendant; if the defendant is not placed on supervised probation, it shall be no longer than the period of suspension of sentence imposed against such defendant.
AI Summary
This bill, effective July 1, 2026, prohibits plea agreements and court orders from including provisions that force a defendant to give up their rights to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Article I, Section 10 of the Virginia Constitution, their right to request expungement (removal) of police and court records, or their right to have criminal history and court records sealed. Any such provision in a plea agreement or court order will be considered void and unenforceable because it goes against public policy. However, this prohibition does not apply to agreements made as a condition for participating in a specialty docket (a court program designed for specific types of cases, like drug offenses) or in cases involving sexual offenses against victims under 18 years old, or offenses involving children. If a defendant does waive their Fourth Amendment rights under these exceptions, the waiver can only last as long as their supervised probation period, or for five years if they are not on supervised probation.
Committee Categories
Justice
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
House Courts of Justice Hearing (00:00:00 3/2/2026 House Committee Room C - 206) (on 03/02/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB23 |
| Fiscal Note/Analysis - Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB23) | https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1145820.PDF |
| BillText | https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB23/text/SB23E |
| Courts of Justice Amendment | https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB23/text/SB23AS1 |
| Fiscal Note/Analysis - Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB23) | https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1133717.PDF |
| BillText | https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB23/text/SB23 |
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