Bill
Bill > SB83
summary
Introduced
12/29/2025
12/29/2025
In Committee
02/18/2026
02/18/2026
Crossed Over
02/12/2026
02/12/2026
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026 Regular Regular Session
Bill Summary
Security policies for courthouses and local or regional correctional facilities; penalty. Adds several provisions relating to courthouse and courtroom security. The bill requires the chief judge of each general district court, juvenile and domestic relations district court, and circuit court to set a policy regarding the use and possession of portable electronic devices by visitors to the court. The bill authorizes such chief judge to condition the use and possession of portable electronic devices upon certain limitations. The bill also provides that if a sheriff allows courthouse employees to bypass any security screening required to enter a courthouse, such sheriff shall also exempt from the security screening any attorney who displays a valid Virginia State Bar-issued bar card and a government-issued identification. The bill creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any attorney who has had his license to practice law in the Commonwealth suspended or revoked and who displays a Virginia State Bar-issued bar card in an effort to be exempt from the security screening. Finally, the bill requires the State Board of Local and Regional Jails to develop and establish minimum standards to ensure that attorneys have sufficient opportunities to have confidential visits with their clients and requires sheriffs or jail superintendents to provide a telephonic, electronic, or web-based communication method for prisoners in local correctional facilities to communicate with attorneys.
AI Summary
This bill requires the chief judge of each district and circuit court in Virginia to establish a policy for the possession and use of portable electronic devices, which are defined as personal laptops, tablets, mobile phones, electronic calendars, e-readers, smart watches, or similar communication devices, by members of the public who are not otherwise authorized to have them. These policies must address whether such devices are prohibited, restricted, or allowed in courthouses and courtrooms, and must include provisions for ensuring that evidence on a device can be presented if its use is restricted. The policies must also be conspicuously posted at courthouse entrances and made available online. The bill also clarifies that attorneys with a valid bar card are exempt from courthouse security screenings, but are guilty of a misdemeanor if they display their card after their license has been suspended or revoked, and it mandates that jails provide confidential communication systems for prisoners to contact their attorneys and reasonable opportunities to review legal materials.
Committee Categories
Budget and Finance, Justice
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB83) (on 02/23/2026)
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/SB83 |
| Fiscal Note/Analysis - Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB83) | https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177052.PDF |
| BillText | https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB83/text/SB83S1 |
| Fiscal Note/Analysis - Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB83) | https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1105578.PDF |
| BillText | https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB83/text/SB83SC1 |
| BillText | https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB83/text/SB83 |
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