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Bill > SB230


VA SB230

VA SB230
Police and court records; expungement of records, report, effective clause.


summary

Introduced
01/11/2026
In Committee
02/24/2026
Crossed Over
02/16/2026
Passed
Dead

Introduced Session

2026 Regular Regular Session

Bill Summary

Expungement of police and court records. Permits the expungement of police and court records relating to an initial charge when a person is charged with the commission of an infraction, a crime, or a civil offense and the initial charge is reduced or amended to another offense, including a lesser included offense or the same offense with a lesser punishment, so that such person is not convicted of the initial charge. The bill also permits that a petition may request expungement of the police and court records for multiple charges if all such charges arose out of the same transaction or occurrence and all such charges are eligible for expungement. The bill directs the Department of State Police and the Office of the Executive Secretary to evaluate the costs of implementation of the bill and submit a report to the chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and for Courts of Justice and the chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and for Courts of Justice by October 1, 2026. The provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the General Assembly at a subsequent regular or special session.   

AI Summary

This bill expands the ability to expunge, or remove, police and court records for individuals who were initially charged with an infraction, crime, or civil offense but were not ultimately convicted of that original charge because it was reduced, amended, or dismissed. This means if a person is charged with a more serious offense but ends up pleading to or being convicted of a lesser one, or if the charge is dropped entirely, they can now petition to have the records related to the original, more serious charge removed. The bill also allows for a single petition to request the expungement of records for multiple charges if they all stemmed from the same incident and are eligible for expungement. Furthermore, the Department of State Police and the Office of the Executive Secretary are required to study and report on the costs of implementing these changes by October 2026, and the bill's provisions will only take effect if reenacted by the General Assembly at a later session.

Committee Categories

Budget and Finance, 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)

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