Public Safety

Friday, February 6, 2026·44m·▶ Watch / Listen

The Virginia House Public Safety Committee advanced a broad slate of bills on gun violence prevention, immigration enforcement, parole reform, and law enforcement accountability — with the most contested votes splitting 14-7 and 15-7 on firearms, immigration, and civil oversight measures, while a Gun Violence Prevention Center bill was scaled back to a work group amid sharp debate over its purpose and effectiveness.

Key Actions

·HB 69 – Gun Violence Prevention Work GroupNo Vote

+ 14 more actions

Controversies

HB 69 – Operation Ceasefire vs. new Gun Violence Prevention work group

Delegate Wilt argued Operation Ceasefire 'work very well' and expressed concern that HB 69 would duplicate existing efforts and waste funding on an unproven program when a proven program already exists. Delegate Price directly rebutted, stating: 'Operation Ceasefire was that in name only, Mr. Chair. That actually was a slush fund for the previous Attorney General for his billboards and commercials, which solved no crime.'

+ 2 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“This just feels like a jobs program for the gun control crowd is what this feels like. I think that's where it's ultimately headed. Using our tax dollars to basically come up with more gun control schemes to disarm us. So we're strongly opposed to this. We don't need it.”
Mr. Van Cleave — Mr. Van Cleave testified in opposition to HB 69, which would establish a work group to examine gun violence prevention and lay groundwork for a statewide Gun Violence Prevention Center.

+ 2 more quotes

Votes

Report HB 69 with substitute and refer to AppropriationsPassed

Report HB 896 with amendments and refer to AppropriationsPassed

Report HB 173 with committee substitute and refer to AppropriationsPassed

Report HB 318 with substitute as amendedPassed

Report HB 1476 with substitutePassed

Report HB 1015 and refer to AppropriationsPassed

Report HB 1525 with substitutePassed

Report HB 650 with substitutePassed

Report HB 1441 with substitutePassed

Report HB 1482 with amendmentsPassed

Report HB 1492 with substitutePassed

Report HB 1262 with substitutePassed

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TranscriptPreview

Good morning. Call this meeting of the House Public Safety Committee to order. Members will take attendance on the electronic voting board. Clerk, please open the roll. Clerk will close the roll. A quorum is present. First bill on our docket is House Bill 69 from Chair Price, who's committee is waiting for her. I understand there's a substitute here. Price. Yes. Can I get a motion on the substitute? Let's be moved in. Second, we adopt a subcommittee, committee, substitute somebody in his favor. That motion will say aye. Those opposed? All right, the substitute is before us. Delegate Price? Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair and members, this is. It started off as the Gun Violence Prevention center that would have established a statewide center. However, in meeting with the administration and trying to get it moved from DCJS to the Secretary of Health, as you can imagine, they have quite a lot that they're facing this year. So we established a work group to take a look at some of the items, and it might actually end up as a work group to take a look at how to look at the items, just to give them a…

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