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Civil Subcommittee

Wednesday, January 28, 2026·2h 13m·▶ Watch / Listen

The House Courts of Justice Civil Law Subcommittee advanced seven bills out of committee, including a contested 5-3 vote on a bill protecting parents from losing custody solely due to lawful cannabis or opioid treatment use, and a 5-2 vote on a bill aligning Virginia law with federal immigration law for vulnerable youth ages 18-21; the subcommittee also carried over an eminent domain bill to 2027 at the patron's request.

Key Actions

·HB 942 – Custody/Visitation; Lawful Substance UseNo Vote

+ 11 more actions

Controversies

HB 942 – Whether bill language would prevent CPS from responding to substance use reports involving very young children

Eric Reynolds, Children's Ombudsman, argued that lines 24-27 and 410-413 of the bill 'would shut the door for CPS to be able to check in on some vulnerable children,' citing cases his office reviewed over four and a half years where children died after prior CPS reports of parental substance use were screened out because marijuana is legal in Virginia. Delegate Clark countered that 'this still preserves the court's full ability to intervene whenever a child is actually at risk. It does not limit CPS investigation. It does not excuse substance misuse. It does not weaken child protection laws.'

+ 4 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“When there is a garnishment that hits your account, whether that's a bank account or a credit union account, the entire balance can be taken in one swoop. You can be zeroed out overnight, and that is enough to put any family into a financial spiral.”

Delegate Hernandez (patron, HB 601) — Delegate Hernandez was explaining the core consumer protection problem the garnishment bill addresses — that Virginia currently has no automatic protection for any amount in a bank account from being seized by a creditor.

+ 3 more quotes

Votes

Report HB 942 as amendedPassed
Report HB 601 as amendedPassed
Report HB 667 as amended substitutePassed
Report divorce/bed and board billPassed
Report HB 905 as amendedPassed
No (1)Leftwich
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TranscriptPreview
Good afternoon. Welcome to the what is today, January 28th edition of the House of House Courts of Justice Civil Law subcommittee. We've got 13 bills on our docket today, but we have one that we can dispose of fairly easily. Delegate Thornton has told me that he would ask that we pass by for the day his House Bill 775. Is that right, Delegate Thornton? All right, can I get a motion? So moved in second, the House Bill 775. Go by for the day. As many as favor that motion will say aye. Those opposed? All right, so if you were here in the audience to speak on 775 or online, you can go on with the rest of your afternoon. All right, we're going to go to House Bill 768. Our majority leader, who's also supposed to be having appropriations, has a bill. House Bill 768. Delegate Herring. Thank you, Mr. Chair and Members of the committee. This bill is brought to you by. Actually, it was a recommendation from the Family Law section, the Virginia Bar. It deals with custody evaluations. Current code is ambiguous about a judge's ability to order through investigations and evaluations during…
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