VA HB 635
Status unknownArtificial Intelligence Chatbots Act; established, prohibited practices, penalties.
Virginia · 2026 Regular Session · lower
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Quick answers
Did VA HB 635 pass?
The current status of VA HB 635 is not known from the official record. Latest recorded action (2026-02-09): Continued to next session in Communications, Technology and Innovation (Voice Vote)
What is VA HB 635 about?
Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Act established; prohibited practices; penalties. Creates the Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Act, which prohibits an operator from making a companion chatbot, as those terms are defined in the bill, available to a user in the Commonwealth unless the companion chatbot is incapable of certain actions specified in the bill. The bill also requires an operator of a companion chatbot to include a disclaimer to users of all ages that a companion chatbot is not a human via a static, persistent disclosure and notify a user via a pop-up that he is not engaging with a human counterpart at specified intervals. The bill makes it unlawful for any operator of a companion chatbot to operate or provide a companion chatbot to a user unless such companion chatbot contains a protocol to take reasonable efforts for detecting and addressing expressions of suicidal ideation or self-harm by a user to the companion chatbot. The bill also includes certain data privacy and transparency requirements. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
Who sponsors VA HB 635?
Michelle Lopes Maldonado is the primary sponsor of VA HB 635, joined by 6 cosponsors.
Description
Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Act established; prohibited practices; penalties. Creates the Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Act, which prohibits an operator from making a companion chatbot, as those terms are defined in the bill, available to a user in the Commonwealth unless the companion chatbot is incapable of certain actions specified in the bill. The bill also requires an operator of a companion chatbot to include a disclaimer to users of all ages that a companion chatbot is not a human via a static, persistent disclosure and notify a user via a pop-up that he is not engaging with a human counterpart at specified intervals. The bill makes it unlawful for any operator of a companion chatbot to operate or provide a companion chatbot to a user unless such companion chatbot contains a protocol to take reasonable efforts for detecting and addressing expressions of suicidal ideation or self-harm by a user to the companion chatbot. The bill also includes certain data privacy and transparency requirements. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
- Introduced
- 2026-01-13
- Latest action
- 2026-02-09 — Continued to next session in Communications, Technology and Innovation (Voice Vote)
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Sponsors
- Michelle Lopes Maldonadoprimary
- C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr.cosponsor
- Margaret A. Franklincosponsor
- Rozia A. Henson, Jr.cosponsor
- Irene Shincosponsor
- Jackie H. Glasscosponsor
- Bonita G. Anthonycosponsor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
Newest first
2026-02-09
Continued to next session in Communications, Technology and Innovation (Voice Vote)
2026-02-04
Subcommittee recommends continuing to (Voice Vote)
2026-02-04
House subcommittee offered
2026-01-29
Assigned HST sub: Technology and Innovation
referral-committee
2026-01-13
Referred to Committee on Communications, Technology and Innovation
referral-committee
2026-01-13
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105121D
filing,introduction
Versions
Documents
Votes
Not provided by source.
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
Official source
Attribution
Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T05:35:59.552682Z
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