Bill Commons

VA HB 638

Status unknown

Data brokers; regulation, civil penalties.

Virginia · 2026 Regular Session · lower

Quick answers

Did VA HB 638 pass?

The current status of VA HB 638 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 638 about?

Regulation of data brokers; civil penalties. Prohibits a person from acquiring personally identifiable information, defined in the bill, through fraudulent means or acquiring and using such information for the purpose of (i) stalking or harassing another person; (ii) committing a fraud, including identity theft, financial fraud, or email fraud; or (iii) engaging in unlawful discrimination, including employment discrimination or housing discrimination. The bill requires a data broker, defined in the bill, to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive information security program that includes certain features and technical elements. The bill also requires a data broker operating in the Commonwealth, beginning on December 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, to register with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Who sponsors VA HB 638?

Michelle Lopes Maldonado is the primary sponsor of VA HB 638, joined by 2 cosponsors.

Description

Regulation of data brokers; civil penalties. Prohibits a person from acquiring personally identifiable information, defined in the bill, through fraudulent means or acquiring and using such information for the purpose of (i) stalking or harassing another person; (ii) committing a fraud, including identity theft, financial fraud, or email fraud; or (iii) engaging in unlawful discrimination, including employment discrimination or housing discrimination. The bill requires a data broker, defined in the bill, to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive information security program that includes certain features and technical elements. The bill also requires a data broker operating in the Commonwealth, beginning on December 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, to register with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

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
  • Rozia A. Henson, Jr.cosponsor
  • Bonita G. Anthonycosponsor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2026-01-13

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105301D

    filing,introduction

  2. 2026-01-13

    Referred to Committee on Communications, Technology and Innovation

    referral-committee

  3. 2026-01-26

    Assigned HST sub: Technology and Innovation

    referral-committee

  4. 2026-02-04

    House subcommittee offered

  5. 2026-02-04

    Subcommittee recommends continuing to (Voice Vote)

  6. 2026-02-09

    Continued to next session in Communications, Technology and Innovation (Voice Vote)

Versions

  • IntroducedCompare
  • Communications, Technology and Innovation SubstituteCompare

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

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

Use this data

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Known limitations

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  • Committee referrals are not yet captured.

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