VA HB 669

in committee

Impersonation of certain licensed professionals by chatbot; definitions, notice, civil liability.

Virginia · 2026 Regular Session · lower

Description

Professions and occupations; impersonation of certain licensed professionals by chatbot; notice; civil liability. Provides that a proprietor that owns, operates, or deploys a chatbot, defined in the bill, shall not permit such chatbot to provide any substantive response, information, or advice, or take any action that, if taken by a natural person, would (i) constitute the unlawful practice of architecture, engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, geology, dentistry, medicine, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, certain mental health professions, psychology, social work, or veterinary medicine; (ii) violate the provisions of law making it unlawful for any person to practice medicine, osteopathic medicine, chiropractic, or podiatry or as a physician assistant in the Commonwealth without a valid unrevoked license or to practice law without being authorized or licensed; or (iii) violate the provisions of law making it unlawful for a teacher to be employed without a license or provisional license or relating to division superintendents, members of a school board or other school officers, or principals or teachers in a public school. The bill allows a person injured by a proprietor who engages in any such conduct to sue therefor no more than two years after the cause of action accrues and recover compensatory damages and reasonable attorney fees and costs. The bill also requires a proprietor operating or deploying a chatbot to provide a clear, conspicuous, and explicit notice to users that they are interacting with a chatbot but specifies that the provisions of such notice shall not be a defense to liability.

Introduced: 2026-01-13
Status date: —
Latest action: 2026-02-18 — Left in Committee Appropriations
Bill type: bill
Last updated: —

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

2026-01-13
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104752D
filing,introduction
2026-01-13
Referred to Committee on Communications, Technology and Innovation
referral-committee
2026-01-26
Assigned HST sub: Communications
referral-committee
2026-02-02
Subcommittee recommends continuing to (Voice Vote)
2026-02-02
Reconsidered by Communications, Technology and Innovation (Voice Vote)
2026-02-03
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB669)
2026-02-09
House subcommittee offered
2026-02-09
Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (9-Y 0-N)
substitution
2026-02-09
Reported from Communications, Technology and Innovation with substitute and referred to Appropriations (20-Y 1-N 1-A)
committee-passage
2026-02-09
Committee substitute printed 26106823D-H1
substitution
2026-02-10
Assigned HAPP sub: General Government and Capital Outlay
referral-committee
2026-02-11
Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (5-Y 0-N)
2026-02-18
Left in Committee Appropriations

Versions

IntroducedCompare
Communications Subcommittee SubstituteCompare
Communications, Technology and Innovation SubstituteCompare
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Documents

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Votes

Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute
2026-02-09 · pass · 9-0
Member-level votes (10)
- Timothy P. Griffin: not voting
- Jackie H. Glass: yes
- Alfonso H. Lopez: yes
- Irene Shin: yes
- Holly M. Seibold: yes
- Michelle Lopes Maldonado: yes
- Lily V. Franklin: yes
- Garrett McGuire: yes
- H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.: yes
- Justin Pence: yes
Reported from Communications, Technology and Innovation with substitute
2026-02-09 · pass · 20-1
Member-level votes (22)
- C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr.: yes
- Irene Shin: yes
- Alfonso H. Lopez: yes
- Jeion A. Ward: yes
- Jackie H. Glass: yes
- Holly M. Seibold: yes
- Michelle Lopes Maldonado: yes
- Rozia A. Henson, Jr.: yes
- Karen Keys-Gamarra: yes
- Marty Martinez: yes
- Lindsey Dougherty: yes
- Lily V. Franklin: yes
- JJ Singh: yes
- Charlie Schmidt: yes
- Garrett McGuire: yes
- Joseph P. McNamara: yes
- Thomas C. Wright, Jr.: yes
- H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.: yes
- Delores Oates: yes
- Karen Hamilton: no
- Justin Pence: yes
- Thomas A. Garrett, Jr.: abstain
Subcommittee recommends laying on the table
2026-02-11 · pass · 5-0
Member-level votes (7)
- C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr.: yes
- Delores L. McQuinn: not voting
- David A. Reid: yes
- Briana D. Sewell: yes
- Marcia S. "Cia" Price: yes
- James W. Morefield: not voting
- Robert S. Bloxom, Jr.: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB669

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T05:35:59.552682Z

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