VA HB 845
enactedUnlawful detainer; bifurcation of case, contested rent and damages.
Virginia · 2026 Regular Session · lower
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Quick answers
Did VA HB 845 pass?
Yes. VA HB 845 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2026-04-08): Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0432)
What is VA HB 845 about?
Unlawful detainer; bifurcation of case; contested rent and damages. Provides that, at an initial hearing on an unlawful detainer, if the defendant contests the amount of rent and damages alleged to be due and owing to the plaintiff, the court shall not bifurcate the unlawful detainer case. Under current law, at the initial hearing, upon request of the plaintiff, the court is required to bifurcate the unlawful detainer case and set a continuance date no later than 120 days from the date of the initial hearing to determine final rent and damages.
Who sponsors VA HB 845?
Rae Cousins is the primary sponsor of VA HB 845, joined by 2 cosponsors.
Description
Unlawful detainer; bifurcation of case; contested rent and damages. Provides that, at an initial hearing on an unlawful detainer, if the defendant contests the amount of rent and damages alleged to be due and owing to the plaintiff, the court shall not bifurcate the unlawful detainer case. Under current law, at the initial hearing, upon request of the plaintiff, the court is required to bifurcate the unlawful detainer case and set a continuance date no later than 120 days from the date of the initial hearing to determine final rent and damages.
- Introduced
- 2026-01-13
- Latest action
- 2026-04-08 — Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0432)
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Sponsors
- Rae Cousinsprimary
- Virgil Thorntoncosponsor
- Katrina Callsencosponsor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
Newest first
2026-04-08
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0432)
2026-04-08
Approved by Governor-Chapter 432 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive-signature
2026-03-31
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
executive-receipt
2026-03-31
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
enrolled,executive-receipt
2026-03-31
Signed by Speaker
passage
2026-03-31
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB845)
2026-03-30
Signed by President
passage
2026-03-30
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB845ER)
passage
2026-03-30
Enrolled
enrolled
2026-03-11
Passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
passage
2026-03-11
Read third time
reading-3
2026-03-10
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-03-10
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-03-10
Rules suspended
2026-03-09
Reported from Courts of Justice (9-Y 6-N)
committee-passage
2026-02-18
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
referral-committee
2026-02-18
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
2026-02-17
Read third time and passed House (74-Y 23-N 0-A)
passage,reading-3
2026-02-17
Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar
2026-02-16
Read second time and engrossed
reading-2
2026-02-13
Read first time
reading-1
2026-02-11
Reported from Courts of Justice (22-Y 0-N)
committee-passage
2026-02-04
Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N)
2026-02-02
Assigned HCJ sub: Civil
referral-committee
2026-02-02
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB845)
2026-01-13
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
referral-committee
2026-01-13
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101054D
filing,introduction
Versions
Documents
Votes
Subcommittee recommends reporting
2026-02-04 · pass · 10-0
Member-level votes (10)
- Marcus B. Simon: yes
- Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr.: yes
- Michelle Lopes Maldonado: yes
- Atoosa R. Reaser: yes
- Karen Keys-Gamarra: yes
- Karen R. "Kacey" Carnegie: yes
- Virgil Thornton: yes
- Terry G. Kilgore: yes
- James A. "Jay" Leftwich: yes
- Jason S. Ballard: yes
Reported from Courts of Justice
2026-02-11 · pass · 22-0
Member-level votes (22)
- Patrick A. Hope: yes
- Michelle Lopes Maldonado: yes
- Vivian E. Watts: yes
- Marcus B. Simon: yes
- Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr.: yes
- Karrie K. Delaney: yes
- Phil M. Hernandez: yes
- Rae Cousins: yes
- Atoosa R. Reaser: yes
- Katrina Callsen: yes
- Karen Keys-Gamarra: yes
- Leslie Chambers Mehta: yes
- Karen R. "Kacey" Carnegie: yes
- Virgil Thornton: yes
- Charlie Schmidt: yes
- Terry G. Kilgore: yes
- James A. "Jay" Leftwich: yes
- Jason S. Ballard: yes
- Wren M. Williams: yes
- Will Davis: yes
- Madison Whittle: yes
- Justin Pence: yes
H VOTE:
2026-02-17 · pass · 73-23
Member-level votes (99)
- Jessica L. Anderson: yes
- Bonita G. Anthony: yes
- Alex Q. Askew: yes
- Terry L. Austin: no
- Jason S. Ballard: yes
- Robert S. Bloxom, Jr.: yes
- Gretchen M. Bulova: yes
- Katrina Callsen: yes
- Karen R. "Kacey" Carnegie: yes
- Betsy B. Carr: yes
- Stacey Annie Carroll: yes
- Mike A. Cherry: no
- Nadarius E. Clark: not voting
- Laura Jane Cohen: yes
- Joshua G. Cole: yes
- Nicole Cole: yes
- Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler: yes
- Mitchell Cornett: no
- Rae Cousins: yes
- Will Davis: yes
- Karrie K. Delaney: yes
- Lindsey Dougherty: yes
- Mark C. Downey: yes
- Michael B. Feggans: yes
- Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr.: yes
- Lily V. Franklin: yes
- Margaret A. Franklin: yes
- Debra D. Gardner: yes
- Thomas A. Garrett, Jr.: no
- Jackie H. Glass: yes
- Timothy P. Griffin: no
- Elizabeth R. Guzman: yes
- Karen Hamilton: no
- C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr.: yes
- Dan I. Helmer: yes
- Rozia A. Henson, Jr.: yes
- Phil M. Hernandez: yes
- Charniele L. Herring: yes
- M. Keith Hodges: no
- Patrick A. Hope: yes
- Hillary Pugh Kent: yes
- Karen Keys-Gamarra: yes
- Terry G. Kilgore: no
- Barry D. Knight: not voting
- Paul E. Krizek: yes
- Amy J. Laufer: yes
- James A. "Jay" Leftwich: no
- Destiny LeVere Bolling: yes
- Alfonso H. Lopez: yes
- Michelle Lopes Maldonado: yes
- Marty Martinez: yes
- John Chilton McAuliff: not voting
- Adele Y. McClure: yes
- Garrett McGuire: yes
- Ellen H. McLaughlin: yes
- Joseph P. McNamara: yes
- Delores L. McQuinn: yes
- Leslie Chambers Mehta: yes
- James W. Morefield: no
- May Nivar: yes
- Delores Oates: no
- Israel D. O'Quinn: no
- Justin Pence: no
- Eric Phillips: no
- Kimberly Pope Adams: yes
- Marcia S. "Cia" Price: yes
- Sam Rasoul: yes
- Atoosa R. Reaser: yes
- David A. Reid: yes
- Chris S. Runion: yes
- Charlie Schmidt: yes
- Don Scott: yes
- Phillip A. Scott: no
- Holly M. Seibold: yes
- Briana D. Sewell: yes
- Irene Shin: yes
- Marcus B. Simon: yes
- Shelly A. Simonds: yes
- JJ Singh: yes
- Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr.: yes
- Anne Ferrell Tata: yes
- Joshua E. Thomas: yes
- Virgil Thornton: yes
- Luke E. Torian: yes
- Kathy K.L. Tran: yes
- H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.: yes
- Wendell S. Walker: no
- Jeion A. Ward: yes
- R. Lee Ware: no
- Vivian E. Watts: yes
- Michael J. Webert: no
- Madison Whittle: no
- Bill Wiley: yes
- Rodney T. Willett: yes
- Wren M. Williams: no
- Tony O. Wilt: yes
- Thomas C. Wright, Jr.: no
- Scott A. Wyatt: no
- Eric R. Zehr: no
Reported from Courts of Justice
2026-03-09 · pass · 9-6
Member-level votes (15)
- Scott A. Surovell: yes
- Mark D. Obenshain: no
- Ryan T. McDougle: no
- R. Creigh Deeds: yes
- Richard H. Stuart: no
- William M. Stanley, Jr.: no
- Jennifer B. Boysko: yes
- Mark J. Peake: no
- Jennifer D. Carroll Foy: yes
- Russet Perry: yes
- Saddam Azlan Salim: yes
- Barbara A. Favola: yes
- Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.: no
- Kannan Srinivasan: yes
- Michael J. Jones: yes
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading)
2026-03-10 · pass · 40-0
Member-level votes (40)
- Lashrecse D. Aird: yes
- Lamont Bagby: yes
- Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker: yes
- Jennifer B. Boysko: yes
- Jennifer D. Carroll Foy: yes
- Luther Cifers, III: yes
- Christie New Craig: yes
- R. Creigh Deeds: yes
- Bill DeSteph: yes
- J.D. "Danny" Diggs: yes
- Tara A. Durant: yes
- Barbara A. Favola: yes
- Timmy French: yes
- T. Travis Hackworth: yes
- Christopher T. Head: yes
- Michael J. Jones: yes
- Emily M. Jordan: yes
- Mamie E. Locke: yes
- L. Louise Lucas: yes
- David W. Marsden: yes
- Ryan T. McDougle: yes
- Jeremy S. McPike: yes
- Tammy Brankley Mulchi: yes
- Mark D. Obenshain: yes
- Mark J. Peake: yes
- Stella G. Pekarsky: yes
- Russet Perry: yes
- Todd E. Pillion: yes
- Bryce E. Reeves: yes
- Danica A. Roem: yes
- Aaron R. Rouse: yes
- Saddam Azlan Salim: yes
- Kannan Srinivasan: yes
- William M. Stanley, Jr.: yes
- Richard H. Stuart: yes
- Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.: yes
- David R. Suetterlein: yes
- Scott A. Surovell: yes
- Schuyler T. VanValkenburg: yes
- Angelia Williams Graves: yes
Passage R
2026-03-11 · pass · 21-19
Member-level votes (40)
- Lashrecse D. Aird: yes
- Lamont Bagby: yes
- Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker: yes
- Jennifer B. Boysko: yes
- Jennifer D. Carroll Foy: yes
- Luther Cifers, III: no
- Christie New Craig: no
- R. Creigh Deeds: yes
- Bill DeSteph: no
- J.D. "Danny" Diggs: no
- Tara A. Durant: no
- Barbara A. Favola: yes
- Timmy French: no
- T. Travis Hackworth: no
- Christopher T. Head: no
- Michael J. Jones: yes
- Emily M. Jordan: no
- Mamie E. Locke: yes
- L. Louise Lucas: yes
- David W. Marsden: yes
- Ryan T. McDougle: no
- Jeremy S. McPike: yes
- Tammy Brankley Mulchi: no
- Mark D. Obenshain: no
- Mark J. Peake: no
- Stella G. Pekarsky: yes
- Russet Perry: yes
- Todd E. Pillion: no
- Bryce E. Reeves: no
- Danica A. Roem: yes
- Aaron R. Rouse: yes
- Saddam Azlan Salim: yes
- Kannan Srinivasan: yes
- William M. Stanley, Jr.: no
- Richard H. Stuart: no
- Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.: no
- David R. Suetterlein: no
- Scott A. Surovell: yes
- Schuyler T. VanValkenburg: yes
- Angelia Williams Graves: yes
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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