VA SB 501
Status unknownGuardians ad litem; mandatory appointment in custody or visitation cases involving a minor.
Virginia · 2026 Regular Session · upper
Quick answers
Did VA SB 501 pass?
The current status of VA SB 501 is not known from the official record. Latest recorded action (2026-02-04): Stricken at request of Patron in Courts of Justice (11-Y 0-N)
What is VA SB 501 about?
Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia; guardians ad litem; mandatory appointment in custody or visitation cases involving a minor. Requires the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia (OES) to evaluate the current discretionary appointment of a guardian ad litem in cases where the custody or visitation of a minor child is at issue. The bill requires OES to make a recommendation as to whether the appointment of a guardian ad litem shall be mandatory in all such cases, and to consider the potential impacts of making such an appointment mandatory, including possible delays in hearings if there is not an adequate number of qualified attorneys capable of assuming such duties for the increased number of cases, and any fiscal impacts. The bill directs OES to submit its evaluation, including any observations and recommendations, to the General Assembly no later than January 1, 2027.
Who sponsors VA SB 501?
Danica A. Roem is the primary sponsor of VA SB 501.
Description
Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia; guardians ad litem; mandatory appointment in custody or visitation cases involving a minor. Requires the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia (OES) to evaluate the current discretionary appointment of a guardian ad litem in cases where the custody or visitation of a minor child is at issue. The bill requires OES to make a recommendation as to whether the appointment of a guardian ad litem shall be mandatory in all such cases, and to consider the potential impacts of making such an appointment mandatory, including possible delays in hearings if there is not an adequate number of qualified attorneys capable of assuming such duties for the increased number of cases, and any fiscal impacts. The bill directs OES to submit its evaluation, including any observations and recommendations, to the General Assembly no later than January 1, 2027.
- Introduced
- 2026-01-13
- Latest action
- 2026-02-04 — Stricken at request of Patron in Courts of Justice (11-Y 0-N)
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Sponsors
- Danica A. Roemprimary
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
2026-01-13
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101042D
filing,introduction
2026-01-13
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
referral-committee
2026-02-04
Stricken at request of Patron in Courts of Justice (11-Y 0-N)
Versions
- IntroducedCompare
Documents
Votes
Stricken at request of Patron in Courts of Justice
2026-02-04 · pass · 11-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Scott A. Surovell: yes
- Mark D. Obenshain: yes
- Ryan T. McDougle: not voting
- R. Creigh Deeds: yes
- Richard H. Stuart: yes
- William M. Stanley, Jr.: yes
- Jennifer B. Boysko: yes
- Mark J. Peake: not voting
- Lamont Bagby: not voting
- Lashrecse D. Aird: not voting
- Jennifer D. Carroll Foy: yes
- Russet Perry: yes
- Saddam Azlan Salim: yes
- Barbara A. Favola: yes
- Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.: 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
Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:
Use this data
Every field on this page is available from the free public API — no key or licence required. Fetch this bill as JSON: GET /api/v1/bills?jurisdiction=VA&identifier=SB 501. See the API docs or the MCP server for AI assistants.
Known limitations
- Sponsor party and chamber affiliation are not yet captured by this API.
- Committee referrals are not yet captured.
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