Bill Commons

VA SB 501

died on adjournment

Guardians ad litem; mandatory appointment in custody or visitation cases involving a minor.

Virginia · 2026 Regular Session · upper

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
Status date
—
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

  1. 2026-01-13

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101042D

    filing,introduction

  2. 2026-01-13

    Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

    referral-committee

  3. 2026-02-04

    Stricken at request of Patron in Courts of Justice (11-Y 0-N)

Versions

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

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB501

Attribution

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

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