VA SB 724
enactedHigh school graduation requirements and diploma pathways; implementation.
Virginia · 2026 Regular Session · upper
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Quick answers
Did VA SB 724 pass?
Yes. VA SB 724 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2026-04-13): Approved by Governor-Chapter 812 (effective 7/1/2026)
What is VA SB 724 about?
High school graduation requirements; application. Provides that, in the event that the Board of Education establishes or modifies any graduation requirements or diploma pathways, the Board shall only apply such new or modified graduation requirements or diploma pathways to students who enter ninth grade at the beginning of or after the first school year of implementation of such new or modified graduation requirements or diploma pathways. The bill is applicable beginning with students who enter the ninth grade on or after the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year. This bill is identical to HB 1283.
Who sponsors VA SB 724?
Christopher T. Head is the primary sponsor of VA SB 724.
Description
High school graduation requirements; application. Provides that, in the event that the Board of Education establishes or modifies any graduation requirements or diploma pathways, the Board shall only apply such new or modified graduation requirements or diploma pathways to students who enter ninth grade at the beginning of or after the first school year of implementation of such new or modified graduation requirements or diploma pathways. The bill is applicable beginning with students who enter the ninth grade on or after the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year. This bill is identical to HB 1283.
- Introduced
- 2026-01-15
- Latest action
- 2026-04-13 — Approved by Governor-Chapter 812 (effective 7/1/2026)
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Sponsors
- Christopher T. Headprimary
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
Newest first
2026-04-13
Approved by Governor-Chapter 812 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive-signature
2026-03-10
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
executive-receipt
2026-03-10
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026
enrolled,executive-receipt
2026-03-05
Signed by President
passage
2026-03-05
Signed by Speaker
passage
2026-03-05
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB724)
2026-03-05
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB724ER)
passage
2026-03-05
Enrolled
enrolled
2026-03-02
Passed House (95-Y 2-N 0-A)
passage
2026-03-02
Read third time
reading-3
2026-02-27
Read second time
reading-2
2026-02-25
Reported from Education (21-Y 1-N)
committee-passage
2026-02-24
Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N)
2026-02-13
Referred to Committee on Education
referral-committee
2026-02-13
Read first time
reading-1
2026-02-13
Placed on Calendar
2026-02-11
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB724)
2026-02-10
Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
passage,reading-3
2026-02-09
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute Block Vote (Voice Vote)
substitution
2026-02-09
Education and Health Substitute agreed to
2026-02-09
Read second time
reading-2
2026-02-06
Passed by for the day
2026-02-06
Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
2026-02-06
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-06
Rules suspended
2026-02-06
Committee substitute printed 26106675D-S1
substitution
2026-02-05
Senate subcommittee offered
2026-02-05
Senate committee offered
2026-02-05
Senate subcommittee offered
2026-02-05
Reported from Education and Health with substitute (14-Y 0-N)
committee-passage
2026-02-04
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB724)
2026-01-29
Assigned Education sub: Public Education
referral-committee
2026-01-15
Referred to Committee on Education and Health
referral-committee
2026-01-15
Presented and ordered printed 26105476D
introduction
Versions
Documents
Votes
Reported from Education and Health with substitute
2026-02-05 · pass · 14-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Barbara A. Favola: yes
- L. Louise Lucas: yes
- Mamie E. Locke: yes
- David R. Suetterlein: yes
- Mark J. Peake: yes
- Todd E. Pillion: not voting
- Jennifer B. Boysko: yes
- Lamont Bagby: yes
- Christopher T. Head: yes
- Lashrecse D. Aird: yes
- Schuyler T. VanValkenburg: yes
- Tara A. Durant: yes
- Stella G. Pekarsky: yes
- Christie New Craig: yes
- Russet Perry: yes
Constitutional reading dispensed R
2026-02-06 · pass · 39-0
Member-level votes (40)
- Lashrecse D. Aird: yes
- Lamont Bagby: 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
- Adam P. Ebbin: yes
- Barbara A. Favola: yes
- Timmy French: yes
- T. Travis Hackworth: not voting
- 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
2026-02-10 · pass · 40-0
Member-level votes (40)
- Lashrecse D. Aird: yes
- Lamont Bagby: 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
- Adam P. Ebbin: 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
Subcommittee recommends reporting
2026-02-24 · pass · 10-0
Member-level votes (10)
- Shelly A. Simonds: yes
- Alex Q. Askew: yes
- Rae Cousins: yes
- Destiny LeVere Bolling: yes
- Jessica L. Anderson: yes
- Lindsey Dougherty: yes
- Gretchen M. Bulova: yes
- Mike A. Cherry: yes
- Anne Ferrell Tata: yes
- Hillary Pugh Kent: yes
Reported from Education
2026-02-25 · pass · 21-1
Member-level votes (22)
- Sam Rasoul: yes
- Shelly A. Simonds: yes
- Delores L. McQuinn: yes
- Elizabeth R. Guzman: yes
- Briana D. Sewell: yes
- Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler: yes
- Alex Q. Askew: yes
- Nadarius E. Clark: yes
- Rae Cousins: yes
- Atoosa R. Reaser: yes
- Amy J. Laufer: yes
- Destiny LeVere Bolling: yes
- Jessica L. Anderson: yes
- Lindsey Dougherty: yes
- Gretchen M. Bulova: yes
- Mike A. Cherry: yes
- Anne Ferrell Tata: yes
- Phillip A. Scott: yes
- Thomas A. Garrett, Jr.: yes
- Eric R. Zehr: no
- Hillary Pugh Kent: yes
- Madison Whittle: yes
H VOTE:
2026-03-02 · pass · 95-2
Member-level votes (99)
- Jessica L. Anderson: yes
- Bonita G. Anthony: yes
- Alex Q. Askew: yes
- Terry L. Austin: yes
- 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: yes
- Nadarius E. Clark: yes
- Laura Jane Cohen: yes
- Joshua G. Cole: yes
- Nicole Cole: yes
- Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler: yes
- Mitchell Cornett: yes
- 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.: yes
- Jackie H. Glass: yes
- Timothy P. Griffin: not voting
- Elizabeth R. Guzman: yes
- Karen Hamilton: yes
- 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: yes
- Patrick A. Hope: yes
- Hillary Pugh Kent: yes
- Karen Keys-Gamarra: yes
- Terry G. Kilgore: yes
- Paul E. Krizek: yes
- Amy J. Laufer: no
- James A. "Jay" Leftwich: yes
- Destiny LeVere Bolling: yes
- Alfonso H. Lopez: yes
- Michelle Lopes Maldonado: yes
- Marty Martinez: yes
- John Chilton McAuliff: yes
- Adele Y. McClure: yes
- Garrett McGuire: yes
- Ellen H. McLaughlin: yes
- Joseph P. McNamara: yes
- Kirk McPike: yes
- Delores L. McQuinn: yes
- Leslie Chambers Mehta: yes
- James W. Morefield: yes
- May Nivar: yes
- Delores Oates: yes
- Israel D. O'Quinn: yes
- Justin Pence: yes
- Eric Phillips: not voting
- 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: yes
- Holly M. Seibold: yes
- Briana D. Sewell: yes
- Irene Shin: yes
- Marcus B. Simon: yes
- Shelly A. Simonds: yes
- JJ Singh: no
- 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: yes
- Jeion A. Ward: yes
- R. Lee Ware: yes
- Vivian E. Watts: yes
- Michael J. Webert: yes
- Madison Whittle: yes
- Bill Wiley: yes
- Rodney T. Willett: yes
- Wren M. Williams: yes
- Tony O. Wilt: yes
- Thomas C. Wright, Jr.: yes
- Scott A. Wyatt: yes
- Eric R. Zehr: 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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Session-wide evidence can include changes to other bills:
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