HB 1299 Virginia 2027 session
Rules of construction; use of "shall," effective clause, report.
Rules of construction; use of "shall." Provides that "shall," as used in the Code of Virginia, establishes a mandatory requirement and is not merely directory, unless the statute explicitly provides otherwise. The bill responds to the holding in Henderson v. Commonwealth, 77 Va. App. 250 (2023), in which the Court of Appeals held that when the General Assembly uses "shall" in a statute commanding action by a public official or public body such usage is directory and not mandatory. The foregoing provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2027 Session of the General Assembly. The bill requires, effective in due course, the Virginia Code Commission to review the bill's provisions and evaluate the bill's effect on the Code of Virginia and to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than December 1, 2026.
Status
- Introduced
- Committee
- Floor vote
- Passed
- Enacted
Passed one chamber — last recorded action July 21, 2026
Continued from last session
Passage likelihood
95% Higher than most bills at this stage
This is an estimate, not a guarantee. It is computed from the signals listed below and nothing else. It does not account for leadership priorities, floor scheduling, or negotiations that are not in the public record.
What the estimate is based on
- Historical base rate About 20% of introduced state bills are enacted.
- Current stage Passed one chamber.
- Cosponsors 1 cosponsor.
State-level impact
State-level impact data is not available for this bill. The source text does not contain a per-state funding formula or scored breakdown, so no figures are shown.
Official actions
- Continued from last session
- Continued to next session in Courts of Justice (11-Y 4-N)
- Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- Read third time and passed House (98-Y 0-N 0-A)
- Engrossed by House as amended
- committee amendments agreed to
- Read second time
- Read first time
- Reported from Rules with amendment(s) (16-Y 0-N)
- Assigned HRUL sub: Studies Subcommittee
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 0-N)
- Referred from Courts of Justice and referred to Rules (Voice Vote)
- Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
- Presented and ordered printed 26104509D