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State Government / Virginia / Legislation / HB 853

HB 853Session 2027HouseIn committee

Petition for modification of a sentence; eligibility, procedures, report.

Source-provided summary

Petition for modification of a sentence; eligibility; procedures; report. Provides procedures for individuals serving a sentence for certain felony convictions or a combination of such convictions who remain incarcerated in a state or local correctional facility or secure facility and meet certain criteria to petition the circuit court that entered the original judgment or order to (i) suspend the unserved portion of such sentence or run the unserved portion of such sentence concurrently with another sentence, (ii) place such person on probation for such time as the court shall determine, or (iii) otherwise modify the sentence imposed. Depending on the type of conviction, the bill allows the court to grant a hearing on such petition after an individual has served at least 25 years for certain offenses, after 20 years for certain other offenses, and after 15 years for any other felony conviction not specified. The bill directs the Department of Corrections to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to (a) consider and recommend best practices for implementation of the bill and (b) evaluate and recommend updates to victim notification systems. The work group shall complete its meetings by November 1, 2026, and report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than December 1, 2026.

Latest development · Jul 21, 2026

Continued from last session

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Source record ↗
Session
2027
Introduced
Jan 13, 2026
Latest passage
Date unavailable
TopicsSponsorsActionsRelated billsDiscussion

Topics and classification

Civixly topics

Justice & Public Safety

Document type

Bill

Sponsors

Primary sponsors are listed before cosponsors and other sponsoring entities.

Primary sponsorRae Cousins

Action timeline

Newest action first. Action language is supplied by the state source.

View full action timeline10 actions⌄
  1. Jul 21, 2026

    Continued from last session

    House
  2. Feb 11, 2026

    Continued to next session in Courts of Justice (Voice Vote)

    House
  3. Feb 9, 2026

    Subcommittee recommends continuing to (Voice Vote)

    House
  4. Feb 9, 2026

    Racial and Ethnic Impact Statement From JLARC (2/9/2026 11:33 am)

    House
  5. Feb 4, 2026

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB853)

    House
  6. Feb 4, 2026

    Racial and Ethnic Impact Statement From JLARC (2/4/2026 10:34 am)

    House
  7. Feb 3, 2026

    Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal

    Referral CommitteeHouse
  8. Jan 29, 2026

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB853)

    House
  9. Jan 13, 2026

    Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

    Referral CommitteeHouse
  10. Jan 13, 2026

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105027D

    FilingIntroductionHouse

Related Virginia legislation

Other measures from this legislative session that share one or more Civixly topics with HB 853.

SB 475Updated Jul 21, 2026

Court Date Reminder Program; established.

Justice & Public Safety
HB 863Updated Jul 21, 2026

Offenses, certain; elimination of mandatory minimum sentences.

Justice & Public Safety
SB 406Updated Jul 21, 2026

Va. State Bar, et al.; use of nondisclosure/confidentiality prov. in certain settlement agreements.

Justice & Public Safety
HB 35Updated Jul 21, 2026

Restorative housing and isolated confinement; restrictions on use.

Justice & Public Safety
Browse all Virginia legislation →

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State legislative data provided by Open States and linked legislature sources when available.

Civixly tracks state bill actions, passage dates, and sponsors. Member-level state roll-call histories are not included.

Source data last updated Jul 21, 2026.