HB 449 VA

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Civil actions filed on behalf of multiple persons; class actions; violations of Virginia Consumer Protection Act; award of damages. Provides that one or more members of a class may, as representative parties on behalf of all members, bring a civil action or may be proceeded against in a civil action, provided that (i) the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable, (ii) there are questions of law or fact common to the class, (iii) the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class, and (iv) the representative parties shall fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class. The bill further sets out the procedure to certify a class action, the duties of counsel appointed in a class action, the various orders a court may issue during the course of a class action, and the process by which a settlement, voluntary dismissal, or compromise may occur. The bill also applies the procedure by which an individual may be awarded damages in an action for a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act to a class action. Finally, the bill permits the Court of Appeals to permit an appeal to be taken from an order certifying a class in accordance with the provisions of the bill or any other order that is not a final order of the circuit court in a class action. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 229.

• Marcus B. Simon Democratic · primary

1. Jan 12, 2026 Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105384D · lower
2. Jan 12, 2026 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice · lower
3. Jan 22, 2026 Assigned HCJ sub: Civil · lower
4. Jan 26, 2026 House subcommittee offered · lower
5. Jan 26, 2026 Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 3-N) · lower
6. Jan 28, 2026 Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (14-Y 6-N) · lower
7. Jan 30, 2026 Read first time · lower
8. Feb 2, 2026 Read second time · lower
9. Feb 2, 2026 committee substitute agreed to · lower
10. Feb 2, 2026 Engrossed by House - committee substitute · lower
11. Feb 3, 2026 Read third time and passed House (64-Y 34-N 0-A) · lower
12. Feb 4, 2026 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) · upper
13. Feb 4, 2026 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice · upper
14. Feb 17, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB449) · lower
15. Feb 18, 2026 Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 4-N) · upper
16. Feb 24, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB449) · lower
17. Mar 3, 2026 Reported from Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 5-N) · upper
18. Mar 3, 2026 Rules suspended · upper
19. Mar 3, 2026 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) · upper
20. Mar 3, 2026 Passed by for the day (Voice Vote) · upper
21. Mar 4, 2026 Read third time · upper
22. Mar 4, 2026 Passed Senate (22-Y 18-N 0-A) · upper
23. Mar 11, 2026 Enrolled · lower
24. Mar 11, 2026 Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB449ER) · lower
25. Mar 11, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB449) · lower
26. Mar 11, 2026 Signed by President · upper
27. Mar 12, 2026 Signed by Speaker · lower
28. Mar 14, 2026 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026 · lower
29. Mar 14, 2026 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 · executive
30. Apr 11, 2026 Governor's recommendation received by House · executive

The published texts of this bill as it moves through the legislature. Each links to the official document on the state legislature site. Data from OpenStates.

• Governor Substitute · PDF
• Governor Substitute · HTML
• Governor's Recommendation · HTML
• Enrolled · PDF
• Enrolled · HTML
• Courts of Justice Substitute · PDF
• Courts of Justice Substitute · HTML
• Courts of Justice Substitute · PDF
• Courts of Justice Substitute · HTML
• Civil Subcommittee Substitute · PDF
• Civil Subcommittee Substitute · HTML
• Introduced · PDF
• Introduced · HTML