SB 796 VA

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Passed One Chamber

Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and Minors Act established; enforcement; civil penalties; individual action. Creates the Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and Minors Act to require a covered entity, defined in the bill, to (i) implement certain reasonable systems and processes, (ii) make reasonable efforts to notify appropriate emergency services or law enforcement if it obtains knowledge that a user faces an imminent risk of death or serious physical injury, and (iii) submit a report to the Attorney General after obtaining knowledge of certain covered incidents, defined in the bill, connected to one or more of its chatbots. The bill also requires an operator, defined in the bill, to disclose the non-human nature of the chatbot to users at certain intervals. The bill authorizes the Attorney General to initiate an action to seek an injunction and civil penalties for violations and also provides an individual civil action for any person harmed by a violation or the parent or legal guardian of a minor harmed by a violation.

• Tara A. Durant Republican · primary

1. Jan 23, 2026 Presented and ordered printed 26105447D · upper
2. Jan 23, 2026 Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology · upper
3. Feb 11, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB796) · upper
4. Feb 11, 2026 Senate committee offered · upper
5. Feb 11, 2026 Reported from General Laws and Technology with substitute (14-Y 0-N 1-A) · upper
6. Feb 12, 2026 Committee substitute printed 26107851D-S1 · upper
7. Feb 13, 2026 Rules suspended · upper
8. Feb 13, 2026 Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (36-Y 0-N 0-A) · upper
9. Feb 13, 2026 Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) · upper
10. Feb 16, 2026 Read second time · upper
11. Feb 16, 2026 Committee substitute rejected (Voice Vote) · upper
12. Feb 16, 2026 Floor offered Senator Durant Substitute · upper
13. Feb 16, 2026 Reading of substitute waived (Voice Vote) · upper
14. Feb 16, 2026 Senator Durant Substitute agreed to (Voice Vote) · upper
15. Feb 16, 2026 Engrossed by Senate - floor substitute (Voice Vote) · upper
16. Feb 17, 2026 Engrossment reconsidered by Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) · upper
17. Feb 17, 2026 Floor offered Senator Durant Amendment · upper
18. Feb 17, 2026 Reading of amendment waived (Voice Vote) · upper
19. Feb 17, 2026 Senator Durant Amendment agreed to · upper
20. Feb 17, 2026 Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute as amended · upper
21. Feb 17, 2026 Rules suspended · upper
22. Feb 17, 2026 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 3rd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) · upper
23. Feb 17, 2026 Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 1-N 0-A) · upper
24. Feb 24, 2026 Placed on Calendar · lower
25. Feb 24, 2026 Read first time · lower
26. Feb 24, 2026 Referred to Committee on Communications, Technology and Innovation · lower
27. Mar 2, 2026 House committee offered · lower
28. Mar 2, 2026 Continued to next session in Communications, Technology and Innovation (Voice Vote) · lower

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.

• Communications, Technology and Innovation Substitute · PDF
• Communications, Technology and Innovation Substitute · HTML
• Engrossed · PDF
• Engrossed · HTML
• Senator Durant Amendment · HTML
• Senator Durant Substitute · PDF
• Senator Durant Substitute · HTML
• General Laws and Technology Substitute · PDF
• General Laws and Technology Substitute · HTML
• General Laws and Technology Substitute · PDF
• General Laws and Technology Substitute · HTML
• Introduced · PDF
• Introduced · HTML