SB 261 VA

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Passed One Chamber

Cruelty to animals; malicious killing of a dog or cat; penalty. Creates, under the animal cruelty provisions, a Class 6 felony for any person who maliciously kills any dog or cat that is a companion animal whether belonging to him or another. Currently, such felony applies only to a person who (i) tortures, willfully inflicts inhumane injury or pain not connected with bona fide scientific or medical experimentation, or cruelly and unnecessarily beats, maims, or mutilates any dog or cat that is a companion animal whether belonging to him or another and (ii) as a direct result causes serious bodily injury to such dog or cat that is a companion animal, the death of such dog or cat that is a companion animal, or the euthanasia of such animal on the recommendation of a licensed veterinarian upon determination that such euthanasia was necessary due to the condition of the animal.

• William M. Stanley, Jr. Republican · primary

1. Jan 12, 2026 Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101240D · upper
2. Jan 12, 2026 Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources · upper
3. Jan 14, 2026 Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/14/2026 6:34 pm) · upper
4. Jan 20, 2026 Assigned HACNR sub: Companion Animals · upper
5. Jan 23, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB261) · upper
6. Jan 27, 2026 Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (12-Y 0-N 1-A) · upper
7. Feb 4, 2026 Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) · upper
8. Feb 5, 2026 Rules suspended · upper
9. Feb 5, 2026 Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) · upper
10. Feb 5, 2026 Passed by for the day (Voice Vote) · upper
11. Feb 6, 2026 Read second time · upper
12. Feb 6, 2026 Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote) · upper
13. Feb 9, 2026 Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) · upper
14. Feb 12, 2026 Placed on Calendar · lower
15. Feb 12, 2026 Read first time · lower
16. Feb 12, 2026 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice · lower
17. Feb 18, 2026 Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal · lower
18. Feb 20, 2026 Subcommittee recommends reporting and referring to Appropriations (9-Y 0-N) · lower
19. Mar 2, 2026 Reported from Courts of Justice and referred to Appropriations (20-Y 2-N) · lower
20. Mar 3, 2026 Assigned HAPP sub: Transportation & Public Safety · lower
21. Mar 4, 2026 Reported from Appropriations (22-Y 0-N) · lower
22. Mar 6, 2026 Read second time · lower
23. Mar 9, 2026 Motion to rerefer to Appropriations agreed to · lower
24. Mar 9, 2026 Rereferred to Appropriations · lower
25. Mar 10, 2026 Left in Appropriations · 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.

• Introduced · PDF
• Introduced · HTML