2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26100693D

SENATE BILL NO. 21

Offered January 14, 2026

Prefiled November 17, 2025

A BILL to direct the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a stakeholder work group to submit a plan and recommended timeline for transferring responsibility for the Department of Juvenile Justice.

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Patron—Locke

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Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services

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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. That the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources shall convene a stakeholder work group to create a plan and recommended timeline for transferring responsibility for the Department of Juvenile Justice from the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to the Secretary of Health and Human Resources. The work group shall be composed of interested parties, including representatives from civil liberty organizations, organizations engaged in the daily work of youth justice and violence prevention, formerly incarcerated persons and their families, and mental health experts. The work group shall submit its plan and recommended timeline for executing the transfer to the Chairs of the House Committee for Courts of Justice, House Committee on Public Safety, Senate Committee for Courts of Justice, and Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services by November 1, 2026.