2026 SESSION

SENATE SUBSTITUTE

26109174D

HOUSE BILL NO. 173

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations

on March 4, 2026)

(Patron Prior to Substitute—Delegate Anthony)

A BILL to direct the Department of Corrections to convene a work group for the purpose of identifying policies or actions that would ensure meaningful opportunities for in-person visitation with incarcerated persons at state correctional facilities by approved visitors; report.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. That the Department of Corrections (the Department) shall convene a work group for the purpose of identifying policies or actions that would ensure meaningful opportunities for in-person visitation with incarcerated persons at state correctional facilities by Department-approved visitors. The work group shall include the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, or his designee, and representatives from all relevant stakeholders, including criminal justice reform organizations. The work group shall, at a minimum, assess (i) policies that discourage the practice of rescinding in-person visitation privileges for reasons unrelated to such visitation, including disciplinary reasons, while accounting for safety considerations and (ii) mechanisms that track in-person visits offered, the length of in-person visits, and the reasons in-person visits are curtailed or denied. The work group shall submit an executive summary and a report of its findings to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2026.