Virginia Senate Bill 278 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: Introduced on January 9 2024 - 25% progression
Action: 2024-01-31 - Continued to 2025 in Courts of Justice (15-Y 0-N)
Pending: Senate Courts of Justice Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Prefiled) [HTML]

Virginia Abortion Care and Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act; reproductive and gender-affirming health care services; prohibitions on extradition for certain crimes; civil penalties. Establishes the Virginia Abortion Care and Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act. The bill provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth that all persons are entitled to provide, receive, and help others provide or receive abortion care and gender-affirming health care services not prohibited under the laws of the Commonwealth, and that such provision, receipt, and assistance is not diminished, chilled, or infringed by public or private actors. Virginia Abortion Care and Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act; reproductive and gender-affirming health care services; prohibitions on extradition for certain crimes; civil penalties. Establishes the Virginia Abortion Care and Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act. The bill provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth that all persons are entitled to provide, receive, and help others provide or receive abortion care and gender-affirming health care services not prohibited under the laws of the Commonwealth, and that such provision, receipt, and assistance is not diminished, chilled, or infringed by public or private actors. The bill provides that no law-enforcement officer acting in the Commonwealth or employed by the Commonwealth or any of its localities or political subdivisions may investigate, arrest, or detain any person, seek the issuance of a warrant, or otherwise assist in or provide support for any investigation regarding either the provision or receipt of abortion care or gender-affirming care not prohibited under the laws of the Commonwealth or any person's menstrual health data. The bill creates a private right of action for any person who is aggrieved by such unlawful investigation to obtain an injunction or other equitable relief against such law-enforcement officer. The bill also creates a private right of action for any person who sustains any injury, damages, or other harm resulting from another person who, under the law of a jurisdiction other than the Commonwealth, engages or attempts to engage in abusive litigation, as defined in the bill. The bill also provides that no demand for extradition of a person charged with a criminal violation of law of another state shall be recognized by the Governor if such alleged violation involves the receipt of or assistance with protected health care activity, as defined in the bill, within the Commonwealth unless the alleged criminal violation would also constitute a criminal offense under the laws of the Commonwealth. The bill provides that any subpoena under the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act or any summons for a witness for another state in a criminal case shall include an attestation, made under penalty of perjury, stating whether the subpoena or summons seeks documents, information, or testimony related to the provision, receipt, attempted provision or receipt, assistance in the provision or receipt, or attempted assistance in the provision or receipt of protected health care activity, as defined in the bill.

Virginia Abortion Care & Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act; established, civil penalties.

Sen. Ghazala Hashmi [D]

Sen. Jennifer Boysko [D]

2024-01-31 - Senate - Senate: Continued to 2025 in Courts of Justice (15-Y 0-N) (Y: 15 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2024-01-25 - Senate - Senate: Rereferred from Education and Health (14-Y 0-N) (Y: 14 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]

Date	Chamber	Action
2024-01-31	Senate	Continued to 2025 in Courts of Justice (15-Y 0-N)
2024-01-25	Senate	Rereferred to Courts of Justice
2024-01-25	Senate	Rereferred from Education and Health (14-Y 0-N)
2024-01-16	Senate	Assigned Education and Health Sub: Health Professions
2024-01-09	Senate	Referred to Committee on Education and Health
2024-01-09	Senate	Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24102762D

Chapter	Article	Section	Citation Type	Statute Text
19	2	100	(n/a)	See Bill Text
19	2	273	(n/a)	See Bill Text
19	2	274	(n/a)	See Bill Text
19	2	87.1	(n/a)	See Bill Text
19	2	99	(n/a)	See Bill Text
32	1	376	(n/a)	See Bill Text
32	1	380	(n/a)	See Bill Text
8	01	412.10	(n/a)	See Bill Text

Type	Source
Summary	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+SB278
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+SB278+hil
Supplement	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+oth+SB278F160+PDF
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+vot+S04V0039+SB0278
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+vot+S13V0076+SB0278