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HB1326 • 2026

Geriatric prisoners; conditional release, Parole Board shall promulgate regulations.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact § 53.1-40.01 of the Code of Virginia, relating to conditional release of geriatric prisoners.</p>

Crime
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Tata
Last action
2026-02-18
Official status
Failed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide details on the exact financial impact or the number of prisoners affected by these changes.

Rules for Older Prisoners Seeking Early Release

This law changes rules about when older prisoners can ask to be released early from prison, expanding the list of crimes that prevent them from being eligible.

What This Bill Does

  • Expands the list of offenses that prohibit a person from petitioning the Parole Board for conditional release as a geriatric prisoner.
  • Requires the Parole Board to create rules about how this law will be followed.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Older prisoners serving time for felonies
  • The Virginia Parole Board

Terms To Know

Conditional release
When a prisoner is allowed to leave prison early under certain conditions.
Parole Board
A group that decides if prisoners can be released early from prison.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The exact financial impact of the law on state budgets is not specified.
  • It does not specify how many older prisoners will be affected by these changes.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-18 House

    Left in Committee Public Safety

  2. 2026-02-11 Subcommittee #2

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1326)

  3. 2026-02-11 Subcommittee #2

    Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (2/11/2026 12:05 pm)

  4. 2026-02-05 Subcommittee #2

    House subcommittee offered

  5. 2026-01-23 Subcommittee #2

    Assigned HMPPS sub: Subcommittee #2

  6. 2026-01-20 House

    Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/20/2026 1:45 pm)

  7. 2026-01-16 House

    Presented and ordered printed 26104437D

  8. 2026-01-16 Public Safety

    Referred to Committee on Public Safety

Official Summary Text

Conditional release of geriatric prisoners.
Expands the list of offenses that prohibit a person from petitioning the Parole Board for conditional release as a geriatric prisoner.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HOUSE BILL NO. 1326

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the House Committee on Public Safety

on ________________)

(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Tata)

A BILL to amend and reenact §
53.1-40.01
of the Code of Virginia, relating to conditional release of geriatric prisoners.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §
53.1-40.01
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§
53.1-40.01
. Conditional release of geriatric prisoners.

A.
Any person serving a sentence imposed upon a conviction for a felony offense, other than a
Class 1
felony
listed in subsection B
, (i) who has reached the age of
sixty-five
65
or older and who has served at least five years of the sentence imposed or (ii) who has reached the age of
sixty
60
or older and who has served at least
ten
10
years of the sentence imposed may petition the Parole Board for conditional release.

B. Any person serving a sentence imposed upon a conviction for the following felony offenses shall not be eligible to petition the Parole Board
for conditional release pursuant to subsection A:

1. Any Class 1 felony; or

2. Any of the following offenses, provided that such offense was committed on or after July 1, 2026:

a. Any violation of §
18.2-32
,
18.2-32.1
,
18.2-32.2
, or
18.2-33
;

b. Any violation of §
18.2-40
or
18.2-45
;

c.
Criminal sexual assault punishable as a felony under Article 7 (§
18.2-61
et seq.) of Chapter 4 of Title 18.2, except when not committed against a minor, a violation of subdivision A 5 of §
18.2-67.3
, §
18.2-67.4:1
, subsection B of §
18.2-67.5
, or §
18.2-67.5:1
;
or

d
. A second or subsequent felony violation of the following offenses when such offenses were not part of a common act, transaction, or scheme and such person has been at liberty as defined in §
53.1-151
between each conviction and the second or subsequent offense was committed on or after July 1, 2026:

(1) Voluntary or involuntary manslaughter under Article 1 (§
18.2-30
et seq.) of Chapter 4 of Title 18.2 or any crime punishable as such;

(2) Any violation of §
18.2-41
or
18.2-42.1
;

(3) Any violation when done unlawfully but not maliciously of §
18.2-51
or
18.2-51.1
;

(4) Arson in violation of §
18.2-77
when the structure burned was occupied or a Class 3 felony violation of §
18.2-79
;

(5) Any violation of §
18.2-89
with the intent to commit any larceny or §
18.2-92
;

(6) Any violation of subsection A of §
18.2-374.1:1
; or

(7) Any violation of §
18.2-423
,
18.2-423.01
,
18.2-423.1
,
18.2-423.2
, or
18.2-433.2
.

C.
Any prisoner eligi
ble for conditional release pursuant to this section that is serving a sentence for a conviction of any of the offenses listed in subsection B shall only b
e eligible for review once every 10 years.

D.
The Parole Board shall promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of this section.

2. That the provisions of this act may result in a net increase in periods of imprisonment or commitment. Pursuant to §
30-19.1:4
of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation is ________ for periods of imprisonment in state adult correctional facilities; therefore, Chapter 725 of the Acts of Assembly of 2025 requires the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission to assign a minimum fiscal impact of $50,000. Pursuant to §
30-19.1:4
of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation is _______ for periods of commitment to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.