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HB165 • 2026

Contractors, Board for; examinations available in alternative languages.

An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 54.1-1103.1, relating to Board for Contractors; examinations; alternative languages.

Elections
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Thomas
Last action
2026-04-06
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Contractor Exams in Alternative Languages

This law requires certain contractor exams, which are taken more than 50 times a year on average over four years, to be offered in languages that meet the state's criteria for printing election materials.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds a new section to Virginia’s laws about contractor exams.
  • Requires exams with at least 50 yearly administrations over four years to be available in alternative languages.
  • Specifies that these languages must also qualify under state law for having election materials printed.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People taking contractor exams who need them in a language other than English.
  • The Board for Contractors, which administers the exams.

Terms To Know

Board for Contractors
A group that oversees and regulates contractors in Virginia.
Election materials
Documents like ballots and voter guides used during elections.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify which languages will be available for exams.
  • It is unclear how many exams will qualify based on the number of administrations over four years.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB165ASC1

2026-02-18 • Committee

General Laws and Technology Amendment

Plain English: The amendment removes certain text from the bill about contractor exams in alternative languages and replaces it with a reference to another section of Virginia law.

  • Removes specific language related to examinations for contractors being available in alternative languages.
  • Inserts a reference to § 24.2-128, which is likely from a different part of the Virginia Code.
  • The exact content and implications of inserting § 24.2-128 are not clear without additional context.
  • It's unclear what specific text was being removed or how it relates to contractor exams in alternative languages.
HB165AS1

2026-02-19 • Committee

General Laws and Technology Amendment

Plain English: The amendment removes certain text from the bill and replaces it with a reference to another section of Virginia law, specifically § 24.2-128.

  • Removes part of line 15 and all of line 16 in the original bill text.
  • The exact content being removed is not provided, making it hard to explain what information or rules are no longer included.
  • It's unclear how § 24.2-128 relates to the context of contractor examinations and alternative languages without additional details.
HB165EDOC

2026-02-23 • Senate

Senate Amendment

Plain English: The amendment removes certain text from the bill and replaces it with a reference to another section of Virginia law, § 24.2-128.

  • Removes specific language in line 15 through part of line 16 of the original bill.
  • The exact content being removed and replaced is not specified in the amendment text, making it unclear what changes this will have on the overall meaning or requirements of the bill.
  • It's not clear how § 24.2-128 relates to the original context of HB165.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 80 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 80 (effective 7/1/2026)

  3. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0080)

  4. 2026-03-10 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026

  5. 2026-03-10 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  6. 2026-03-05 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB165)

  7. 2026-03-02 House

    Signed by Speaker

  8. 2026-03-02 Senate

    Signed by President

  9. 2026-03-02 House

    Enrolled

  10. 2026-03-02 House

    Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB165ER)

  11. 2026-02-25 House

    Senate amendment agreed to by House (92-Y 4-N 0-A)

  12. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Read third time

  13. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate as amended

  14. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate

  15. 2026-02-23 General Laws and Technology

    General Laws and Technology Amendment agreed to

  16. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Passed Senate with amendment (31-Y 7-N 0-A)

  17. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Rules suspended

  18. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Rules suspended

  19. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  20. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  21. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  22. 2026-02-18 General Laws and Technology

    Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendment (12-Y 0-N 2-A)

  23. 2026-02-18 Senate

    Senate committee offered

  24. 2026-02-03 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  25. 2026-02-03 General Laws and Technology

    Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology

  26. 2026-02-02 House

    Read third time and passed House (92-Y 6-N 0-A)

  27. 2026-01-30 House

    Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar

  28. 2026-01-30 House

    Read second time and engrossed

  29. 2026-01-29 House

    Read first time

  30. 2026-01-28 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB165)

  31. 2026-01-27 General Laws

    Reported from General Laws (21-Y 0-N)

  32. 2026-01-22 Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process

    Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N)

  33. 2026-01-19 Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process

    Assigned HGL sub: Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process

  34. 2026-01-06 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101338D

  35. 2026-01-06 General Laws

    Referred to Committee on General Laws

Official Summary Text

Board for Contractors; examinations; alternative languages.
Provides that any exam offered by the Board for Contractors that averaged over 50 administrations per year over the preceding four-year period shall be made available in any language that meets the threshold for having election materials printed in that language pursuant to state election law.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered
54.1-1103.1
, relating to Board for Contractors; examinations; alternative languages.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered
54.1-1103.1
as follows:
§
54.1-1103.1
. Examinations; alternative languages.
Any examination offered by the Board that averaged over 50 administrations per year over the preceding four-year period shall be made available in any language that meets the threshold for having election materials printed in that language pursuant to §
24.2-128
.