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HB342 • 2026

Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission; magistrates, availability of complaint forms in courthouses.

An Act to amend and reenact § 17.1-917 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 4 of Chapter 3 of Title 19.2 a section numbered 19.2-43.1, relating to the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission; magistrates; availability of complaint forms in courthouses.

Enacted

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

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

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not mention ensuring electronic versions of complaint forms are available online, only paper copies in courthouses.

Making Complaint Forms Available in Courthouses

This law requires state court clerks' offices to provide paper copies of standardized complaint forms for filing complaints against magistrates or members of the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, along with signs directing people to these forms.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires courts to provide paper copies of standardized complaint forms developed by the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission and the Department of Magistrate Services in every clerk's office.
  • Requires that signs be posted in all state courthouses showing where people can find these paper complaint forms.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who want to file complaints against magistrates or members of the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission.
  • Courts in Virginia, including their clerks' offices.

Terms To Know

Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission
A group that investigates issues related to judges and judicial conduct.
Department of Magistrate Services
An office within the Supreme Court of Virginia responsible for managing magistrates, who are court officials with limited legal authority.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify when these changes must be implemented.
  • It is unclear if there will be any penalties for courts that do not comply with this requirement.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 113 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 113 (effective 7/1/2026)

  3. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0113)

  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. 2026-02-25 House

    Signed by Speaker

  7. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Signed by President

  8. 2026-02-25 House

    Enrolled

  9. 2026-02-25 House

    Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB342ER)

  10. 2026-02-25 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB342)

  11. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Read third time

  12. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Passed Senate Block Vote (38-Y 0-N 0-A)

  13. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Rules suspended

  14. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Rules suspended

  15. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  16. 2026-02-20 Senate

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

  17. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  18. 2026-02-18 Courts of Justice

    Reported from Courts of Justice (14-Y 0-N)

  19. 2026-02-11 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  20. 2026-02-11 Courts of Justice

    Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

  21. 2026-02-10 House

    Read third time and passed House (63-Y 34-N 0-A)

  22. 2026-02-09 House

    Read second time and engrossed

  23. 2026-02-06 House

    Read first time

  24. 2026-02-04 Courts of Justice

    Reported from Courts of Justice (15-Y 7-N)

  25. 2026-02-02 Civil

    Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 2-N)

  26. 2026-01-29 Civil

    Assigned HCJ sub: Civil

  27. 2026-01-19 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB342)

  28. 2026-01-12 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100400D

  29. 2026-01-12 Courts of Justice

    Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

Official Summary Text

Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission; magistrates; availability of complaint forms in courthouses.
Requires that paper copies of any standardized form developed and utilized by the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission and any standardized form developed and utilized by the Department of Magistrate Services in the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia for the filing of a complaint be made available to the public in the clerk's office in all state courts of the Commonwealth. The bill also requires that a sign be posted in all such courts, in a location accessible to the public, that notes the availability and location of such forms.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
An Act to amend and reenact §
17.1-917
of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 4 of Chapter 3 of Title 19.2 a section numbered
19.2-43.1
, relating to the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission; magistrates; availability of complaint forms in courthouses.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
17.1-917
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted and that the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Article 4 of Chapter 3 of Title 19.2 a section numbered
19.2-43.1
as follows:
§
17.1-917
. Assistance and information; complaint forms.
A. State and local public bodies and departments, officers and employees thereof, and officials and all personnel of the courts of the Commonwealth shall cooperate with and give reasonable assistance and information to the Commission and any authorized representative thereof in connection with any investigations or proceedings within the jurisdiction of the Commission.
B. In all state courts within the Commonwealth a sign shall be posted in a location accessible to the public that notes the availability of and provides instructions to obtain a downloadable electronic version of any standardized form developed and utilized by the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission for the filing of a complaint from the official website of the judicial system of the Commonwealth.
Any standardized form developed and utilized by the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission for the filing of a complaint shall also be made available to the public in paper form in every clerk's office in all state courts of the Commonwealth. In all such courts, a sign shall be posted in a location accessible to the public that notes the availability and location of such paper forms in the office.
§
19.2-43.1
. Complaint forms; availability in courthouses.
Any standardized form developed and utilized by the Department of Magistrate Services in the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia for the filing of a complaint against a magistrate shall be made available to the public in paper form in every clerk's office in all state courts of the Commonwealth. In all such courts, a sign shall be posted in a location accessible to the public that notes the availability and location of such paper forms in the clerk's office.