HB459 • 2026

Hate crimes; crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information.

An Act to amend and reenact § 19.2-11.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information; hate crimes.

Crime

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Cohen
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 provide specific details on how the law will be enforced or what penalties may apply if it is violated.

Victim Protection from Disclosure

This act changes Virginia's laws to protect victims of hate crimes by limiting how their personal information is shared with the public and courts.

What This Bill Does

Changes the law so that police cannot share a victim's name, address, or other identifying details about them unless it is needed for solving the crime, required by another law, necessary for law enforcement purposes, or approved by a judge.
Allows courts to remove a victim's first and last names from appellate decisions if requested by the victim in cases involving hate crimes.

Who It Names or Affects

Victims of hate crimes
Law enforcement agencies
Courts

Terms To Know

Hate crime: A criminal act motivated by prejudice against a person's race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other personal characteristics.
Victim: The person who is harmed or injured by the criminal activity.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify what happens if a victim does not want to give written consent for information sharing.
Only applies to victims of hate crimes and certain other serious offenses, not all types of crime victims.
The effectiveness in protecting victims depends on how strictly law enforcement follows the new rules.

Bill History

2026-04-06 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 147 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-06 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 147 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-06 Governor
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0147)
2026-03-10 House
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026
2026-03-10 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-02-25 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-02-25 Senate
Signed by President
2026-02-25 House
Enrolled
2026-02-25 House
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB459ER)
2026-02-25 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB459)
2026-02-23 Senate
Read third time
2026-02-23 Senate
Passed Senate (38-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-20 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-20 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-20 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-02-20 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-20 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-18 Courts of Justice
Reported from Courts of Justice (14-Y 0-N 1-A)
2026-02-11 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
2026-02-11 Courts of Justice
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
2026-02-10 House
Read third time and passed House (93-Y 4-N 0-A)
2026-02-09 House
Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar
2026-02-09 House
Read second time and engrossed
2026-02-06 House
Read first time
2026-02-04 Courts of Justice
Reported from Courts of Justice (22-Y 0-N)
2026-01-30 Criminal
Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N)
2026-01-29 Criminal
Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal
2026-01-21 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB459)
2026-01-12 House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100507D
2026-01-12 Courts of Justice
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

Official Summary Text

Crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information; hate crimes.
Prohibits a law-enforcement agency from disclosing to the public information that directly or indirectly identifies the victim of a hate crime, defined in relevant law, except to the extent that disclosure is (i) of the site of the crime, (ii) required by law, (iii) necessary for law-enforcement purposes, or (iv) permitted by the court for good cause unless such victim, or his next of kin if he is a minor and his death results from any crime, provides written consent. The bill also prohibits, at the request of the victim, the Court of Appeals of Virginia and the Supreme Court of Virginia from listing the first or last name of the victim of a hate crime in an appellate decision.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

An Act to amend and reenact §
19.2-11.2
of the Code of Virginia, relating to crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information; hate crimes.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
19.2-11.2
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§
19.2-11.2
. Crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information; exceptions; testimonial privilege.
Upon request of any witness in a criminal prosecution under §
18.2-46.2
,
18.2-46.3
, or
18.2-248
or of any violent felony as defined by subsection C of §
17.1-805
, or any crime victim, neither a law-enforcement agency, the attorney for the Commonwealth, the counsel for a defendant, a court nor the Department of Corrections, nor any employee of any of them, may disclose, except among themselves, the residential address, any telephone number, email address, or place of employment of the witness or victim or a member of the witness' or victim's family, except to the extent that disclosure is (i) of the site of the crime, (ii) required by law or Rules of the Supreme Court, (iii) necessary for law-enforcement purposes or preparation for court proceedings, or (iv) permitted by the court for good cause.
Except with the written consent of the victim of
any hate crime as defined in §
52-8.5
or
any crime involving any sexual assault, sexual abuse, or family abuse or the victim's next of kin if the victim is a minor and the victim's death results from any crime, a law-enforcement agency may not disclose to the public information that directly or indirectly identifies the victim of such crime except to the extent that disclosure is (a) of the site of the crime, (b) required by law, (c) necessary for law-enforcement purposes, or (d) permitted by the court for good cause. In addition, at the request of the victim to the Court of Appeals of Virginia or the Supreme Court of Virginia hearing, on or after July 1, 2007,
in
the case of a crime involving any sexual assault or sexual abuse
or on or after July 1, 2026, in the case of a hate crime
, no appellate decision shall contain the first or last name of the victim.
Nothing herein shall limit the right to examine witnesses in a court of law or otherwise affect the conduct of any criminal proceeding.