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HB485 • 2026

Children's Cabinet; established, report.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 26 of Title 2.2 an article numbered 16.1, consisting of sections numbered 2.2-2649.1 through 2.2-2649.4, relating to Children's Cabinet established; report.</p>

Children
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Shin
Last action
2026-02-06
Official status
Continued
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on funding, public participation, or consequences for non-attendance.

Children's Cabinet Established

This bill establishes an advisory group called the Children's Cabinet within Virginia's executive branch to advise the Governor on issues related to children's health, safety, and well-being.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates an advisory group named the Children's Cabinet within the state government.
  • The Children's Cabinet will give advice to the Governor on matters pertaining to children in the Commonwealth and ways to improve their health, safety, and well-being.
  • Sets up rules for who can be part of the Children's Cabinet, how often they meet, and what their duties are.
  • Requires the Children's Cabinet to work with different government agencies to improve policies and programs that help children.
  • Asks the Children's Cabinet to write an annual report about their activities and send it to the Governor and the General Assembly.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Governor of Virginia
  • Children in Virginia
  • Government agencies involved with children’s health, safety, and well-being

Terms To Know

Advisory Council
A group that gives advice to a higher authority like the Governor.
Quorum
The minimum number of members needed for an official meeting to take place.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It is not clear how much funding will be provided for the Children's Cabinet.
  • The bill does not specify what happens if a member of the Children's Cabinet cannot attend meetings.
  • There are no details on how the public can participate in or influence the work of the Children's Cabinet.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-06 Rules

    Continued to 2027 in Rules (Voice Vote)

  2. 2026-02-02 Studies Subcommittee

    Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2027 (Voice Vote)

  3. 2026-01-30 Studies Subcommittee

    Assigned HRUL sub: Studies Subcommittee

  4. 2026-01-21 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB485)

  5. 2026-01-12 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105082D

  6. 2026-01-12 Rules

    Referred to Committee on Rules

Official Summary Text

Children's Cabinet established; report.
Establishes the Children's Cabinet to advise the Governor on matters pertaining to children in the Commonwealth and ways to improve their health, safety, and well-being.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 26 of Title 2.2 an article numbered 16.1, consisting of sections numbered
2.2-2649.1
through
2.2-2649.4
, relating to Children's Cabinet established; report.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Chapter 26 of Title 2.2 an article numbered 16.1, consisting of sections numbered
2.2-2649.1
through
2.2-2649.4
, as follows:

Article
16.1
.

Ch
ildren's C
abinet
.

§
2.2-2649.1
. Children's C
abinet
; purpose
.

The Children's C
abinet
(the C
abinet
) is established as a
n

advisory
council, within the meaning of §
2.2-2100
, in the executive branch of state government
.

The purpose of the
C
abinet
is to

advise the Governor on matters pertaining to children in the Commonwealth and ways to improve their health
, safety,
and well-being
.

§
2.2-2
649.2. Membership; quorum; meetings.

A
.
The
Cabinet
shall consist of
the
Chief of Staff for the Governor or
his
designee
,
the Secretaries of
the Commonwealth,
Agriculture and Forestry, Commerce and Trade, Education, Health and Human Resources, and Public Safety and Homeland Security or their designees
,
and the Children
'
s Ombudsman
.
All members of the
Cabinet
shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office.

B
. The
Chief of Staff for the Governor or
his
designee
shall serve as chair and may invite other Governor's Secretaries
and agency heads
to participate as needed and as appropriate to improve and coordinate
systems and
services for children provided by state and local agencies
.
The
Cabinet
shall elect a vice-chair from among its membership.
A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The
Cabinet
shall meet
a minimum of four
times each year. The meetings of the
Cabinet
shall be held at the call of the chair or whenever the majority of the members so request.

C
.
Members of the
Cabinet
shall be reimbursed
for all
reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the
performance
of their duties as provided in §
2.2-2825
.

§
2.2-2649
.
3
. Powers and duties of the
Cabinet
; report
.

The

Cabinet
shall have the following powers and duties:

1.

Encourage
agencies
of the Commonwealth
to collaborate across government
a
l
and nongovernmental entities to align
and develop
policies, programs, and resources to improve outcomes for children and their families, particularly those at high risk of negative outcomes, and
to
develop specific goals, identify and facilitate
the
implementation of strategies, and measure impacts and outcomes related t
o
the following priorities:

a
. Early childhood development and school readiness, including promoting healthy pregnancies and social supports for new mothers and families during the first years of a child's life and ensuring the availability of affordable, accessible, high-quality early childhood education in all areas of the Commonwealth;

b
. Nutrition and food security, including expanding access to nutritious food and decreasing food insecurity for pregnant women and children and promoting community-based food systems to increase access to healthy, local foods; and

c
. S
tudent
safety for school-age children
;

2
.

Encourage agencies of the Commonwealth to p
rioritize s
ystems of care for the safety and well-being of children and the stability of families, including the needs of children and families arising from trauma, abuse, or neglect, and mental or behavio
ral health challenges
; and

3
. Submit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly for publication as a report document as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports. The chair of the
Cabinet
shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an annual executive summary of the interim activity and work of the
Cabinet
no later than the first day of each regular session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall be submitted for publication as a report document as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website

§

2.2-2649
.
4
. Staffing.

S
taff support
shall be provided
to the

Cabinet
by
the offices of the Governor
,
the Secretaries
represented in the Cabinet
,
and the Children
'
s Ombudsman
. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the
Cabinet
, upon request.