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HB754 • 2026

Emergency custody, involuntary temp. detention, & commitment hearings; special justice & judge fees.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact § 37.2-804 of the Code of Virginia, relating to emergency custody, involuntary temporary detention, and commitment hearings; special justice and judge fees.</p>

Healthcare
Enacted

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

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

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how the increased fee will impact individuals involved in these hearings or whether it will affect the availability of special judges.

Increasing Fees for Special Judges in Mental Health Hearings

This bill changes the fee that special judges receive when they handle emergency custody, involuntary temporary detention, and commitment hearings from $120 to $150.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the amount of money a special judge gets for handling certain mental health cases from $120 to $150.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Special justices, retired judges sitting by designation, and district court substitute judges who handle mental health-related hearings.
  • People involved in emergency custody, involuntary temporary detention, and commitment hearings

Terms To Know

Emergency Custody
When someone is taken into care right away because they might hurt themselves or others.
Involuntary Temporary Detention
When a person is kept in a hospital for mental health treatment without their agreement.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the increased fee will affect people involved in these hearings.
  • It's unclear if this change will lead to more or fewer special judges being available for such cases.

Amendments

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

HB754AHC1

2026-01-23 • Committee

Criminal Subcommittee Amendment

Plain English: The amendment changes the fee amount for certain court procedures related to emergency custody and involuntary temporary detention from $120 to $150.

  • Increases the fee from $120 to $150 at line 22 of the bill text.
  • Replaces the remainder of line 27 with a new fee amount of $150.
  • The exact context and application of these fees are not detailed in the amendment text, so further details about when or how these fees apply are unknown.
HB754AH1

2026-01-29 • Committee

Courts of Justice Amendment

Plain English: The amendment changes the fee amount for certain court procedures related to emergency custody and involuntary temporary detention from $120 to $150.

  • Increases the fee from $120 to $150 at line 22 of the bill.
  • Replaces the rest of line 27 with a new fee amount of $150.
  • The amendment does not provide details on which specific court procedures or services this fee applies to, only that it increases the existing fee from $120 to $150 in two places.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-18 House

    Left in Committee Appropriations

  2. 2026-01-30 General Government and Capital Outlay

    Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (6-Y 0-N)

  3. 2026-01-29 General Government and Capital Outlay

    Assigned HAPP sub: General Government and Capital Outlay

  4. 2026-01-29 Courts of Justice

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB754)

  5. 2026-01-28 Courts of Justice

    Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) and referred to Appropriations (19-Y 0-N)

  6. 2026-01-23 Criminal

    Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) and referring to Appropriations (10-Y 0-N)

  7. 2026-01-22 Criminal

    Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal

  8. 2026-01-13 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102789D

  9. 2026-01-13 Courts of Justice

    Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

Official Summary Text

Emergency custody, involuntary temporary detention, and commitment hearings; special justice and judge fees.
Increases from $120 to $150 the fee that any special justice, any retired judge sitting by designation, or any district court substitute judge who presides over hearings relating to emergency custody, involuntary temporary detention, and commitment is to receive for each such hearing.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB 754

COURTS OF JUSTICE

1. Line 22, introduced, after of

strike

$120

insert

$150

COURTS OF JUSTICE

2. Line 27, introduced, after of

strike

the remainder of line 27

insert

$150