SB137 • 2026

Obstructing health care facility; penalties.

An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 18.2-404.1, relating to obstructing reproductive health care facility; penalties.

Crime

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Pekarsky
Last action: 2026-04-22
Official status: Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Obstructing health care facility; penalties.

Obstructing reproductive health care facility; penalties.

What This Bill Does

Obstructing reproductive health care facility; penalties.
Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who (i) by force or threat of force, or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates, or interferes with, or attempts to injure, intimidate, or interfere with, another person because such other person is or has been, or in order to intimidate such person or any other person or any class of persons from, obtaining or providing reproductive health services, defined in the bill, or (ii) intentionally damages or destroys, or attempts to damage or destroy, a reproductive health care facility, defined in the bill, because such facility provides reproductive health services.
The bill also provides that the provisions of the bill shall not be construed to place any restriction on the content of any message that anyone may wish to communicate to anyone else, either inside or outside the regulated areas.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

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

SB137AC

2026-03-14 • Conference

Conference Report

Plain English: JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT We, the conferees, appointed by the respective bodies to consider and report upon the disagreeing vote on Senate Bill No.

JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT We, the conferees, appointed by the respective bodies to consider and report upon the disagreeing vote on Senate Bill No.
137 , report as follows: A.
We recommend that the House Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26108463D) be rejected.
B.

SB137G

2026-04-13 • Governor

Governor's Recommendation

Plain English: (SB137) GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION 1.

(SB137) GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION 1.
Line 30, enrolled, after outside strike the regulated areas insert a reproductive health care facility

SB137S1

2026-03-14 • Conference

Conference Report Substitute

Plain English: 2026 SESSION SENATE SUBSTITUTE 26109882D SENATE BILL NO.

2026 SESSION SENATE SUBSTITUTE 26109882D SENATE BILL NO.
137 AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE (Proposed by the Joint Conference Committee on March 14, 2026) (Patron Prior to Substitute—Senator Pekarsky) A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 18.2-404.1 , relating to obstructing reproductive health care facility; penalties.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia: 1.
That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 18.2-404.1 as follows: § 18.2-404.1 .

Bill History

2026-04-22 Governor
Governor's recommendation adopted
2026-04-22 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-04-22 Senate
Signed by President
2026-04-22 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 991 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-22 Senate
Reenrolled
2026-04-22 Senate
Reenrolled bill text (SB137ER2)
2026-04-22 Governor
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0991)
2026-04-22 Senate
Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (21-Y 18-N 0-A)
2026-04-22 House
House concurred in Governor's recommendation (66-Y 32-N 0-A)
2026-04-13 Governor
Governor's recommendation received by Senate
2026-04-01 Senate
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB137)
2026-03-31 Senate
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
2026-03-31 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-31 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-03-31 Senate
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
2026-03-31 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-30 Senate
Signed by President
2026-03-30 Senate
Enrolled
2026-03-30 Senate
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB137ER)
2026-03-17 Senate
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB137)
2026-03-14 Conference
Conference Report released
2026-03-14 Conference
Conference Report released
2026-03-14 Conference
Conference Report released
2026-03-14 House
Conference report agreed to by House (62-Y 35-N 0-A)
2026-03-14 Senate
Conference report agreed to by Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A)
2026-03-12 House
Conferees appointed by House
2026-03-12 House
House Conferees: Watts, Schmidt, Tata
2026-03-10 Senate
Senate Conferees: Pekarsky, Surovell, Sturtevant
2026-03-10 Senate
Conferees appointed by Senate
2026-03-10 Senate
Senate acceded to request Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-03-09 House
House insisted on substitute
2026-03-09 House
House requested conference committee
2026-03-06 Senate
House substitute rejected by Senate (1-Y 39-N 0-A)
2026-03-04 House
Read third time
2026-03-04 House
committee substitute agreed to
2026-03-04 House
Engrossed by House - committee substitute
2026-03-04 House
Passed House with substitute (64-Y 35-N 0-A)
2026-03-04 Courts of Justice
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB137)
2026-03-03 House
Read second time
2026-03-02 Courts of Justice
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (15-Y 7-N)
2026-03-02 Courts of Justice
Committee substitute printed 26108463D-H1
2026-02-27 Criminal
House subcommittee offered
2026-02-27 Criminal
Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 3-N)
2026-02-26 Criminal
House subcommittee offered
2026-02-17 Criminal
Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal
2026-02-03 House
Placed on Calendar
2026-02-03 House
Read first time
2026-02-03 Courts of Justice
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
2026-01-22 Senate
Read third time and passed Senate (20-Y 19-N 0-A)
2026-01-21 Senate
Read second time
2026-01-21 Senate
Read second time
2026-01-21 Senate
Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)
2026-01-20 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-01-20 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-01-20 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-01-19 Courts of Justice
Reported from Courts of Justice (8-Y 7-N)
2026-01-16 Senate
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB137)
2026-01-06 Senate
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100615D
2026-01-06 Courts of Justice
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

Official Summary Text

Obstructing reproductive health care facility; penalties.
Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who (i) by force or threat of force, or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates, or interferes with, or attempts to injure, intimidate, or interfere with, another person because such other person is or has been, or in order to intimidate such person or any other person or any class of persons from, obtaining or providing reproductive health services, defined in the bill, or (ii) intentionally damages or destroys, or attempts to damage or destroy, a reproductive health care facility, defined in the bill, because such facility provides reproductive health services. The bill also provides that the provisions of the bill shall not be construed to place any restriction on the content of any message that anyone may wish to communicate to anyone else, either inside or outside the regulated areas.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered
18.2-404.1
, relating to obstructing reproductive health care facility; penalties.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered
18.2-404.1
as follows:
§
18.2-404.1
. Obstructing reproductive health care facility; penalties.
A. As used in this section, unless the context requires a different meaning:
"Interfere with" means to restrict a person's freedom of movement.
"Intimidate" means to place a person in reasonable apprehension of bodily harm to himself or to another person.
"Physical obstruction" means rendering impassable ingress to or egress from a facility that provides reproductive health services or rendering passage to or from such facility unreasonably or unnecessarily difficult or hazardous to another person.
"Reproductive health care facility" a facility that provides reproductive health services and includes a hospital, clinic, and physician's office and the building or structure in which the facility is located.
"Reproductive health services" means reproductive health services provided in a hospital, clinic, physician's office, or other facility and includes any institution, place, building, or agency that is licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized or permitted by law in the Commonwealth to administer or provide medical treatment, including medical, surgical, counseling, or referral services relating to the human reproductive system such as pregnancy or termination of a pregnancy.
B. Any person who (i) by force or threat of force, or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates, or interferes with, or attempts to injure, intimidate, or interfere with, another person because such other person is or has been, or in order to intimidate such person or any other person or any class of persons from, obtaining or providing reproductive health services or (ii) intentionally damages or destroys, or attempts to damage or destroy, a reproductive health care facility because such facility provides reproductive health services is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
C. Nothing in this section shall be construed to place any restriction on the content of any message that anyone may wish to communicate to anyone else, either inside or outside
a reproductive health care facility
.