SB24 • 2026

Discovery materials or evidence; accused may request to copy or photograph any materials.

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Carroll Foy
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.

Discovery materials or evidence; accused may request to copy or photograph any materials.

Discovery; methods of delivery; report.

What This Bill Does

Discovery; methods of delivery; report.
Requires the Commonwealth, upon request by the accused or his counsel, to copy or photograph any discovery materials or evidence the accused is permitted to inspect and review, including relevant police reports, criminal records, dashboard camera footage, and body-worn camera footage, and requires the Commonwealth to provide copies to the accused or his counsel, subject to the redaction, restricted dissemination, and protective order provisions of the relevant Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia and unless such material is prohibited from being distributed by law.
The bill also directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to evaluate and report, no later than November 1, 2026, the feasibility, costs, and other impacts with requiring the attorney for the Commonwealth to provide counsel of record for the accused a copy of any relevant police report at least 10 days prior to trial or preliminary hearing.

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.

SB24G

2026-04-13 • Governor

Governor's Recommendation

Plain English: (SB24) GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION 1.

(SB24) GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION 1.
Line 4, enrolled, Title, after delivery strike ; report 2.
Line 17, enrolled, after B.
insert In any district court in a case prosecuted by the attorney for the Commonwealth, the attorney for the Commonwealth shall provide to counsel of record for the accused, if requested, a copy of any relevant police report at least 10 days prior to the date the case is set for trial or preliminary hearing.

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 982 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-22 Senate
Reenrolled
2026-04-22 Senate
Reenrolled bill text (SB24ER2)
2026-04-22 Governor
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0982)
2026-04-22 Senate
Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (38-Y 1-N 0-A)
2026-04-22 House
House concurred in Governor's recommendation (87-Y 8-N 0-A)
2026-04-13 Governor
Governor's recommendation received by Senate
2026-03-14 Senate
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026
2026-03-14 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-11 Senate
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB24)
2026-03-10 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-03-10 Senate
Signed by President
2026-03-10 Senate
Enrolled
2026-03-10 Senate
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB24ER)
2026-03-04 Courts of Justice
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB24)
2026-03-04 House
Read third time
2026-03-04 House
committee substitute agreed to
2026-03-04 House
Committee substitute reconsidered
2026-03-04 House
committee substitute rejected
2026-03-04 House
Passed House Block Vote (97-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-03-04 House
Reconsideration of passage agreed to by House
2026-03-04 House
Passed House Block Vote (99-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-03-03 House
Read second time
2026-03-02 Courts of Justice
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (22-Y 0-N)
2026-03-02 Courts of Justice
Committee substitute printed 26109045D-H1
2026-02-18 House
Placed on Calendar
2026-02-18 House
Read first time
2026-02-18 Courts of Justice
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
2026-02-13 Finance and Appropriations
Committee substitute printed 26107708D-S2
2026-02-13 Senate
Read second time
2026-02-13 Senate
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-13 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-13 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading)
2026-02-13 Senate
Blank Action
2026-02-13 Courts of Justice
Courts of Justice Substitute rejected
2026-02-13 Finance and Appropriations
Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to
2026-02-13 Senate
Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-13 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 3rd reading) (38-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-13 Senate
Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (38-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-12 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-12 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-02-12 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-12 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-11 Finance and Appropriations
Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (15-Y 0-N)
2026-02-06 Courts of Justice
Committee substitute printed 26106704D-S1
2026-02-04 Courts of Justice
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
2026-02-04 Senate
Senate committee offered
2025-11-17 Senate
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100556D
2025-11-17 Courts of Justice
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

Official Summary Text

Discovery; methods of delivery; report.
Requires the Commonwealth, upon request by the accused or his counsel, to copy or photograph any discovery materials or evidence the accused is permitted to inspect and review, including relevant police reports, criminal records, dashboard camera footage, and body-worn camera footage, and requires the Commonwealth to provide copies to the accused or his counsel, subject to the redaction, restricted dissemination, and protective order provisions of the relevant Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia and unless such material is prohibited from being distributed by law. The bill also directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to evaluate and report, no later than November 1, 2026, the feasibility, costs, and other impacts with requiring the attorney for the Commonwealth to provide counsel of record for the accused a copy of any relevant police report at least 10 days prior to trial or preliminary hearing.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

An Act to amend and reenact §
19.2-265.4
of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 15 of Title 19.2 an article numbered 4.3, consisting of a section numbered
19.2-264.15
, relating to discovery; methods of delivery.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
19.2-265.4
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted and that the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Chapter 15 of Title 19.2 an article numbered 4.3, consisting of a section numbered
19.2-264.15
, as follows:
Article 4.3.
Discovery; Methods of Delivery.
§
19.2-264.15
. Discovery; methods of delivery.
A. In any circuit court, if discovery materials, as specified in Rule 3A:11 of the Rules of the Supreme Court, are requested by counsel of record for the accused, the Commonwealth shall provide a copy of such discovery unless such material is prohibited from being distributed by law.
B.
In any district court in a case prosecuted by the attorney for the Commonwealth, the attorney for the Commonwealth shall provide to counsel of record for the accused, if requested, a copy of any relevant police report at least 10 days prior to the date the case is set for trial or preliminary hearing. Any police report provided pursuant to this subsection shall only be provided to counsel of record for the accused and disseminated to any of such counsel's agents or employees or an expert witness. Such report shall not be otherwise disseminated, including the creation of any reproduction or copy, except that the counsel of record for the accused may communicate the contents of such report to the accused. If such materials are requested by counsel of record for the accused for a preliminary hearing held in a district court, the circuit court shall order counsel of record to provide discovery to the attorney for the Commonwealth as provided in Rule 3A:11 of the Rules of the Supreme Court prior to trial of a felony offense in circuit court.
C.
If at any time during the course of the proceedings it is brought to the attention of the court that the attorney for the Commonwealth has failed to comply with the provisions of this section, the court may order the Commonwealth to permit discovery or inspection, grant a continuance, or prohibit the Commonwealth from introducing evidence not disclosed, or the court may enter such other order as it deems just under the circumstances.
§
19.2-265.4
. Failure to provide discovery.
A. In any criminal prosecution for a felony in a circuit court or for a misdemeanor brought on direct indictment, the attorney for the Commonwealth shall have a duty to adequately and fully provide discovery as provided under Rule 3A:11 of the Rules of the Supreme Court. Rule 3A:11 shall be construed to apply to such felony and misdemeanor prosecutions. This duty to disclose shall be continuing and shall apply to any additional evidence or material discovered by the Commonwealth prior to or during trial
which
that
is subject to discovery or inspection and has been previously requested by the accused. In any criminal prosecution for a misdemeanor by trial de novo in circuit court, the attorney for the Commonwealth shall have a duty to adequately and fully provide discovery as provided under Rule 7C:5 of the Rules of the Supreme Court.
If an order for discovery is entered for such criminal prosecution pursuant to Rule 3A:11, the accused may request to copy or photograph any discovery materials or evidence that the accused is permitted to inspect and review, including relevant police reports, criminal records, dashboard camera footage, and body-worn camera footage as described in §
15.2-1723.1
. Upon such request, the attorney for the Commonwealth shall provide to the counsel of record for the accused copies of such discovery materials, subject to the redaction, restricted dissemination, and protective orders provisions of Rule 3A:11.
B. If at any time during the course of the proceedings it is brought to the attention of the court that the attorney for the Commonwealth has failed to comply with this section, the court may order the Commonwealth to permit the discovery or inspection, grant a continuance, or prohibit the Commonwealth from introducing evidence not disclosed, or the court may enter such other order as it deems just under the circumstances.