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SB816 • 2026

Employees of state government; personal interest in certain contracts prohibited.

An Act to amend and reenact § 2.2-3106 of the Code of Virginia, relating to employees of state government; personal interest in certain contracts prohibited; certain exception for certain employees of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind.

Education Labor
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Head
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 enforcement or consequences for violations of the new exception rules.

Employees of State Government; Personal Interest in Certain Contracts Prohibited

This act amends a Virginia law to allow certain employees of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind to have personal interests in contracts involving educational materials they created.

What This Bill Does

  • Amends existing rules prohibiting state government workers from having personal interests in contracts with their own agencies, except for specific employees at the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind.
  • Allows these specific employees to benefit from contracts involving textbooks or other educational materials they authored or created.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Employees of state government agencies in Virginia.
  • Specific employees of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind who create educational materials.

Terms To Know

Conflict of interest
When someone's personal interests might affect their ability to make fair decisions at work.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the exact details of how these exceptions will be managed or enforced.
  • It is unclear what happens if an employee violates this new exception rule.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 293 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 293 (effective 7/1/2026)

  3. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0293)

  4. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026

  5. 2026-03-10 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  6. 2026-03-09 Senate

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB816)

  7. 2026-03-04 House

    Signed by Speaker

  8. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Signed by President

  9. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Enrolled

  10. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB816ER)

  11. 2026-02-27 House

    Read third time

  12. 2026-02-27 House

    Passed House Block Vote (96-Y 0-N 0-A)

  13. 2026-02-26 House

    Read second time

  14. 2026-02-24 General Laws

    Reported from General Laws (20-Y 0-N)

  15. 2026-02-20 House

    Placed on Calendar

  16. 2026-02-20 General Laws

    Referred to Committee on General Laws

  17. 2026-02-20 House

    Read first time

  18. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Read second time

  19. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Rules suspended

  20. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Rules suspended

  21. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Blank Action

  22. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  23. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 3rd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  24. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  25. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Rules suspended

  26. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  27. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (36-Y 0-N 0-A)

  28. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  29. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (35-Y 0-N 0-A)

  30. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  31. 2026-02-11 General Laws and Technology

    Reported from General Laws and Technology (15-Y 0-N)

  32. 2026-01-23 Senate

    Presented and ordered printed 26106111D

  33. 2026-01-23 General Laws and Technology

    Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology

Official Summary Text

Employees of state government; personal interest in certain contracts prohibited; certain exception for certain employees of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind.
Excludes from the prohibition against any officer or employee of any governmental agency of state government having a personal interest in a contract with the governmental agency of which he is an officer or employee, other than his own contract of employment, the personal interest of an employee of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind in a contract between the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind and a publisher or wholesaler of textbooks or other educational materials for students that accrues to him solely because he has authored or otherwise created such textbooks or materials. This bill is identical to HB 1311.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
An Act to amend and reenact §
2.2-3106
of the Code of Virginia, relating to employees of state government; personal interest in certain contracts prohibited; certain exception for certain employees of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
2.2-3106
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§
2.2-3106
. Prohibited contracts by officers and employees of state government.
A. No officer or employee of any governmental agency of state government shall have a personal interest in a contract with the governmental agency of which he is an officer or employee, other than his own contract of employment.
B. No officer or employee of any governmental agency of state government shall have a personal interest in a contract with any other governmental agency of state government unless such contract is (i) awarded as a result of competitive sealed bidding or competitive negotiation as set forth in §
2.2-4302.1
or
2.2-4302.2
or (ii) is awarded after a finding, in writing, by the administrative head of the governmental agency that competitive bidding or negotiation is contrary to the best interest of the public.
C. The provisions of this section shall not apply to:
1. An employee's personal interest in additional contracts of employment with his own governmental agency that accrue to him because of a member of his immediate family, provided that the employee does not exercise any control over the employment or the employment activities of the member of his immediate family and the employee is not in a position to influence those activities;
2. The personal interest of an officer or employee of a public institution of higher education in additional contracts of employment with his own governmental agency that accrue to him because of a member of his immediate family, provided that (i) the officer or employee and the immediate family member are engaged in teaching, research, or administrative support positions at the educational institution; (ii) the governing board of the educational institution finds that it is in the best interests of the institution and the Commonwealth for such dual employment to exist; and (iii) after such finding, the governing board of the educational institution ensures that the officer or employee, or the immediate family member, does not have sole authority to supervise, evaluate, or make personnel decisions regarding the other;
3. An officer's or employee's personal interest in a contract of employment with any other governmental agency of state government;
4. Contracts for the sale by a governmental agency of services or goods at uniform prices available to the general public;
5. An employee's personal interest in a contract between a public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth
or the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind
and a publisher or wholesaler of textbooks or other educational materials for students, which accrues to him solely because he has authored or otherwise created such textbooks or materials;
6. An employee's personal interest in a contract with his or her employing public institution of higher education to acquire the collections or scholarly works owned by the employee, including manuscripts, musical scores, poetry, paintings, books or other materials, writings, or papers of an academic, research, or cultural value to the institution, provided that the president of the institution approves the acquisition of such collections or scholarly works as being in the best interests of the institution's public mission of service, research, or education;
7. Subject to approval by the board of visitors, an employee's personal interest in a contract between a public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth that operates a school of medicine or dentistry and a not-for-profit nonstock corporation that operates a clinical practice within such public institution of higher education and of which such employee is a member or employee;
8. Subject to approval by the relevant board of visitors, an employee's personal interest in a contract for research and development or commercialization of intellectual property between a public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth and a business in which the employee has a personal interest, if (i) the employee's personal interest has been disclosed to and approved by such public institution of higher education prior to the time at which the contract is entered into; (ii) the employee promptly files a disclosure statement pursuant to §
2.2-3117
and thereafter files such statement annually on or before February 1; (iii) the institution has established a formal policy regarding such contracts, approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; and (iv) no later than December 31 of each year, the institution files an annual report with the Secretary of the Commonwealth disclosing each open contract entered into subject to this provision, the names of the parties to each contract, the date each contract was executed and its term, the subject of each contractual arrangement, the nature of the conflict of interest, the institution's employee responsible for administering each contract, the details of the institution's commitment or investment of resources or finances for each contract, and any other information requested by the Secretary of the Commonwealth; or
9. Subject to approval by the relevant board of visitors, an employee's personal interest in a contract between a public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth and a business in which the employee has a personal interest, if (i) the personal interest has been disclosed to the institution prior to the time the contract is entered into; (ii) the employee files a disclosure statement pursuant to §
2.2-3117
and thereafter annually on or before February 1; (iii) the employee does not participate in the institution's decision to contract; (iv) the president of the institution finds and certifies in writing that the contract is for goods and services needed for quality patient care, including related medical education or research, by the institution's medical center, its affiliated teaching hospitals and other organizations necessary for the fulfillment of its mission, including the acquisition of drugs, therapies and medical technologies; and (v) no later than December 31 of each year, the institution files an annual report with the Secretary of the Commonwealth disclosing each open contract entered subject to this provision, the names of the parties to each contract, the date each contract was executed and its term, the subject of each contractual arrangement, the nature of the conflict of interest, the institution's employee responsible for administering each contract, the details of the institution's commitment or investment of resources or finances for each contract, and any other information requested by the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
D. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions C 8 and C 9, if the research and development or commercialization of intellectual property or the employee's personal interest in a contract with a business is subject to policies and regulations governing conflicts of interest promulgated by any agency of the United States government, including the adoption of policies requiring the disclosure and management of such conflicts of interests, the policies established by the Eastern Virginia Health Sciences Center at Old Dominion University pursuant to such federal requirements shall constitute compliance with subdivisions C 8 and C 9, upon notification by the Eastern Virginia Health Sciences Center at Old Dominion University to the Secretary of the Commonwealth by January 31 of each year of evidence of their compliance with such federal policies and regulations.
E. The board of visitors may delegate the authority granted under subdivision C 8 to the president of the institution. If the board elects to delegate such authority, the board shall include this delegation of authority in the formal policy required by clause (iii) of subdivision C 8. In those instances where the board has delegated such authority, on or before December 1 of each year, the president of the relevant institution shall file a report with the relevant board of visitors disclosing each open contract entered into subject to this provision, the names of the parties to each contract, the date each contract was executed and its term, the subject of each contractual arrangement, the nature of the conflict of interest, the institution's employee responsible for administering each contract, the details of the institution's commitment or investment of resources or finances for each contract, the details of how revenues are to be disbursed, and any other information requested by the board of visitors.