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SB98 • 2026

Emergency management; work group to evaluate existing needs in the Commonwealth, report.

An Act to direct the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to convene a work group to evaluate existing emergency management needs in the Commonwealth; report.

Enacted

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

Sponsor
Stanley
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Emergency Management Needs Evaluation

This act requires the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to create a work group that will evaluate emergency management needs in Virginia and report their findings by October 1, 2026.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates a work group led by the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to study emergency management needs.
  • Includes representatives from various departments and associations in the work group.
  • Requires the work group to look at how sustainable current funding is for emergency management and review other states' funding models.
  • Allows the work group to hire outside help if needed.
  • Asks the work group to report their findings and recommendations by October 1, 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security
  • Representatives from emergency management departments and associations in Virginia

Terms To Know

Emergency Management Needs
Things that are needed to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.
Sustainability of Funding
How well the money currently used for emergency management can continue to support these efforts in the future.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what will happen after the report is submitted.
  • It does not say how much funding will be provided for the work group's activities.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 570 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-13 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 570 (effective 7/1/2026)

  3. 2026-04-13 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0570)

  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. 2026-03-02 House

    Signed by Speaker

  7. 2026-03-02 Senate

    Signed by President

  8. 2026-03-02 Senate

    Enrolled

  9. 2026-03-02 Senate

    Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB98ER)

  10. 2026-03-02 Senate

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB98)

  11. 2026-02-26 House

    Read third time

  12. 2026-02-26 House

    Passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A)

  13. 2026-02-25 House

    Passed by for the day

  14. 2026-02-24 House

    Read second time

  15. 2026-02-20 Appropriations

    Reported from Appropriations (22-Y 0-N)

  16. 2026-02-18 House

    Placed on Calendar

  17. 2026-02-18 House

    Read first time

  18. 2026-02-18 Appropriations

    Referred to Committee on Appropriations

  19. 2026-02-18 Transportation & Public Safety

    Assigned HAPP sub: Transportation & Public Safety

  20. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Read second time

  21. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  22. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Rules suspended

  23. 2026-02-13 General Laws and Technology

    General Laws and Technology Substitute agreed to

  24. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  25. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 3rd reading) (38-Y 0-N 0-A)

  26. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (38-Y 0-N 0-A)

  27. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Rules suspended

  28. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  29. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  30. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  31. 2026-02-11 Finance and Appropriations

    Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)

  32. 2026-02-06 General Laws and Technology

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB98)

  33. 2026-02-05 General Laws and Technology

    Committee substitute printed 26107045D-S1

  34. 2026-02-04 General Laws and Technology

    Reported from General Laws and Technology with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)

  35. 2026-02-04 Senate

    Senate committee offered

  36. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB98)

  37. 2025-12-31 Senate

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100061D

  38. 2025-12-31 General Laws and Technology

    Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology

Official Summary Text

Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security; evaluation of emergency management needs in the Commonwealth; report.
Directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to establish a work group to evaluate existing emergency management needs, analyze sustainability of current funding of such needs, and review alternative funding models for such needs in other states, and to report the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and General Laws and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and General Laws and Technology on or before October 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 169.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
An Act to direct the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to convene a work group to evaluate existing emergency management needs in the Commonwealth; report.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
§ 1. That the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security (the Secretary) shall establish a work group composed of representatives from the Department of Emergency Management, the Department of Planning and Budget, the Virginia Emergency Management Association, the Virginia Association of Counties, the Virginia Municipal League, and such other stakeholders as the Secretary deems appropriate to evaluate existing emergency management needs, analyze sustainability of current funding for such needs, and review alternative funding models for such needs in other states. In conducting its evaluation, the work group may hire an outside consultant and shall analyze local capability assessment for readiness reports, recent after-action reports from declared emergency events, historical trends of federal homeland security and emergency management funding, any anticipated or announced changes to federal homeland security and emergency management funding, any gaps in current funding, how other states fund emergency management services, and best practices from other states. The Secretary shall report the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on General Laws, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology on or before October 1, 2026.