Student journalists; freedom of speech and the press, definitions.
Do you support it?
Want to know if it passes?
We'll email you when HB 36 moves — a committee vote, a floor vote, or a signature. Nothing else.
Free forever · unsubscribe in one click.
Your answer was recorded either way.
Which district are you in?
Your ZIP is all we need to match you to your own representatives — so we can tell you how they voted on HB 36.
You're tracking HB 36
We'll email you the moment it moves.
HB 36 — Student journalists; freedom of speech and the press, definitions.
Last action — Approved by Governor-Chapter 947 (effective 7/1/20)
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
-
✓Introduced
-
✓In Committee
-
✓Passed House of Delegates
-
✓Passed Senate
-
✓To Executive
-
6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced November 19, 2019. Enacted.
Prognosis
Where this bill stands today.
Odds of enactment
HighHow often bills like it became law.
-
Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
-
4 sponsors
1 primary, 3 co-sponsors signed on.
-
Mixed recorded votes
13 passed, 1 failed in recorded votes so far.
Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.
Summary
Public institutions of higher education; student journalists; freedom of speech and the press. Declares that, except in certain limited circumstances, a student journalist at a public institution of higher education has the right to exercise freedom of speech and the press in institution-sponsored media, including determining the news and opinion content of institution-sponsored media, regardless of whether the media is supported financially by the governing board of the institution, supported through the use of campus facilities, or produced in conjunction with a course in which the student is enrolled. The bill defines "institution-sponsored media" as any material that is prepared, substantially written, published, or broadcast by a student journalist at a public institution of higher education under the direction of a student media adviser and distributed or generally made available to members of the student body.
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
9 added · 7 removedPlain-language change summary
The amendment to HB 36 adds specific reference to the 2021 legislative session while removing some earlier legislative context. This change clarifies the bill's timeline and focuses on student journalists at public universities, emphasizing their rights to freedom of speech and press. This matters because it strengthens protections for student media, ensuring that student voices can be heard without undue censorship.
Code of Virginia Administrative Code Bills & Resolutions Summaries OTHER SESSIONS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Session Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Special Session II Session Session Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Session Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Special Session II Session Session Special Session I Session Session Special Session I Special Session II Session Session Session Special Session I Session Session Session Special Session I Session Session Session Session Special Session I Special Session II VIRGINIA LAW PORTALCode of VirginiaVirginia Administrative Code Constitution of VirginiaChartersAuthoritiesCompacts Uncodified ActsRIS Users (account required) SEARCHABLE DATABASESBills & Resolutionssession legislationBill Summariessession summaries Reports to the General AssemblyHouse and Senate documents Legislative LiaisonsState agency contactsACROSS SESSIONS Subject Index:
SESSION history | hilite | pdf | print version VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY -- CHAPTER 947 An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 23.1-401.2, relating to public institutions of higher education;
[H 36] Approved April 9, 2020 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
View plain text versions (5)
- Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0947) View text Current html April 09, 2020
- Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB36ER) View text html March 18, 2020
- HB36H2 View text html March 07, 2020
- Impact statement from DPB (HB36H1) View text html February 03, 2020
- Impact statement from DPB (HB36) View text html November 19, 2019
Action History
-
Approved by Governor-Chapter 947 (effective 7/1/20)
-
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
-
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 20, 2020
-
Impact statement from DPB (HB36ER)
-
Signed by Speaker
-
Signed by President
-
Enrolled
-
Conference report agreed to by Senate (28-Y 11-N)
-
Reconsideration of conference report agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N)
-
Conference report agreed to by Senate (28-Y 10-N 1-A)
-
VOTE: Adoption (79-Y 16-N)
-
Conference report agreed to by House (79-Y 16-N)
-
Conference substitute printed 20109858D-H2
-
Amended by conference committee
-
Conferees appointed by Senate
-
Conferees appointed by House
-
House acceded to request
-
Senate requested conference committee
-
Senate insisted on amendments (32-Y 4-N)
-
VOTE: REJECTED (1-Y 95-N)
-
Senate amendments rejected by House (1-Y 95-N)
-
Placed on Calendar
-
Passed Senate with amendments (29-Y 11-N)
-
Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
-
Passed Senate with amendments (28-Y 12-N)
-
Engrossed by Senate as amended
-
Amendments by Senator Petersen agreed to
-
Reading of amendments waived
-
Committee amendments agreed to
-
Reading of amendments waived
-
Read third time
-
Passed by for the day
-
Read third time
-
Constitutional reading dispensed (37-Y 0-N)
-
Reported from Education and Health with amendments (9-Y 5-N)
-
Referred to Committee on Education and Health
-
Constitutional reading dispensed
-
VOTE: Passage (86-Y 14-N)
-
Read third time and passed House (86-Y 14-N)
-
Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB36H1
-
Committee substitute agreed to 20104720D-H1
-
Read second time
-
Read first time
-
Impact statement from DPB (HB36H1)
-
Committee substitute printed 20104720D-H1
-
Reported from Education with substitute (20-Y 2-N)
-
Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 3-N)
-
Assigned Education sub: Post-Secondary and Higher Ed
-
Impact statement from DPB (HB36)
-
Referred to Committee on Education
-
Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20100406D
Sponsors
- Danica A. Roem · Cosponsor
- Mark L. Keam · Cosponsor
- Ibraheem S. Samirah · Cosponsor
- Chris L. Hurst · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 3 co-sponsors · 144 not signed on · 99 voted No
Sponsors (1)
- Hurst, Chris L. Voted No
Co-sponsors (3)
- Danica A. Roem Voted No
- Keam, Mark L. Voted No
- Samirah, Ibraheem S. Voted No
Not signed on (144)
144 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 144 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 28 | 10 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 28 | 10 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 70% | 25% | 0% | 5% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 78 | 16 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 78 | 16 | 0 | 5 |
| % of votes cast | 79% | 16% | 0% | 5% |
How each member voted (99)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 28 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 28 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 70% | 28% | 0% | 3% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 32 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 32 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| % of votes cast | 80% | 10% | 0% | 10% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 94 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 1 | 94 | 0 | 4 |
| % of votes cast | 1% | 95% | 0% | 4% |
How each member voted (99)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 39 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 39 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 98% | 0% | 0% | 3% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 29 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 29 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 73% | 28% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 28 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 28 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 70% | 30% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 37 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 37 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| % of votes cast | 93% | 0% | 0% | 8% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 64% | 36% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (14)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Chafin, A. Benton "Ben" | — | Yea |
| Barker, George L. | — | Yea |
| Cosgrove, John A., Jr. | — | Nay |
| David R. Suetterlein | — | Nay |
| Dunnavant, Siobhan S. | — | Nay |
| Hashmi, Ghazala F. | — | Yea |
| Howell, Janet D. | — | Yea |
| L. Louise Lucas | — | Yea |
| Lewis, Lynwood W., Jr. | — | Yea |
| Mamie E. Locke | — | Yea |
| Mark J. Peake | — | Nay |
| Newman, Stephen D. | — | Nay |
| Petersen, J. Chapman | — | Yea |
| Saslaw, Richard L. | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 85 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 85 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 86% | 14% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (99)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 91% | 9% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (22)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Collins, Christopher E. | — | Yea |
| Avoli, G. "John" | — | Yea |
| Batten, Amanda E. | — | Yea |
| Bourne, Jeffrey M. | — | Yea |
| Bulova, David L. | — | Yea |
| Cole, Mark L. | — | Nay |
| Davis, Glenn R. | — | Yea |
| Delores L. McQuinn | — | Yea |
| Guy, Nancy D. | — | Yea |
| Guzman, Elizabeth R. | — | Yea |
| Joshua G. Cole | — | Yea |
| Keam, Mark L. | — | Yea |
| Lamont Bagby | — | Yea |
| Marshall, Daniel W., III | — | Yea |
| McGuire, John J., III | — | Yea |
| Mugler, Martha M. | — | Yea |
| Robinson, Roxann L. | — | Yea |
| Sam Rasoul | — | Yea |
| Schuyler T. VanValkenburg | — | Yea |
| Subramanyam, Suhas | — | Yea |
| Tyler, Roslyn C. | — | Yea |
| Wampler, William C., III | — | Nay |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 56% | 33% | 0% | 11% |
How each member voted (9)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Collins, Christopher E. | — | Nay |
| Batten, Amanda E. | — | Nay |
| Bourne, Jeffrey M. | — | Yea |
| Joshua G. Cole | — | Yea |
| Keam, Mark L. | — | Yea |
| Mugler, Martha M. | — | Yea |
| Sam Rasoul | — | Yea |
| Tyler, Roslyn C. | — | Not Voting |
| Wampler, William C., III | — | Nay |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does HB 36 do?
- Public institutions of higher education; student journalists; freedom of speech and the press. Declares that, except in certain limited circumstances, a student journalist at a public institution of higher education has the right to exercise freedom of speech and the press in institution-sponsored media, including determining the news and opinion content of institution-sponsored media, regardless of whether the media is supported financially by the governing board of the institution, supported through the use of campus facilities, or produced in conjunction with a course in which the student is enrolled. The bill defines "institution-sponsored media" as any material that is prepared, substantially written, published, or broadcast by a student journalist at a public institution of higher education under the direction of a student media adviser and distributed or generally made available to members of the student body.
- Who sponsors HB 36?
- HB 36 is sponsored by Danica A. Roem, Keam, Mark L., Samirah, Ibraheem S., and Hurst, Chris L..
- What is the current status of HB 36?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced November 19, 2019. Enacted.
- Where can I track HB 36?
- Track HB 36 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
Make your voice heard on HB 36
Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.
Stay ahead of HB 36
Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously
One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.
Track this bill →