Rules of construction; use of "shall," effective clause, report.
This bill clarifies the interpretation of the word 'shall' in legal documents and provides a report on clauses that take effect. These changes aim to create more consistent legal interpretation.
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HB1299 — Rules of construction; use of "shall," effective clause, report.
Last action — Continued from last session
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
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1Introduced
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2In Committee
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3Passed House of Delegates
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4Passed Senate
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5To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been introduced in the House of Delegates. Introduced January 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.
Prognosis
Where this bill stands today.
Odds of enactment
LowHow often bills like it became law.
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Introduced
Current position in the legislative process.
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1 sponsor
1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 4 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.
In plain language
The bill addresses how the term 'shall' is interpreted and reports on effective clauses.
This bill clarifies the interpretation of the word 'shall' in legal documents and provides a report on clauses that take effect. These changes aim to create more consistent legal interpretation.
Summary
Rules of construction; use of "shall," effective clause, report.
Bill Text
We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.
Read HB1299 on the official Virginia source →Compared against the Code of Virginia as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.
This bill amends 1 section(s) of the Code of Virginia: 1-243.1.
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1-243.1
"S
Inserts “"S”.
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1-243.1
hall
Inserts “hall”.
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1-243.1
"
Inserts “"”.
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1-243.1
establishes
Inserts “establishes”.
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1-243.1
a mandatory requirement
Inserts “a mandatory requirement”.
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1-243.1
and
Inserts “and”.
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1-243.1
is not merely
Inserts “is not merely”.
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1-243.1
directory,
Inserts “directory,”.
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1-243.1
unless the statute
Inserts “unless the statute”.
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1-243.1
exp
Inserts “exp”.
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1-243.1
ressly
Inserts “ressly”.
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1-243.1
provides otherwise
Inserts “provides otherwise”.
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1-243.1
.
Inserts “.”.
Action History
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S Continued to next session in Courts of Justice (11-Y 4-N)
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S Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
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S Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
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H Read third time and passed House (98-Y 0-N 0-A)
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H Engrossed by House as amended
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H committee amendments agreed to
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H Read second time
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H Read first time
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H Reported from Rules with amendment(s) (16-Y 0-N)
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H Placed on Rules Agenda
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H Assigned HRUL sub: Studies Subcommittee
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H Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 0-N)
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H Referred to Committee on Rules
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H Referred from Courts of Justice and referred to Rules (Voice Vote)
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H Placed on Courts of Justice Agenda
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H Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
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H Presented and ordered printed 26104509D
Sponsors
- Karrie K. Delaney · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 147 not signed on · 4 voted No
Sponsors (1)
Co-sponsors (0)
None.
Not signed on (147)
147 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 147 →"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 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 73% | 27% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (15)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Barbara A. Favola | — | Yea |
| Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr. | — | Nay |
| Jennifer B. Boysko | — | Yea |
| Jennifer D. Carroll Foy | — | Yea |
| Kannan Srinivasan | — | Yea |
| Mark D. Obenshain | — | Yea |
| Mark J. Peake | — | Nay |
| Michael J. Jones | — | Nay |
| R. Creigh Deeds | — | Yea |
| Richard H. Stuart | — | Yea |
| Russet Perry | — | Yea |
| Ryan T. McDougle | — | Yea |
| Saddam Azlan Salim | — | Yea |
| Scott A. Surovell | — | Yea |
| William M. Stanley, Jr. | — | Nay |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 98 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 98 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 98% | 0% | 0% | 2% |
How each member voted (100)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 89% | 0% | 0% | 11% |
How each member voted (18)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Betsy B. Carr | — | Yea |
| C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr. | — | Yea |
| Charniele L. Herring | — | Yea |
| Dan I. Helmer | — | Yea |
| Don Scott | — | Yea |
| Ellen H. McLaughlin | — | Not Voting |
| Israel D. O'Quinn | — | Yea |
| Jeion A. Ward | — | Yea |
| Kathy K.L. Tran | — | Yea |
| Luke E. Torian | — | Yea |
| Marcus B. Simon | — | Yea |
| Michael J. Webert | — | Yea |
| Patrick A. Hope | — | Yea |
| R. Lee Ware | — | Yea |
| Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. | — | Yea |
| Terry G. Kilgore | — | Not Voting |
| Terry L. Austin | — | Yea |
| Vivian E. Watts | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (5)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr. | — | Yea |
| Dan I. Helmer | — | Yea |
| Kathy K.L. Tran | — | Yea |
| Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. | — | Yea |
| Terry G. Kilgore | — | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does HB1299 do?
- Rules of construction; use of "shall," effective clause, report.
- Who sponsors HB1299?
- HB1299 is sponsored by Karrie K. Delaney.
- What is the current status of HB1299?
- This bill has been introduced in the House of Delegates. Introduced January 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
- Where can I track HB1299?
- Track HB1299 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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