Virginia 2027 Regular Session Status: In Committee

HB 856 — Shelter pets; designating as official state pet.

Last action — Continued from last session

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House of Delegates
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House of Delegates. Introduced January 13, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House of Delegates.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 14% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

Designates shelter pets as the official state pet.

This bill designates shelter pets as the official state pet of the state. It aims to promote awareness and support for shelter animals.

Summary

Official emblems and designations; state pet; shelter pets. Designates shelter pets as the official state pet.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Continued from last session

  2. Continued to next session in Rules (Voice Vote)

  3. Subcommittee recommends continuing to (Voice Vote)

  4. House subcommittee offered

  5. House subcommittee offered

  6. Assigned HRUL sub: Studies Subcommittee

  7. Referred to Committee on Rules

  8. Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104249D

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 147 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (147)

147 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"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.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

housing civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 856 do?
Official emblems and designations; state pet; shelter pets. Designates shelter pets as the official state pet.
Who sponsors HB 856?
HB 856 is sponsored by Paul E. Krizek.
What is the current status of HB 856?
This bill is in committee in the House of Delegates. Introduced January 13, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 856?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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