HB686 — Open school enrollment policies; guidance on best practices available to school boards.
Last action — Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N)
-
✓Introduced
-
✓In Committee
-
3Passed House of Delegates
-
4Passed Senate
-
5To Executive
-
6Enacted
This bill has passed the House of Delegates. Introduced January 13, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the Senate.
Odds of enactment
Low chanceBased on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.
Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.
A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.
Prognosis
-
Passed House of Delegates
Current position in the legislative process.
-
1 sponsor
1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.
-
Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 4 recorded votes so far.
Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.
Summary
Open school enrollment policies; guidance on best practices available to school boards.
Bill Text
We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.
Read HB686 on the official Virginia source →Action History
-
S Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N)
-
S Assigned Education sub: Public Education
-
S Referred to Committee on Education and Health
-
S Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
-
H Read third time and passed House (85-Y 11-N 0-A)
-
H Engrossed by House - committee substitute
-
H committee substitute agreed to
-
H Read second time
-
H Read first time
-
H Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB686)
-
H Committee substitute printed 26107695D-H1
-
H Reported from Education with substitute (18-Y 3-N)
-
H Placed on Education Agenda
-
H Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 4-N)
-
H Placed on Education Agenda
-
H Assigned HED sub: K-12 Subcommittee
-
H Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB686)
-
H Referred to Committee on Education
-
H Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103148D
Sponsors
- Eric R. Zehr · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 147 not signed on · 21 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 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 60% | 40% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (15)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Barbara A. Favola | — | Yea |
| Christie New Craig | — | Nay |
| Christopher T. Head | — | Nay |
| David R. Suetterlein | — | Nay |
| Jennifer B. Boysko | — | Yea |
| L. Louise Lucas | — | Yea |
| Lamont Bagby | — | Yea |
| Lashrecse D. Aird | — | Yea |
| Mamie E. Locke | — | Yea |
| Mark J. Peake | — | Nay |
| Russet Perry | — | Yea |
| Schuyler T. VanValkenburg | — | Yea |
| Stella G. Pekarsky | — | Yea |
| Tara A. Durant | — | Nay |
| Todd E. Pillion | — | Nay |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 85 | 11 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 85 | 11 | 0 | 4 |
| % of votes cast | 85% | 11% | 0% | 4% |
How each member voted (100)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 18 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 18 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 82% | 14% | 0% | 5% |
How each member voted (22)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Q. Askew | — | Nay |
| Amy J. Laufer | — | Yea |
| Anne Ferrell Tata | — | Yea |
| Atoosa R. Reaser | — | Yea |
| Briana D. Sewell | — | Yea |
| Delores L. McQuinn | — | Yea |
| Destiny LeVere Bolling | — | Nay |
| Elizabeth R. Guzman | — | Yea |
| Eric R. Zehr | — | Yea |
| Gretchen M. Bulova | — | Yea |
| Hillary Pugh Kent | — | Yea |
| Jessica L. Anderson | — | Yea |
| Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler | — | Not Voting |
| Lindsey Dougherty | — | Yea |
| Madison Whittle | — | Yea |
| Mike A. Cherry | — | Yea |
| Nadarius E. Clark | — | Nay |
| Phillip A. Scott | — | Yea |
| Rae Cousins | — | Yea |
| Sam Rasoul | — | Yea |
| Shelly A. Simonds | — | Yea |
| Thomas A. Garrett, Jr. | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 55% | 36% | 0% | 9% |
How each member voted (11)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Q. Askew | — | Not Voting |
| Anne Ferrell Tata | — | Yea |
| Destiny LeVere Bolling | — | Nay |
| Gretchen M. Bulova | — | Yea |
| Hillary Pugh Kent | — | Nay |
| Jessica L. Anderson | — | Nay |
| Lindsey Dougherty | — | Nay |
| Mike A. Cherry | — | Yea |
| Rae Cousins | — | Yea |
| Sam Rasoul | — | Yea |
| Shelly A. Simonds | — | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does HB686 do?
- Open school enrollment policies; guidance on best practices available to school boards.
- Who sponsors HB686?
- HB686 is sponsored by Eric R. Zehr.
- What is the current status of HB686?
- This bill has passed the House of Delegates. Introduced January 13, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
- Where can I track HB686?
- Track HB686 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
Make your voice heard on HB686
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 HB686
Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously
One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.
Track this bill →