Virginia House Bill 974 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Completed Legislative Action
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: Passed on April 9 2020 - 100% progression
Action: 2020-04-09 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0993)
Text: Latest bill text (Chaptered) [HTML]

Petition for writ of actual innocence. Provides that a person who was convicted of a felony or who was adjudicated delinquent by a circuit court of an offense that would be a felony if committed by an adult may petition for a writ of actual innocence based on biological evidence or nonbiological evidence regardless of the type of plea he entered at trial. Under current law, such person may petition for a writ based on biological evidence if he entered a plea of not guilty, and any person, regardless of the type of plea he entered at trial, may petition for such writ if he is sentenced to death or convicted or adjudicated delinquent of murder or a felony for which the maximum punishment is imprisonment for life. The bill also (i) allows a writ of actual innocence based on nonbiological evidence to be granted if scientific testing of previously untested evidence, regardless of whether such evidence was available or known at the time of conviction, proves that no trier of fact would have found proof of guilt of the person petitioning for the writ, provided that the testing procedure was not available at the time of conviction, and (ii) eliminates the provision that limits a petitioner to only one writ of actual innocence based on nonbiological evidence for any conviction. The bill provides that the petitioner must prove the allegations supporting either type of writ of actual innocence by a preponderance of the evidence. Currently, the petitioner must prove such allegations by clear and convincing evidence. Finally, the bill clarifies that the Attorney General may join a petition for a writ of actual innocence filed in connection with an adjudication of delinquency.

Writ of actual innocence; petition by convicted person.

Del. Charniele Herring [D]

2020-03-07 - House - House: VOTE: Adoption (58-Y 41-N) (Y: 58 N: 41 NV: 1 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2020-03-07 - Senate - Senate: Conference report agreed to by Senate (28-Y 10-N) (Y: 28 N: 10 NV: 2 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2020-02-28 - Senate - Senate: Senate insisted on amendment (37-Y 0-N) (Y: 37 N: 0 NV: 3 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2020-02-26 - House - House: VOTE: Adoption (0-Y 97-N) (Y: 0 N: 97 NV: 3 Abs: 0) [FAIL]
2020-02-24 - Senate - Senate: Passed Senate with amendment (27-Y 13-N) (Y: 27 N: 13 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2020-02-21 - Senate - Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (32-Y 0-N) (Y: 32 N: 0 NV: 8 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2020-02-19 - Senate - Senate: Reported from Judiciary with amendment (7-Y 4-N) (Y: 7 N: 4 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2020-02-11 - House - House: VOTE: Passage (63-Y 37-N) (Y: 63 N: 37 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2020-02-07 - House - House: Reported from Appropriations (16-Y 6-N) (Y: 16 N: 6 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2020-02-07 - House - House: Reported from Appropriations (16-Y 6-N) (Y: 16 N: 6 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2020-02-07 - House - House: Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 3-N) (Y: 5 N: 3 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2020-02-05 - House - House: Reported from Courts of Justice (16-Y 6-N) (Y: 16 N: 6 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2020-02-03 - House - House: Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 2-N) (Y: 6 N: 2 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]

Date	Chamber	Action
2020-04-09		Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0993)
2020-04-09		Governor: Approved by Governor-Chapter 993 (effective 7/1/20)
2020-03-20		Governor: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
2020-03-20	House	Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 20, 2020
2020-03-19	House	Signed by Speaker
2020-03-18	Senate	Signed by President
2020-03-18	House	Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB974ER)
2020-03-18	House	Enrolled
2020-03-07	House	VOTE: Adoption (58-Y 41-N)
2020-03-07	House	Conference report agreed to by House (58-Y 41-N)
2020-03-07	Senate	Conference report agreed to by Senate (28-Y 10-N)
2020-03-07		Conference: Amended by conference committee
2020-03-04	House	Delegates: Herring, Delaney, Rush
2020-03-04	House	Conferees appointed by House
2020-03-03	Senate	Senators: Deeds, Edwards, Stanley
2020-03-03	Senate	Conferees appointed by Senate
2020-03-02	House	House acceded to request
2020-02-28	Senate	Senate requested conference committee
2020-02-28	Senate	Senate insisted on amendment (37-Y 0-N)
2020-02-26	House	VOTE: REJECTED (0-Y 97-N)
2020-02-26	House	Senate amendment rejected by House (0-Y 97-N)
2020-02-26	House	Placed on Calendar
2020-02-24	Senate	Passed Senate with amendment (27-Y 13-N)
2020-02-24	Senate	Engrossed by Senate as amended
2020-02-24	Senate	Committee amendment agreed to
2020-02-24	Senate	Reading of amendment waived
2020-02-24	Senate	Read third time
2020-02-21	Senate	Constitutional reading dispensed (32-Y 0-N)
2020-02-19	Senate	Reported from Judiciary with amendment (7-Y 4-N)
2020-02-12	Senate	Referred to Committee on the Judiciary
2020-02-12	Senate	Constitutional reading dispensed
2020-02-11	House	VOTE: Passage (63-Y 37-N)
2020-02-11	House	Read third time and passed House (63-Y 37-N)
2020-02-10	House	Read second time and engrossed
2020-02-09	House	Read first time
2020-02-07	House	Reported from Appropriations (16-Y 6-N)
2020-02-07	House	Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 3-N)
2020-02-07	House	Assigned App. sub: Transportation & Public Safety
2020-02-05	House	Referred to Committee on Appropriations
2020-02-05	House	Reported from Courts of Justice (16-Y 6-N)
2020-02-03	House	Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 2-N)
2020-02-02	House	Assigned Courts sub: Criminal
2020-01-07	House	Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
2020-01-07	House	Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20104714D

SB511 (Same As) 2020-04-09 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0994)

Chapter	Article	Section	Citation Type	Statute Text
19	2	327.10	(n/a)	See Bill Text
19	2	327.10:1	(n/a)	See Bill Text
19	2	327.11	(n/a)	See Bill Text
19	2	327.13	(n/a)	See Bill Text
19	2	327.2	(n/a)	See Bill Text
19	2	327.2:1	(n/a)	See Bill Text
19	2	327.3	(n/a)	See Bill Text
19	2	327.5	(n/a)	See Bill Text

Type	Source
Summary	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB974
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB974+hil
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB974ER+hil
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0993+hil
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+H0801V0109+HB0974
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+H08V0184+HB0974
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+H0207V0026+HB0974
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+H02V0237+HB0974
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+H02V0280+HB0974
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+HV0840+HB0974
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+S03V0366+HB0974
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+SV0846HB0974+HB0974
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+SV0913HB0974+HB0974
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+HV1438+HB0974
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+SV1217HB0974+HB0974
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+SV1743HB0974+HB0974
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+vot+HV2065+HB0974