What it means for you
Since July 1, 2026, Virginia state and local agencies generally may share personal information in systems covered by the law only for six listed reasons and may not sell it. Immigration status, faceprints, and more now count as personal information.
Who benefits: People whose personal information is held in a Virginia state or local government system covered by the Act, including immigrants whose status and registration numbers are now expressly included.
Virginia state agencies, cities, and counties hold a lot of information about you, from tax records to benefit applications. Since July 1, 2026, for personal-information systems covered by the Act, agencies generally may share data only in six situations: to comply with law, administer a government program, answer legal process, fulfill certain contracts, act with your clear consent, or accomplish a proper agency purpose. That last category includes improving services, preventing fraud, research, and data analysis. The Act exempts some systems, including those maintained by courts, criminal justice databases, and certain law-enforcement investigations. For covered systems, agencies and political subdivisions also cannot sell personal information.
The law also widens what counts as personal information. It now expressly includes immigration status, alien registration and tax identification numbers, national origin, voting history, faceprints and other biometric data, and photos, video, and audio. You do not need to apply; the rules attach to covered systems. If an official knowingly and willfully breaks the sharing rules, a court can impose a $500 to $2,500 penalty, rising to $2,500 to $10,000 for a repeat violation.
Del. Kathy Tran carried the bill, with Dels. Alfonso Lopez, Cia Price, and Irene Shin as chief co-patrons. Immigrant advocates backed it as part of a 2026 package intended to limit how state data can reach federal immigration enforcement. It passed the Senate 21–19 on a party-line vote and the House 67–32, with four Republicans voting yes. Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed it on April 13, 2026.
Rights
Sources
- HB 1161, 2026 Regular SessionVirginia Legislative Information System, April 13, 2026
- HB 1161, Chapter 748 textVirginia Legislative Information System, April 13, 2026
- Updates to the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act (HB1161)Virginia Office of Data Governance and Analytics
- HB 1161 (2026 Virginia session) roll calls and sponsorsLegilist
- CWS Virginia applauds passage of key legislation ensuring safeguards for all Virginians, including refugees and immigrantsChurch World Service
How we checked this
Drafted by Claude Opus 5.5 (Anthropic) on November 12, 2026. Checked against its sources by GPT-5.6-sol (OpenAI) on November 12, 2026, which corrected it. Confirmed the enactment, sponsors, penalties, both final roll calls, and current status. Narrowed the entry because the Act exempts several government data systems and permits a few agency-specific disclosures outside the six general conditions.
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