Va. Legislators Advance Bills on Reproductive Health Privacy and High-Risk AI
The Virginia Senate passed a reproductive health data privacy bill on Friday. Then on Monday, the Virginia House Communications Committee advanced multiple AI and privacy bills. However, legislation that would add a private right of action and make other changes in Virginia’s comprehensive privacy law appeared to stall in a subcommittee.
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Senators voted 21-17 in favor of SB-754, which would update the Virginia Consumer Protection Act to prohibit obtaining, disclosing, selling or disseminating personally identifiable reproductive or sexual health information without a consumer’s consent.
Meanwhile, the House committee voted 12-10 to advance a measure (HB-2268) that would create a division within the Virginia Department of Law to oversee data privacy, cybersecurity and emerging technologies. The panel cast the same vote tally on two AI bills, HB-2046 and HB-2094. All three bills go next to the Appropriations Committee.
HB-2094, by Del. Michelle Maldonado (D), would establish AG-enforced civil penalties for algorithmic discrimination and harm created by “consequential decisions” that high-risk AI systems make. The bill would become effective in July 2026 (see 2501080054). HB-2046 covers government use of high-risk AI systems.
Earlier, the panel’s Communications subcommittee “laid on the table" several other bills. The non-debatable motion is used to remove a bill from a committee’s consideration, though tabled bills can later be revived with a vote. The tabled bills included HB-2043, which would let individuals file lawsuits under Virginia’s privacy law; and HB-2250, which would update the same law to add AI and teenager protections, with support for universal opt-out mechanisms (see 2501090028). The subcommittee also supported tabling HB-1624, which would stop social media platforms from providing addictive feeds to young users without parental consent (see 2501070061).