Elections
HB2508
Chief Patron:
Tim Griffin
(R)
Current Status: Failed
Summary as Introduced:
Prohibits any person or organization, except a high school administrator, teacher, or staff person or a general registrar or his staff, from facilitating voter registration activities at a public high school. The bill also requires the form of the application to register to vote to include a statement of consent that must be signed by the parent or legal guardian of any applicant who is younger than the age of 18 at the time of his application. The bill specifies that such statement must include an acknowledgement that the minor applicant's personally identifiable information is required for voter registration.
Drafting
Long before the session started, Delegate Griffin worked with Virginia's Division of Legislative Services (DLS) to put this bill in proper legal form. During this phase, legislators describe their policy goals, and DLS provides nonpartisan legal and research support. This is called the "prefiling period," and typically begins in late fall and ends shortly before the session starts in January.
Jan. 8
Prefiling
Delegate Griffin submitted this bill for pre-filing with the Virginia Division of Legislative Services (DLS) on Jan. 8, 2025.
It was given a title, assigned a unique number and became House Bill 2508 (HB2508) of the 2025 Regular Session.
At this point its text was entered into the official public record. This allows anyone interested in the bill, including citizens and interest groups, to review the proposed legislation in advance.
Official Description: "Voter registration; high school registration activities and parental consent."
Assigned to Committee
HB2508 was referred to a House committee:
Privileges & Elections.
In the House of Delegates, the Speaker of the House (Don Scott) assigns bills to committees based on the subject matter of the bill and the jurisdiction of the committees. The House Rules provide guidelines for which topics go to which committees (Download House Rules). The Speaker has considerable decision-making power in determining which committee is most appropriate.
In the U.S. Congress, committee jurisdictions — where bills should go — is more strictly defined, so leadership in Congress has more power to decide where bills should be assigned. Another difference is that bills in the GA are generally assigned to a single committee in each chamber, where in Congress bills are frequently referred to multiple committees in the House and sometimes in the Senate.
Jan. 26
Assigned to Subcommittee
HB2508 was referred to a House subcommittee:
Election Administration.
Subcommittees are smaller groups within a committee that review bills in detail and make recommendations to the full committee. In contrast to the federal government, subcommittees in Virginia's General Assembly are typically smaller, faster-moving, and more focused on specific issues. In Congress, subcommittees often conduct extensive hearings and may hold bills for long periods for debate or amendment.
Jan. 27
Passed by Indefinitely
The Election Administration committee
voted that this bill should be "passed by indefinitely" (PBI). This isn't a formal rejection — it's not the same as the committee voted against the bill — but the bill is now highly unlikely to advance further in the legislative process. HB2508's journey has most likely ended here with this vote.
The official record reads: "Subcommittee recommends passing by indefinitely (6-Y 2-N)"
Jan. 30
Impact Statement
A fiscal impact statement reports on the bill's potential financial effects: costs or savings to the state budget or local governments (e.g., hiring new staff, implementing programs).
Legislators requested a fiscal impact statement from the Department of Planning and Budget.
Impact statements provide legislators with factual, nonpartisan data, helping them weigh the benefits and drawbacks of a bill.
Feb. 5
Died in Committee
HB2508 has been "left in committee", meaning that lawmakers in Privileges & Elections
have decided not to take action on it. Its journey for the session has ended.
The official record reads: "Left in Privileges and Elections"