State Del. Charniele L. Herring has put forward new legislation seeking to create a constitutional right to reproductive freedom in Virginia through a voter referendum, as detailed by the Virginia State House.
Filed as HB781 on Jan. 14, 2026, during the 2026 regular session, the measure is formally titled: “Constitutional amendment; fundamental right to reproductive freedom(submitting to qualified voters).”
The following analysis summarizes the bill text and may include clarifications of its language.
The legislation would let Virginia voters decide on a constitutional amendment establishing an automatic fundamental right to reproductive freedom. Covered decisions would include prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility treatments. The bill permits state regulation of abortions in the third trimester, but state bans are not allowed in cases where, in a doctor’s judgment, it is necessary to protect the patient’s life or health, or if the fetus cannot survive. It defines a narrow “compelling state interest,” blocks punishment of either the person seeking care or those assisting, and lays out the plan for a November 2026 referendum, making the amendment effective Jan. 1, 2027, if ratified.
This measure is sponsored by Rep. Charniele L. Herring (Democrat-4th District), Rep. Alex Q. Askew (Democrat-95th District), Rep. Amy J. Laufer (Democrat-55th District), and 21 others.
As of this session, Herring has introduced 11 additional bills.
Herring holds a BA from George Mason University (1993) and a JD from Catholic University Columbus School of Law (1997).
Herring, a Democrat, began representing Virginia’s 4th District in the State House in 2024, succeeding William Wampler III.
In Virginia, the legislative process begins with a bill’s introduction in either the House of Delegates or Senate. It then moves to committees for potential changes. If a committee approves, the bill advances to the full chamber for debate and vote in both chambers. If both chambers pass the bill, the governor may sign it, veto it, or permit it to become law without a signature. The General Assembly meets every year starting the second Monday in January. Lawmakers put forward hundreds of bills, though only a segment become law.
| Legislative Session | Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Charniele L. Herring, Alex Q. Askew, Amy J. Laufer, Atoosa R. Reaser, Betsy B. Carr, David A. Reid, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Garrett McGuire, Holly M. Seibold, Irene Shin, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Kathy K.L. Tran, Katrina Callsen, Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler, Kimberly Pope Adams, Laura Jane Cohen, Leslie Chambers Mehta, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Mark C. Downey, Marty Martinez, Michael B. Feggans, Rae Cousins, and Shelly A. Simonds | HB781 | 01/14/2026 | Constitutional amendment; fundamental right to reproductive freedom(submitting to qualified voters). |
| 2026 | Charniele L. Herring, Betsy B. Carr, Bonita G. Anthony, David W. Marsden, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Elizabeth R. Guzman, Irene Shin, Kannan Srinivasan, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Margaret A. Franklin, Nadarius E. Clark, Patrick A. Hope, Saddam Azlan Salim, and Sam Rasoul | HB397 | 01/14/2026 | Clean energy and community flood preparedness; market-based trading program. |
| 2026 | Charniele L. Herring | HB398 | 01/14/2026 | Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act; created, prohibited practices, penalties. |
| 2026 | Charniele L. Herring, Betsy B. Carr, and Rae Cousins | HB400 | 01/14/2026 | Motion picture production; increases aggregate cap on tax credit, extends sunset. |
| 2026 | Charniele L. Herring, Kathy K.L. Tran, Shelly A. Simonds, and Dan I. Helmer | HB627 | 01/14/2026 | Covenants not to compete; includes health care professionals, civil penalty. |
| 2026 | Charniele L. Herring and Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker | HB683 | 01/14/2026 | Solar Interconnection Grant Program; established, report, sunset. |
| 2026 | Charniele L. Herring | HB711 | 01/14/2026 | Solar facilities; local regulation, special exceptions. |
| 2026 | Charniele L. Herring | HB768 | 01/14/2026 | Custody and visitation arrangements for minor; custody evaluation, report. |
| 2026 | Charniele L. Herring, Destiny LeVere Bolling, and Karen Keys-Gamarra | HB770 | 01/14/2026 | Public utilities; water and sewerage companies, discounted rates for low-income customers. |
| 2026 | Charniele L. Herring | HB828 | 01/14/2026 | Electric utilities; disconnection reports, State Corporation Commission database, annual summary. |
| 2026 | Charniele L. Herring | HB884 | 01/14/2026 | Electric utilities; Percentage of Income Payment Program, eligibility, delayed effective date. |
| 2026 | Charniele L. Herring and Dan I. Helmer | HB898 | 01/14/2026 | Electric utilities, certain; SCC to determine maximum amount of fees for disconnection, etc. |
| 2025 | Charniele L. Herring | HB2723 | 01/17/2025 | Criminal records; expungement and sealing of records, repeals Sealing Fee Fund. |
| 2025 | Charniele L. Herring, C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr., L. Louise Lucas, and Robert S. Bloxom, Jr. | HB2724 | 01/17/2025 | Automatic license plate recognition systems; use, reports, penalty. |
| 2025 | Charniele L. Herring, Shelly A. Simonds, Adele Y. McClure, Dan I. Helmer, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Michael J. Jones, and Vivian E. Watts | HB2109 | 01/13/2025 | Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures, Task Force on; State Health Commissioner to reestablish. |
| 2025 | Charniele L. Herring, Adam P. Ebbin, and Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker | HB2113 | 01/13/2025 | Solar Interconnection Grant Program; established, sunset, report. |
| 2025 | Charniele L. Herring | HB2111 | 01/08/2025 | Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission; increase membership. |
