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Committee advances SB 1261 to require electronic submission of juvenile fingerprints to state records
Summary
The Senate Courts Committee voted to report SB 1261, which would require electronic submission of juvenile arrest fingerprints to the Virginia State Police central records exchange, aiming to reduce errors and improve criminal-history completeness.
Senate Bill 1261, sponsored by Senator Steve Bagby, would amend state law to permit electronic submission of juvenile fingerprints and juvenile arrest records to the Virginia State Police Central Criminal Records Exchange. Proponents told the committee the change is designed to reduce errors that occur when paper fingerprint cards are used and not reliably transmitted.
Senator Bagby described the bill as an update to modernize processing: "This will reduce the errors and instances of arrests and convictions never being applied to criminal history records when the fingerprints are not sent to the Virginia State Police after conviction...this bill...brings us up to...how fingerprints are retained, and making sure that we have an electronic copy instead of the...paper copy," he said.
Julia Jefferson of the Virginia State Police confirmed the sponsor’s summary and answered committee questions.
The committee adopted a line amendment offered by the sponsor and voted to report the bill out of committee. Committee roll calls recorded an affirmative result indicating the bill was reported to the next stage of consideration.
Why it matters: Supporters said digital submission reduces data errors and helps ensure juvenile adjudications are properly reflected in criminal history systems; the State Police signaled operational support.
