Virginia criminal law subcommittee advances package on indigent defense, fines reform, testimony protections and AI limits

The House Criminal Law Subcommittee advanced a set of criminal-justice measures addressing indigent defense representation, court fines and payment plans, juvenile testimony protections, limits on use of artificial intelligence in criminal justice decisions, and other procedural changes.

The panel reported several bills to the full House with votes ranging from unanimous to narrowly split and tabled two measures after debate. Most measures were introduced by delegates or by request of state agencies and drew testimony from advocates, returning citizens, legal-aid staff and prosecutors.

The most immediate outcomes: the subcommittee voted to report HB 2111 (adding indigent-defense representation to the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission) by voice vote as amended (recorded as 6–0), recommended reporting HB 1665 (mandatory itemized statements for court fines and fees) by 7–1, reported HB 1661 (establishing a $25 minimum installment payment option) by 7–1 as a substitute, and recommended reporting HB 1886 (prohibiting entering a conviction solely for failure to pay costs after completing deferred dispositions) by 7–1. The subcommittee also recommended reporting HB 1642 (requiring a human make final criminal-justice decisions when an AI-based tool is used) unanimously, and HB 1874 (allowing certain retired or former law-enforcement officers to petition to withhold personal contact information) by 8–0. HB 1728 (expanded closed-circuit-television testimony for child victims, Delaney) was reported to full committee and referred to Appropriations for further review; HB 2010 (raising the age for a hearsay exception for victims’ prior statements) and HB 1556 (expanded Attorney General jurisdiction for certain crimes against minors) were tabled by the subcommittee (both table motions passed 5–3). Other, narrower technical bills were also moved forward.

Why it matters: the package touches the mechanics of how low-income and vulnerable Virginians interact with the criminal justice system — from who helps set sentencing guidelines to how people see and repay court debts, to how child victims give testimony and how automated tools may inform decisions. Advocates said the bills would reduce retraumatization, improve transparency and address disparities; some prosecutors and elected commonwealth’s attorneys warned about ceding local prosecutorial discretion or loosening Sixth Amendment protections without careful guardrails.

Key details and testimony

HB 2111 (Herring) — sentencing commission membership: Delegate Michael Herring presented HB 2111, a recommendation from the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, and the subcommittee approved a technical line amendment to change a numeric reference and to add “or his designee” to one line. Maria Jankowski, executive director of the Virginia…