HB 868

Virginia House of Delegates bill in Session 2026.

Status: introduced. Latest action: February 6, 2026.

Political campaign advertisements; synthetic media, penalty.

Bill ID VA-2026-HB-868
Session 2026
Status introduced
Committee Privileges and Elections
House of Delegates introduced 2026-02-06
Summary

Elections; political campaign advertisements; synthetic media; penalty. Prohibits electioneering communications containing synthetic media, as those terms are defined in the bill, from being published or broadcast without containing the following conspicuously displayed statement: 'This message contains synthetic media that has been altered from its original source or artificially generated and may present conduct or speech that did not occur.' The bill creates a civil penalty not to exceed $25,000 for a violation of such prohibition and a Class 1 misdemeanor for a willful violation. The bill permits any registered voter who receives an electioneering communication in violation of this requirement to institute an action for preventative relief to prohibit the publication or dissemination of such electioneering communication, including an application for a permanent or temporary injunction.

Sponsor
Cousins
Official Source Back to Bills
Actions Timeline
Date Event Detail
2026-01-13 Introduced Bill introduced
2026-01-13 Status introduced
2026-02-06 Latest Action H Continued to next session in Privileges and Elections (Voice Vote)
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