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Open captioning at motion picture theaters. Establishes requirements for open captioning for motion picture theaters. The bill requires all motion picture theater companies, excluding outdoor theaters such as drive-in theaters, that own, operate, control, or lease five or more locations in the Commonwealth and are open to the general public to provide open captioning on any film that has at least seven showings per operating week for a period greater than one operating week, provided that open captioning is available to the theater for such film as part of the digital cinema package. The bill specifies that (i) within the first two operating weeks following a film's release, a theater shall provide at least four open captioning viewings; (ii) at least one of such open captioning viewings shall start between (a) 5:59 p.m. and 11:01 p.m. on a Friday, (b) 10:59 a.m. and 11:01 p.m. on a Saturday or Sunday, or (c) 5:59 p.m. and 10:01 p.m. on a Monday through Thursday; and (iii) beginning in the third operating week following a film's release, a theater shall provide at least one open captioning viewing within 72 hours after receiving a request for such a viewing provided that no theater shall be obligated to provide open captioning viewing for any particular screening for which advance tickets have been sold prior to its receipt of such request.Under the bill, motion picture theater companies are required to provide contact information on their websites for receiving and fulfilling requests for open captioning screenings and advertise the date and time of open captioning screenings in the same manner used to advertise all other motion picture screenings and indicate which screenings shall include open captioning by utilizing the character symbol "OC" or such other language or symbols as may reasonably identify which screenings will include open captioning. The bill directs the Office of Civil Rights of the Attorney General of Virginia to establish a process for receiving consumer reports of suspected violations of the bill. As introduced, the bill was a recommendation of the Disability Commission. This bill is identical to HB 602.
Introduced
Jan 14, 2026
Last Action
Mar 10, 2026
Session
VA 2026
Sponsors
1 primary · 0 co
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026
Signed by Speaker
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB722)
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB722ER)
Enrolled
Signed by President
Read third time
Passed House (81-Y 17-N 0-A)
Read second time
Reported from Health and Human Services (19-Y 2-N)
Read first time
Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services
Placed on Calendar
Read third time and passed Senate (27-Y 13-N 0-A)
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB722)
Read second time
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute
Rehabilitation and Social Services Substitute agreed to
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
Rules suspended
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 4-N)
Senate committee offered
Committee substitute printed 26106714D-S1
Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (11-Y 4-N)
Rereferred from Education and Health to Rehabilitation and Social Services (14-Y 0-N)
Referred to Committee on Education and Health
Presented and ordered printed 26104982D
Get a plain-English explanation of what this bill does, who it affects, and why it matters.
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
Angelia Williams Graves