HB2117 amends Virginia’s immunity-from-arrest-and-prosecution statute for people who seek emergency help during an overdose or while reporting an act of sexual violence. The bill expands and clarifies the existing “good Samaritan” protections by defining “overdose” to include life-threatening conditions involving controlled substances, alcohol, or both, and by expressly covering situations where a person seeks help for themselves or another person, reports the overdose to emergency responders or 911, or renders aid such as CPR or naloxone administration. It also adds a parallel protection for individuals who, in good faith, seek assistance to report sexual violence to emergency medical services, a health care provider, or law enforcement.
The bill limits the offenses for which immunity applies to certain low-level possession, consumption, intoxication, and paraphernalia offenses, and it requires the person to remain at the scene, identify themselves to responding law enforcement, and have the evidence for prosecution arise from the act of seeking help or rendering aid. It also excludes people alleged to have committed the sexual violence from the reporting-based immunity, and it does not apply during the execution of a search warrant or lawful search/arrest. In addition, the measure protects people already under criminal justice supervision by barring revocation of bail, probation, furlough, supervised release, suspended sentence, or parole for conduct covered by the immunity, and it shields officers acting in good faith from false-arrest liability.
The bill’s impact is to broaden Virginia’s public-health and victim-reporting protections while preserving enforcement for offenses outside the listed categories. It amends Code of Virginia § 18.2-251.03 and affects related provisions governing alcohol, marijuana, controlled substances, public intoxication, and controlled paraphernalia, as well as criminal procedure and supervision conditions. Practically, it is intended to reduce hesitation to call 911 or seek help during overdoses or sexual violence incidents by reducing the risk of arrest or prosecution for the person seeking assistance.
The overall sentiment around HB2117 appears strongly supportive and noncontroversial. The bill advanced unanimously through subcommittee, committee, the House, and the Senate, with every recorded vote showing 0 nays. That voting pattern suggests broad bipartisan agreement that encouraging emergency reporting and aid in overdose and sexual-violence situations serves a public-safety and public-health purpose.
The main points of contention reflected in the text are limited and technical rather than ideological. The bill carefully conditions immunity on good-faith conduct, remaining at the scene, identifying oneself, and limiting the source of evidence, which indicates concern about preventing misuse of the protection. It also expressly excludes people alleged to have committed the sexual violence and carves out searches and arrests, showing an effort to balance victim and bystander protections with law-enforcement needs.
HB2117 amends Virginia Code § 18.2-251.03 to expand immunity from arrest and prosecution for certain drug-, alcohol-, and paraphernalia-related offenses when a person seeks emergency medical help for an overdose or reports sexual violence. It also extends related protections to supervision consequences, barring revocation of bail, probation, furlough, supervised release, suspended sentence, or parole for conduct covered by the immunity, and it protects officers from false-arrest liability when acting in good faith.
The bill appears to have enjoyed broad, unanimous support throughout the legislative process. Recorded votes in subcommittee, committee, the House, and the Senate were all 0 nays, indicating a strong consensus that the measure promotes emergency response, overdose reversal, and reporting of sexual violence without undermining core enforcement priorities.
There is little evidence of substantive opposition in the available record. The only notable issues are the bill’s limiting conditions: immunity applies only when the person acts in good faith, remains at the scene, identifies themselves, and the evidence arises from the request for help or report. The bill also excludes alleged perpetrators of sexual violence and does not apply during lawful searches or arrests, reflecting a balance between encouraging reporting and preserving law-enforcement authority.