An Act to amend and reenact § 46.2-1233.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to towing advisory boards; membership.
HB 908 amends Virginia law governing local towing advisory boards. Under current law, before a local governing body adopts or amends certain towing ordinances, it must appoint an advisory board to provide recommendations. This bill clarifies and revises the board’s membership structure by specifying that the voting members must consist of equal representation from local law-enforcement agencies and licensed towing and recovery operators, plus one member of the general public.
The bill also preserves the rule that a vacancy in the public member seat does not stop the board from meeting or acting. In addition, it requires the advisory board to meet at least once each year and provides that the chair must be elected annually from among the members. For localities in Planning District 8, the chairmanship must rotate each year among a law-enforcement representative, a towing operator representative, and the public member.
HB 908 directly amends § 46.2-1233.2 of the Code of Virginia, affecting how local governments structure towing advisory boards when considering towing ordinances under §§ 46.2-1232 and 46.2-1233. The practical effect is to formalize board composition, ensure balanced representation between law enforcement and towing industry interests, and add a rotating chair requirement in Planning District 8. The bill primarily affects local governing bodies, police or sheriff’s agencies, licensed towing and recovery operators, and members of the public who serve on these boards.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded vote breakdown, so there is no documented debate to indicate strong support or opposition. The enacted chapter text suggests the bill moved successfully through the process and was approved as Chapter 238 on April 6, 2026. Overall, the legislation appears to have been treated as a procedural or structural update to an existing local regulatory process rather than a highly controversial measure.
The main potential point of contention is board composition and control: the bill preserves equal voting representation between law enforcement and towing operators while adding a single public member, which may raise questions about whether the public has sufficient influence. The special rotating-chair rule for Planning District 8 could also be viewed as a localized governance distinction, though the text provides no recorded objections or alternative viewpoints. Because no transcripts or votes are available, any disagreement can only be inferred from the subject matter, not from documented legislative debate.