The 2025 General Assembly session in Virginia brought a wave of legislation impacting criminal record access, artificial intelligence in justice decisions, and cannabis policy—all of which carry implications for employers operating in the Commonwealth. In total, Governor Glenn Youngkin completed action on 916 bills, signing 599 into law, amending 159, and vetoing 157. While much attention focused on budgetary amendments and school modernization efforts, several measures stood out for background screening professionals and employers managing compliance risks.
House Bill 1627 imposes new limitations on access to criminal history record information (CHRI) maintained by the Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE), a repository managed by the Virginia State Police. The law amends Virginia Code §19.2-389 to restrict the dissemination of CCRE records to individuals and entities explicitly authorized by statute or regulation. Private employers who rely on CHRI sourced directly from the Virginia State Police or the CCRE must ensure they have a valid statutory or regulatory basis for doing so, as discretionary access is curtailed.
Importantly, this legislation does not impact access to criminal records obtained directly from courts of adjudication. Court records remain public and accessible unless otherwise sealed or expunged under separate legal authority. For employers and background screening companies, this signals a narrower...
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