Senate passes bill sponsored by Sen. Reeves to broaden legal safeguards for voice and likeness in commercial matters

A bill introduced by State Sen. Bryce E. Reeves to bolster restrictions on unapproved commercial use of a person’s voice and likeness in Virginia has passed, as noted by the Virginia State Senate.

The legislation was adopted by both legislative bodies and officially enrolled March 30, 2026, achieving a 96-0 vote in the House and a 40-0 vote in the Senate.

First filed as SB753 on Jan. 20, 2026, during the regular 2026 session, the measure was defined by the legislature as involving “Unauthorized use of voice or likeness; punitive damages, statute of limitations.”

Below is an overview based on the actual bill text, and includes language to help clarify its fundamentals.

Fundamentally, this measure augments existing protection laws on unauthorized commercial exploitation of a person’s identity by including “voice” and “likeness” along with name, portrait and picture. The law allows the affected individual, the individual’s spouse or next of kin if deceased, and for minors their guardians or parents, to pursue court action to block unauthorized advertising or use in trade, and to collect damages for sustained loss. Punitive damages may be awarded by juries if the violation is found to be intentional, and a 20-year window is set after a person’s death for filing such cases.

In the House, the bill saw support from 62 Democrats and 34 Republicans.

For the Senate, the breakdown showed 21 Democrats and 19 Republicans in favor.

The sole sponsor was Sen. Bryce E. Reeves, a Republican representing the 28th District.

Reeves holds a BA from Texas A&M University.

A Republican, Reeves was elected in 2024 to the Virginia Senate’s 28th District, succeeding then–State Sen. Richard Stuart.

In Virginia, legislation starts when a proposal is introduced in either the House of Delegates or the Senate, then is routed to appropriate committees for review and amendment. Bills voted out of committee go before the entire chamber for a vote. If cleared by both houses, the bill moves to the governor, who may sign, veto or let it become law absent signature. The Virginia General Assembly meets yearly, opening the second Monday of January, and considers hundreds of bills—many of which do not ultimately become law.

Information for this story comes from the Virginia State Senate. Source documents are available here.