State Sen. Danica A. Roem has proposed a bill to increase awareness of human trafficking by mandating that hotline details be displayed at rest stops, according to the Virginia State Senate.
The measure, filed as SB95 on Jan. 14, 2026, during the 2026 regular session, is formally titled: “Rest area signage; adds human trafficking information.”
Here is a summary based on the actual bill text, with clarifications for reader understanding.
This legislation instructs the Virginia Department of Transportation to display notifications at every interstate highway rest area informing the public about a human trafficking hotline. The notices are meant to let potential victims or witnesses know they can seek help or report crimes. They must also detail definitions of human trafficking and guidance on recognizing its signs. Notices are required to be posted in locations that are highly visible and accessible and must comply with, or exceed, the standards in state law for similar signs.
Sen. Danica A. Roem (Democrat-30th District) is the bill’s sole patron.
Roem has introduced an additional 16 bills as of the session’s start.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Bonaventure University in 2006.
Roem, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected to the Virginia Senate in 2024 from the 30th District, succeeding former Sen. Adam Ebbin.
In Virginia, the legislative process starts once a bill is proposed in either the House of Delegates or the Senate. The bill is sent to one or more committees for review and possible revision. If endorsed by the committees, it advances to the chamber floor for debate and a vote. Should both chambers pass the bill, it moves to the governor for approval, veto, or for the bill to become law without signature. Each year, the General Assembly opens a regular session on the second Monday in January. Legislators submit hundreds of bills every session, though only some become law.
| Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danica A. Roem | SB95 | 01/14/2026 | Rest area signage; adds human trafficking information. |
| Danica A. Roem and R. Creigh Deeds | SB4 | 01/14/2026 | School breakfasts; availability at no cost to students. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB41 | 01/14/2026 | Motor Vehicles, Department of; electronic transactions, voluntary contributions. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB42 | 01/14/2026 | School boards; payment of school meal debt. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB43 | 01/14/2026 | Demand response programs; evaluation and assessment by Department of Energy, report. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB44 | 01/14/2026 | Cemeteries on private property; registration by localities. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB92 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; tuition and fee waivers. |
| Danica A. Roem and Michelle Lopes Maldonado | SB93 | 01/14/2026 | Data centers; taxes on banks that are tenants of a center. |
| Danica A. Roem and Adam P. Ebbin | SB94 | 01/14/2026 | Data centers; site assessment, sound profile of the high energy use facility. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB97 | 01/14/2026 | Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program; establishment of student meal plan credit donation program. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB331 | 01/14/2026 | Veterinary Medicine, Board of; traineeships. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB336 | 01/14/2026 | Tier 2 emergency generators; SCC shall evaluate impact of requiring data centers to limit use, etc. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB345 | 01/14/2026 | Guardianship/conservatorship of incapacitated adult; right to request counsel, right to a jury trial. |
| Danica A. Roem, Angelia Williams Graves, and David R. Suetterlein | SB350 | 01/14/2026 | Absentee voting; counting ballots prior to the close of polls. |
| Danica A. Roem and Kannan Srinivasan | SB482 | 01/14/2026 | Sodium Chloride; alternatives to use to treat and pretreat roadways for winter weather, report. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB503 | 01/14/2026 | Phase II Utility; rates, terms, and conditions of services, certain customers. |
| Danica A. Roem and Scott A. Surovell | SB716 | 01/14/2026 | Commissioner of Highways; certain agreements with U.S. Department of Transportation. |
Information in this article was sourced from the Virginia State Senate. Find the original data here.
