Several bills await Governor Youngkin’s signature including school sales tax bill

There are less than two weeks until the Virginia General Assembly is set to end their session and wait for Governor Glenn Youngkin to sign legislation, amend legislation, or veto legislation. As with federal law, the legislative branch passes laws and the executive branch implements them. The judicial branch weighs in on disputes. This is the system of democracy I have lived in for over five decades.

In Virgina, the system can be overwhelming for the eight and a half million people who live here. This newsletter does not have state politics as a major focus, but there are periodic snapshots of what’s happening. The last one was just after Crossover Day.

As of 8:19 a.m. Friday morning, a total of 1,340 bills had failed and another 1,252 are considered pending.

Several bills have already passed both the House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate. Many of these are technical, but the technical always tells a story.

For instance, HB1552 would allow critical access hospitals to allow more “swing beds” each day without seeking a Certificate of Public Need. This passed both Chambers without opposition.

Another is SB1307 which would allow localities to decide for themselves whether they should hold a referendum on the levying of a one percent sales tax that would be used exclusively to fund public schools. Currently only some localities have that power. Cities like Danville were able to get permission while the Democratic Party had control of both the executive and legislative branch.

Republicans gained control of the House of Delegates in the 2021 election and legislation to expand authority to localities to hold sales tax referenda failed to make it out of committee in 2022.

Last April, earlier this year, Governor Youngkin vetoed legislation that passed both the House and the Senate.

This year, SB1307 passed the Senate on a 27 to 13 vote and the House of Delegates on a 62 to 33 vote.

Other legislation that’s waiting action by Governor Youngkin:

• HB2485 would establish a framework for creation of a retail marijuana market to be administered by the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. This passed the House 53 to 46 and the Senate 21 to 18.
• HB1638 would amend the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to direct the Department of Housing and Community Development to create a model policy for criminal screening for tenants. Once adopted, tenants could not refuse to rent to someone unless they followed the steps in the policy. This passed the House on a 50 to 47 vote and the Senate on a 23 to 15 vote.
• HB1827 would encourage localities to use data and research related to “social determinants of health” when reviewing Comprehensive Plans to see how they impact overall public health and access to health care services. This passed the House 58 to 39 and the Senate 22 to 16.
• SB1254 would require cities with populations above 20,000 and counties above 100,000 to adopt an environmental justice strategy as part of their Comprehensive Plan. This passed the House of Delegates on a 20 to 19 vote and the House of Delegates on a 50 to 47 vote.
• SB1313 would allow any locality in the Commonwealth to adopt a program to require affordable housing units. Most counties are currently not allowed to do so. This passed the Senate 20 to 19 and the House of Delegates 50 to 47.
• HB1894 would require the Department of Corrections to ensure certain low and high temperatures in each cell so the range is always between 65 degrees and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This passed the House 54 to 43 with one abstention and the Senate 24 to 14.
• HB1623 would make the Eviction Diversion Pilot Program a permanent one and open it up to all general district courts in the Commonwealth. This passed the House 72 to 21 and the Senate 39 to 0.
• HB1723 would create a Task Force on Improving Access to Food Assistance Programs which would “maximize participation in federal public assistance programs relating to assistance with food access and improving food security.” This passed the House 80 to 16 and the Senate 39 to 0.
• HB1856 would authorize vehicles operated by local departments of social services to use amber warning lights when responding to a request from law-enforcement agency personnel. This passed the House unanimously but two members of the Senate voted against it in a 36 to 2 vote.
• HB1960 would make it illegal to knowingly transfer a firearm to a person who is not allowed to have one due to an active protective order or a conviction. This passed the House of Delegates 50 to 46 and the Senate 21 to 18.
• SB891 would introduce a five day waiting period before someone could sell a firearm after a purchaser completes a written consent form to have their criminal history checked. This passed the Senate 20 to 18 and the House of Delegates 50 to 47.
• HB1996 would reduce the number of days that must pass before a second public hearing notice for a planning commission’s public hearing from 7 to 5. This also faced no opposition.
• HB2245 would provide that real estate assessors use the “income approach” when determining the assessments for properties that are designated as affordable housing. This passed the House of Delegates 75 to 25 and the Senate 35 to 4.
• SB1053 would make it a Class 1 misdemeanor to defame, libel, or slander anyone using “synthetic digital content” and authorizes someone to pursue a civil action to recover damages. This passed the Senate on a 39 to 0 vote and the House of Delegates on an 89 to 8 vote.

At least three resolutions to hold a referendum on three Constitutional amendments have passed both chambers. That includes one that would create a right to reproductive services. According to Ballotpedia, a governor’s signature is not needed for these to appear on the ballot, but they will have to be approved in a second session. For more on those, here’s a previous story from when they passed the Virginia Senate.

Before you go: This edition was originally posted in the February 14, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement and then posted to Information Charlottesville soon afterward. The idea is to inform, and it’s all part of Town Crier Productions. If you want to support the work, consider a paid subscription through Substack or become a supporter on Patreon.