A snapshot of the Virginia General Assembly as February begins

Charlottesville Community Engagement strives to cover the Virginia General Assembly as much as possible as an extension of coverage of local and regional government. This particular year has been a challenge with stories so far concentrating on the possibility of redistricting.

But one way a one-person information operation can make an attempt at reporting is by taking periodic snapshots throughout the session. These are sometimes only possible on the weekends when there are no meetings.

As of publication, a total of 2,612 bills have been filed and 2,432 are still pending. A hundred and ten pieces of legislation have passed both the House and Senate and 22 have been incorporated into other bills. All but one of the passed legislation are commendations and celebrations of people, places, and things.

Another 60 are considered to be failed and 58 have been continued to the next session in 2027.

Crossover Day is February 17. Legislation must have been passed in at least one chamber to stay alive. The scheduled adjournment is March 14.

Voter for special election for redistricting amendment passes both House and Senate

Both chambers of the General Assembly have passed a bill to hold a special election in Virginia on April 21. If that comes to pass, voters will be asked whether they support amending the Constitution to allow for a one-time Congressional redistricting for partisan gain to counter efforts elsewhere in the nation.

HB1384 passed the House on January 26 with a vote of 62 to 34 with four members not voting. Three days later, the Senate passed the bill on a 21 to 19 vote straightly on partisan lines. The bill goes to Governor Abigail Spanberger.

Republicans have been successful in the first phase of a legal challenge that argued the Democrats did not have the authority to hold a first reading the Constitutional amendment during a special session held last fall.

In a written ruling, Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. determined that the General Assembly had the authority to meet in a special session last October but did not have the power to amend the rules to allow for consideration of a Constitutional amendment. The Democratic plaintiffs have appealed.

Coming up Monday morning:

To end this Saturday edition, let’s look at just a few of the 2,423 bills that are still pending and may have committee action this week:

On Monday, a subcommittee of the House Rules Committee will meet at 7:30 a.m. and one of the bills on the docket would require Virginia to permanently adopt Eastern Daylight Standard time year-round if Congress allows this to happen. HB9 from Delegate Joseph McNamara is the latest such bill to be filed but so far such legislation has not made it out of committee.

Other items on that subcommittee agenda:

• HB1458 from Delegate Mark Downey (D-69) would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene a work group to study the impact of private equity on health care. Charges for this body would include the study of transparency ownership requirements in other states and an analysis of the the risks of private equity acquisition of health care agencies.
• HB1515 from Delegate Irene Shine (D-8) would impose a moratorium on local approval of data centers until either July 1, 2028 or completion of existing power connections to new data centers that have requested them.
• HJ15 from Delegate Timothy Griffin (R-53) would request a study of the impact of repealing Virginia’s income tax.
• HB1126 from Delegate Nadarius Clark (D-84) would convene a work group to study the decline in VIrginia’s migratory fish in the James River and the Chesapeake Bay.
• HJ26 from Delegate Alex Askew would request the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation to once again study the feasibility of extending light rail to Virginia Beach and the Oceanfront. Hampton Roads Transit has such a system in place in Norfolk called The Tide. In 2012, Virginia Beach voters agreed 62.8 percent to pursue expansion, but in 2015 another referendum to spend money on the project failed 57.1 percent to 42.9 percent.
• Those on the Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Transit Authority might want to take a look at HJ28, also from Delegate Askew. It would create a committee to study long-term funding for sustaining public transit in the Hampton Roads area.
• HJ32 from Delegate Amy Laufer (D-55) would require the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study artificial intelligence policies at Virginia’s public colleges and universities.
• HJ41 from Delegate JJ Singh (D-26) would have JLARC review zoning ordinances across the Commonwealth to recommend ways to streamline the permitting process.

Other committee meetings Monday morning:

• The House Education Committee convenes at 8 a.m. on Monday, February 2. Bills on the agenda include ones that address immigration enforcement at public school and one that would require the Board of Education to make information on climate change available to all school systems across the Commonwealth. (full agenda)
• The communications subcommittee of the Communications, Technology and Innovation meets at 8 a.m. Bills include one to study the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce, one would place restrictions on what chatbots can do, and one to require School Boards to develop policies to restrict use of chatbots for instructional purposes. (full agenda)
• The Senate Courts of Justice Committee meets at 8 a.m. and has a full agenda.
• The Senate Local Government Committee meets at 8:30 a.m. and has several bills of note but too many to sufficiently summarize. One would allow localities to require installation of solar panels above a portion of parking lots, another would prohibit localities from instituting parking minimums, and another would exempt religious organizations from some local controls on approval of housing projects.

For a full calendar of what’s coming up, please consult the Virginia Legislative Information System.

A look at legislation no longer active in 2026

Several dozen bills have been continued on to the next session in January 2027. That means they are not being considered this year but will become active again then. Take a look at a full list here and click through if you want to know more specifics.

Data centers

• HB370 from Delegate David A. Reid (D-28) is one of several bills filed to address concerns about the proliferation of data centers across Virginia. This legislation would allow localities to require industrial and commercial facilities to provide estimates of water consumption.
• HB166 from Delegate Joshua E.Thomas (D-21) would have removed an exemption from noise ordinances for businesses on industrially-zoned property.
• HB607 from Delegate Amy Laufer (D-55) would require the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to conduct an air pollution study in areas with high concentration of data centers.
• HB1112 from Delegate JJ Singh (D-26) would have allowed localities in Planning District 8 to consider energy usage during the rezoning process.

Local land use control

• HB197 from Delegate Thomas (D-21) would change the sequencing when decisions by local zoning appeals boards are appealed. After action by a circuit court, any further appeal would go straight to the Virginia Supreme Court.
• HB419 from Delegate Nicole Cole (D-66) would require all localities to take a final action on land use applications for residential development within one year.
• HB68 from Delegate Joseph McNamara (R-40) would require localities to take inflation into account when real property assessments result in a tax increase.
• HB278 from Delegate Nadarius E. Clark (D-84) would have allowed localities to enact anti-rent gouging ordinances.
• HB509 from Delegate John Chilton McAuliff (D-30) would have prevented localities from prohibiting monthly rentals of accessory residential dwellings on properties with an agricultural operation.
• HB881 from Delegate Rip Sullivan (D-6) would have allowed localities larger than 2,500 people to ban gas-powered leaf blowers.
• HB992 from Delegate Alfonso Lopez (D-3) would have allowed Arlington County to charge payment-in-lieu charges for affordable housing units and require a special use permit when a building is converted from commercial to residential.
• HB1058 from Delegate Eric Phillips (R-48) would have allowed some localities in the southside of Virginia to allow their industrial development authorities the ability to use their powers to finance housing.

Elections and governance

• HB463 from Delegate Laura Jane Cohen (D-15) would have amended the definitions of a “meeting” under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act related to quorums.
• SB202 from Senator David Suetterlein (R-4) would have eliminated the ability of a locality’s elected body to fill a vacancy on an interim basis. Instead, they would be required to immediately seek a writ for a special election and then hold it within 45 days of that being granted.

Transportation

• HB219 from Delegate Michael Feggans (D-97) would prohibit “kei vehicles” from operating on any limited access highway or roadway with a speed limit in excess of 55 miles per hour

Let’s take a look now at some of the failed bills.

• HB1177 from Delegate Nicole Cole (D-66) would have allowed localities to adopt rent stabilization provisions.
• SB11 from Senator Bill DeSteph (R-20) would have repealed the ban on polystyrene containers in food service.
• SB12 from Senator DeSteph would have removed the requirement that license plates be displayed on both the front and back of a vehicle.
• SB46 from Senator Christie New Craig (R-19) would have reduced the period for absentee voting in person from 45 days to 15 days.
• SB298 from Senator Mark Peake (R-8) would have reduced absentee voting to ten days.
• SB76 from Delegate Schuyler T. VanValkenburg (D-16) would have required primaries for all offices to be held on the same day as the presidential primary in those years.
• SB131 from Senator New Craig would have exempted the agritourism industry from any regulations from any hauling of sewage.
• SB428 from Senator Lamont Bagby would expand the definition of “school crossing zone” to include areas around institutions of higher education.
• SB544 from Senator Luther Cifers III would require photo identification before voting.

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