Virginia lawmakers this month began prefiling legislation they hope to pass in the 2026 General Assembly session.
Democrats, who will enjoy a trifecta, holding the governor’s mansion and majorities in both chambers of the legislature come January, have filed familiar bills on progressive policies such as raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2028 and paid family and sick leave. Undeterred by Democratic majorities, some Republicans have begun to introduce legislation lowering taxes and expanding law enforcement powers.
Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have said budget constraints will be the most significant barrier in executing legislative priorities.
Here’s what’s on the legislative docket so far:
Energy
Democrats appear to be focusing on lowering costs. HB2 would require utility companies to make energy efficiency improvements to lower heating-related costs for low-income residents. And HB3 would create a task force to study barriers to accessing existing energy efficiency programs for qualifying low-income users.
Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Bedford, introduced a bill that would remove provisions requiring electric utilities to make deficiency payments if they fail to meet renewable energy requirements.
Labor
Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Woodbridge, filed legislation that would overturn Virginia’s “Right to Work” law. But Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger has said she does not support a full repeal.
Taxes
Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke, proposes making the standard deduction amounts permanent that are currently set at $8,750 for single filers and $17,500 for joint filers. Those amounts are set to revert to $3,000 for single filers and $6,000 for joint filers after taxable year 2026.
Suetterlein also is carrying a bill that would eliminate the remaining 1% grocery tax that goes to localities beginning in 2027. The 1.5% state share of that tax was eliminated beginning in 2023. Suetterlein’s bill proposes that an equivalent amount of revenue be distributed to localities monthly to make up for the lost tax revenue.
Sen. Bill DeSteph, R-Virginia Beach, filed legislation that would allow localities to provide a real property tax exemption for dwellings for surviving spouses of members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty. Current law only provides the exemption for spouses whose residences have assessed values less than or equal to the average assessed value.
Law enforcement
One bill would prohibit certain state and federal law-enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings that could conceal their identities while on the job. The bill makes exceptions for masks worn to protect against illness and toxic substances, as well as for officers on special weapons and tactics teams.
DeSteph filed a bill that would remove provisions that prohibit law enforcement officers from making stops based on things like expired registration stickers, suspended objects like air fresheners and the smell of marijuana alone.
Children and education
A bill that has historically been left in committee is back on the table and would require public schools to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program to make breakfast available to all students for free.
Another bill, filed by Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, would establish that a child under 11 cannot be considered a delinquent, though a court could still rule a younger child to be in need of services or supervision.
Locke also introduced legislation that would specify that parents would be required to be notified about sexually explicit content only if that content was specifically assigned by a teacher. The bill specifies that the legislation should not be used as justification to censor or remove books from school libraries and classrooms.
Voting
Democrats expect to pass for the second time a constitutional amendment which would automatically restore the right to vote to people convicted of felonies who have completed their sentences. One bill, filed by Locke, schedules that amendment to appear on the ballot as a public referendum in the November general election.
Another bill says that someone found to be incapacitated for purposes of a guardianship or conservatorship would not automatically lose their right to vote. That would only happen if a court specifically finds that they lack “the capacity to understand the act of voting.”
Kate Seltzer, 757-713-7881, kate.seltzer@virginiamedia.com
