Here are some of the things that happened Tuesday in the General Assembly that involved legislators from Southwest and Southside. You can look up all the bills before the legislature and their status here: https://lis.virginia.gov/home.
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Wright briefly passes out on House floor; says he was dehydrated
First responders were called to the House of Delegates floor chamber after Del. Tommy Wright, R-Lunenburg, experienced a medical episode during session Tuesday afternoon.
Wright regained consciousness and was able to walk out of the chamber to claps and cheers from his fellow lawmakers after first responders arrived on the scene, according to reports.
The already truncated 2025 legislative session was cut even shorter following a utility crisis that shut down the city of Richmond for nearly a full week. That has led to long days and nights for lawmakers as they race to make up for lost time.
Update, Jan. 29, 8:29 a.m.: Wright issued a statement saying he was dehydrated and has been cleared to return to the session today:
“Yesterday morning, I started my day as I usually do during session. I said goodbye to my wife and made the drive to the Capitol Building and got the day’s work for my constituents underway. In the afternoon, as I was sitting at my desk on the floor, I began to feel lightheaded. The next thing I remember is being surrounded by concerned colleagues and hearing my wife’s voice on the phone insisting that I get medical attention. After assistance from paramedics and a short stay at VCU medical center, I learned that I was significantly dehydrated and received treatment and was discharged shortly thereafter and informed that I could return to work on Wednesday, January 29th. I want to thank the Speaker for his quick attention in calling for medical assistance, and for the love and concern of my wife, Rose, my Legislative Assistant Kade Gravitt, Senator Mulchi, and all my colleagues in the House of Delegates. I also want to thank the medical staff here at the House and at VCU medical center for all their compassionate care. May the Lord bless all of us and keep us in good health as He has done for me.”
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House panel kills proposed constitutional amendment on ‘right-to-work’
A proposed constitutional amendment by Del. Israel O’Quinn, R-Washington County, which would have enshrined Virginia’s-called so-called “right-to-work” law in the commonwealth’s constitution was rejected by lawmakers in a subcommittee on Tuesday morning.
The Virginia law has existed for nearly 80 years. It prohibits security agreements — contracts that require an employee to support a union in some way — between employers and unions. It has already become a contested topic ahead of the 2025 governor’s race.
“I think it is important to preserve optionality,” O’Quinn told the House Constitutional Amendments Subcommittee on Wednesday morning. He noted that, in meetings with developers and manufacturers, if Virginia ever does away with its “right-to-work” law, he’s heard that businesses will move out of the commonwealth.
Supporters of the bill said the measure would support business competitiveness and “freedom of choice.” People who opposed the bill noted that in 2016, when the constitutional amendment was put to a referendum, it was “overwhelmingly” rejected by voters, and that being a “right-to-work” state does not guarantee that businesses will move to or keep their headquarters in the commonwealth.
The subcommittee tabled the bill, HJ 492, in a 5-3 party line vote. A Senate committee earlier had killed a companion measure by state Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham County.
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Suetterlein’s bill to make the standard income tax deduction permanent gets delayed
A bill by Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County, that would make permanent the current standard income tax deduction was paused in the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday morning.
The bill, SB 782, would make permanent the enhanced standard deduction and the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit, both of which are currently set to expire in January 2026. The sundown of the enhanced standard deduction would result in a tax increase of $632 per family for more than 85% of Virginia taxpayers, Suetterlein said. His bill would also continue the 15% refund under the federal Earned Income Tax Credit that would provide up to a $1,206 benefit to low-income working Virginia families in 2025, his office said in a statement before the start of session.
“It is critical for working Virginians’ wallets that the General Assembly pass legislation making the enhanced standard deduction and refundable earned income tax credit permanent,” Suetterlein said in a statement Tuesday. “I hope the Democrats will end their delay and help us pass these important provisions for working Virginians.”
Suetterlein’s bill was rolled into a similar bill by Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover County, SB 951, and passed by for the day. That does not automatically mean the bill was killed, but it does mean the committee was not ready to act on the bill and will consider it at a later date.
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Senate Finance OKs Fairfax casino referendum bill
A proposed casino in Fairfax County passed its first hurdle Tuesday when it gained the backing of the Senate Finance Committee.
The panel voted 9-6 to approve SB 982, by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax County, that would add Fairfax County to the list of localities eligible to have a casino. Virginia already has casinos in Bristol, Danville and Portsmouth with others on the way in Norfolk and Petersburg.
“The majority of the Fairfax County Delegation to the General Assembly supports giving Fairfax County’s locality government the authority to let voters decide if they support an entertainment district in the County,” Surovell said in a statement. “The critics of the project have identified no alternative means to maintain our high quality public schools while closing a $300 million recurring revenue gap in the Fairfax County budget other than to keep raising real estate taxes on Fairfax County’s homeowners, renters and small businesses. Virginia residents are already sending billions of dollars per decade to Maryland in the Northern Virginia region by patronizing the MGM National Harbor Casino just over the Maryland state line. It is time to bring that money back to benefit our state and Fairfax County.”
Some critics have argued that a casino near the nation’s capital would create a security risk.
The Senate Finance vote saw six Democrats and three Republicans in favor with four Democrats and two Republicans against.
Among legislators from the western part of the state, Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Washington County, voted in favor while Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, and Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham County, voted against.
