See our list of where bills stand.
State lawmakers took up thousands of bills during the first half of this year’s short legislative session, with an election looming that could reshape the makeup of Virginia’s House of Delegates and make history in the executive branch.
Democrats hold a slim majority in both chambers, but Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s veto pen looms large after the 2024 session, when he killed a record number of bills that had passed the General Assembly. That’s led to a lot of effort on measures this year that both sides know may not become law.
“A lot of this was just a thought exercise because Democrats know a good number of these bills are going to be vetoed by the governor,” said House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, regarding some of the more partisan bills that survived crossover. “They know these are just posturing exercises on their part.”
House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, preemptively called the governor’s vetoes of 2025 bills out of touch with Virginians. Both the governor’s seat and the entire House of Delegates is up for election in November.
A tussle over how to use the state’s $4.7 billion budget surplus is expected in the second half of the session. Both General Assembly chambers introduced their budget amendments on Sunday. Lawmakers — along with Gov. Glenn Youngkin, as outlined in his budget amendment proposal — hope to use that surplus to provide tax relief to residents but have differing ideas on how to do so.
“We try to stay laser focused on the economy, making sure we put money back in the pockets of our communities, making sure we focus on public education and investing in our kids and providing for their safety, and making sure we gave law enforcement the tools they need to protect our communities,” Scott said, during a press conference on Tuesday.
When asked about his predictions for how the rest of the session would go for Republicans, state Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, responded with one word: “Pain.”
“I think it’s going to be like last year, I think [Democrats] are going to pass a lot of bad bills and the governor will probably set another veto record,” he said.
By crossover, the official halfway point of the legislative session when bills go from the chamber where they started to the other, those thousands of bills had been whittled down to hundreds. Many of those aren’t particularly partisan. Here’s how some of the legislators from Southwest and Southside view the session so far.
Del. Ellen Campbell, R-Rockbridge County
Campbell had a few bills survive crossover, including her bill to include public higher education campus police as beneficiaries under the Line of Duty Act. Virginia’s Line of Duty Act allows family members of first responders who die in the line of duty to access benefits.
“I’m hoping the Senate will see how important this is to families of private and campus police officers,” she said via email.
Some of her bills that didn’t make it through included an animal cruelty bill, which she said would have been a great tool for shelters. Another was a bill that would have allowed parents to limit their child’s social media access at nighttime.
“Overall, we’ve had some wins on things that really matter this session,” she said.
She expressed disappointment, though, in seeing a few other bills of hers die, including one focused on career and technical education and workforce preparedness.
Del. Chris Obenshain, R-Montgomery County
Obenshain lamented that some of his bills that did not receive a hearing during the short session, one of which would have given courts more ability to enforce child protective orders. Another would have imposed prison time for people who commit repeated felonies involving a firearm.
“Failing to hear these bills that have strong support is the type of political gamesmanship that frustrates most ordinary folks,” he said via email.
His plan for the second half of session is to focus on two topics: “delivering a budget that provides meaningful tax relief to working Virginians” and providing relief to Southwest Virginians for their “excessively high electricity bills.”
“I’ll keep beating the drum on those issues because it is important to the folks I represent,” he said.
Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke
Rasoul had 12 bills successfully make it out of the House. Those include his “education omnibus” legislation to rework Virginia Department of Education’s Standards of Quality; another that would allow high schools students to more easily earn an associate degree; one that would expand Medicaid services in schools; and another to introduce the “Blue Envelope” program in Virginia.
The Blue Envelope program helps to protect people with disabilities during traffic stops, and was a product of Rasoul’s “You Write The Bill” program, where constituents help to write and pass ideas they are passionate about.
“I will continue pushing my colleagues in the Senate to vote for these measures that will protect not only those in Roanoke but across Virginia,” he said.
Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg
Nine bills by Walker passed the House, several of which he had worked on over multiple sessions.
“Persistence pays off, and while some good ideas didn’t make it through this year, I remain committed to finding common ground and pushing for practical solutions that serve our Commonwealth,” he said.
Walker noted that the usual political “spectacles” have been largely absent from the session so far.
“I think folks want to get in, get their work done, and head back home to start earning votes again soon,” he said.
Del. Wren Williams, R-Patrick County
Three bills by Williams made it through to the Senate. The remaining nine that failed ranged from food service permitting for out-of-state caterers, to unlawful dissemination of intimate photos, to a bill that would allow a person to renew their concealed carry permit without having to demonstrate competence in handling a firearm, if they’ve already done so once before.
Williams said he is optimistic that those three bills will make it to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk.
“Our office has proudly sponsored legislation aimed at curbing predatory utility rate hikes in Southwest Virginia, advancing conservative criminal justice reforms centered on rehabilitation, and protecting the rights of hardworking Virginians,” he said via email.
Sen. Emily Jordan, R-Isle of Wight County
Several bills by Jordan survived crossover.
She said she was disappointed, though, to see a bill she brought forth to establish a maternal health coordinator that would have supported women and families be passed by due to funding concerns.
“Women that need to be made aware of vital resources would have greatly benefitted from my proposed legislation,” she said via email.
Sen. Tammy Mulchi, R-Mecklenburg County
Mulchi had at least three bills graduate from the Senate, and she said she’s hopeful of their outcome in the House because of the bipartisan support they’ve gained.
“It is very unfortunate that my other bills didn’t pass this year. I believe most of them would have brought things that were needed for my district and the Commonwealth as a whole. For example, my SB 984 that would have established a grant program for firefighters to retain and recruit members and also money for equipment upgrades. This was a non-partisan issue and I am very disappointed it did not pass,” she said via email.
The governor’s seat is also up for election this year, and Mulchi noted that there have been some attempts to make Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is seeking the seat, take votes.
“Purely for political reasons, which is disappointing to see,” Mulchi said. “I believe we are up here to serve the people of Virginia, not to try and get clips for our campaigns.”
Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg
A main bill by Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, which was an effort to cut rates for Appalachian Power customers, passed the Senate with an amendment Tuesday. Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, worked with Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, to get that amendment into the bill before crossover.
That amended bill, SB 1076, would prohibit rate increases from December through February and would prohibit customers from being disconnected for nonpayment between July 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2026. It passed the Senate, 39-1, on Tuesday.
“It is certainly getting Apco’s attention, and they’re going to have to address these sky-high rates,” Peake said during a phone interview on Tuesday.
State Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County
A number of Stanley’s bills made it through crossover, including one that he considers his main focus: SB 1293, which would enhance professional development for health care providers and educators to support children with autism.
“We have to educate the people who come into contact with our children with autism so that they know how to react properly and instead of making it a negative experience, it becomes a positive experience,” he said in a phone interview. “That’s one I’m most proud of.”
Another piece of legislation that Stanley worked on was incorporated into a bill by Sen. Saddam Salim, D-Fairfax, SB 1256. It would allow localities to consider “tiny home” developments on property, to promote affordable home ownership.
“[Salim] and I are going to carry this together; I’m really excited about that bill,” Stanley said.
Stanley said he plans to bring back a bill next year that would create a state fund and grant program to support emergency management programs and personnel across the state. That bill, SB 1246, was left in committee.
“It’s a problem that’s not going to go away. It’s going to be a problem that continues, and we need to be better about it,” he said.
Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County
Nine bills by Suetterlein won bipartisan support and advanced to the House of Delegates. Those topics range from career and technical education to healthcare to elections to helping families in crisis. Suetterlein’s tax relief efforts for working Virginians were also included in budget provisions to extend the enhanced standard deduction and earned income tax credit refundability the next two years.
“Crossover was less than 24 hours ago and three of our bills quickly passed House of Delegates committees and are heading to the floor,” Suetterlein said in an email Wednesday. “I have been meeting with Delegates about the other six bills and am hopeful we can continue to attract bipartisan support.”
