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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGeneral Assembly Update1 2026 General Assembly Week 1 2 2026 Timeline Today’s update: •Key dates and organizing information •Status of Legislative Agenda items •Policy Priorities •Affordable Housing •Economic Development •Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Impacts •Land Use •Legislation of interest Goal of today’s presentation is to provide an update on the General Assembly session 3 2026 General Assembly •2026 is a 60-day “long” session; (46 days in odd-numbered years) •Session began January 14th •Passage of 4 Constitutional Amendments •Marriage Equality; Restoration of voting rights; Reproductive Rights; Congressional Redistricting •Filing deadline for budget amendments was January 16th •Filing deadline for legislation is January 23rd at 3:00 pm •Virginia Municipal League Local Government Day, February 5th •Crossover; February 18th •Chamber of origin to complete work on its Budget;February 26th •Sine die; Saturday March 14th •Reconvene Session; Wednesday April 22nd 4 Committee Assignments •Delegate Alex Askew o Appropriations, Counties-Cities-Towns, Education •Delegate Rob Bloxom o Privileges & Elections, General Laws, Appropriations, Agriculture •Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler o Education, Labor & Commerce,Privileges & Elections (Vice-Chair) •Delegate Michael Feggans o Labor & Commerce, Public Safety, Transportation •Delegate Barry Knight o Counties-Cities-Towns, General Laws, Transportation •Delegate Anne Ferrell Tata o Counties-Cities-Towns, Education •Senator Christie New Craig o Education & Health, General Laws & Tech, Rules •Senator Bill DeSteph o Commerce & Labor, Privileges & Elections, Rehab & Social Services, Transportation •Senator Aaron Rouse o Privileges & Elections (Chair), Commerce & Labor, Finance, General Laws, Rules 5 Legislative Agenda items Code Amendments Bill & Patron Status Cancer Screenings for Public Safety HB 393 Askew •Referred to Appropriations EMS "Four for Life" funding HB 57 Feggans •Rereferred to Transportation Fire Programs Fund HB 394 Askew •Referred to Appropriations Subaquatic Vegetation HB 390 Askew •Referred to Agriculture subcommittee Menhaden Fishing Study HB 1048 & 1049 CarrSB ### Marsden •Pending “Pop-Up” Event Zones HB 778 Thornton •Pending 10-1 General Law HB 168 AskewSB 51 Rouse •CCT•Local Government Charter Amendments Bill & Patron Status Protecting the Blue Line HB 1328 TataSB 387 Craig •Referred to Counties, Cities, & Towns (CCT)•Referred Local Government 10:1 Election System HB 187 Convirs-Fowler •Referred to CCT 6 Policy Priorities -Affordable Housing Patron Bill number & Summary Status Bennett -Parker HB 4:Creates a framework for localities to preserve affordable housing by exercising a right of first refusal General Laws Thomas HB 196;Establishes a Fund to provide financial assistance to local governments for expanding or improving public infrastructure needed to support new residential development through the construction or installation of a project. Appropriations Reid HB 183;Includes townhouses in the definition of single-family residence for purposes of the First-Time Home Buyer Savings Plan Act and increases (i) the aggregate amount of principal that can be contributed to a first-time home buyer savings account from $50,000 to $100,000 Appropriations Thomas HB 164;Housing for local employees; grants for homeownership.Eliminates the $25k cap a locality is permitted to grant to an employee CCT McPike SB 74;Authorizes any locality in the Commonwealth to provide for an Affordable Dwelling Unit program. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. Local Government Price Rouse HB 15 and SB 48;Increases the mandatory waiting period for a landlord to pursue remedies for termination of the rental agreement from five days to 14 days. General Laws Feggans HB 174: Eliminates the requirement that the reason for breaking the lease is less than 60-days away General Laws 7 Policy Priorities -Economic Development Patron Bill number & Summary Status Carroll Foy Feggans SB 25 and HB 67;Department of Energy; workforce development in offshore wind industry. Directs the Director of the Department of Energy to identify and develop training resources to advance workforce development in the offshore wind industry in the Commonwealth. Commerce & Labor LockeCaroll FoyMcClureAirdSimondsGardner Child Care More AffordabilityHB 18 and SB3: Establishes the Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot ProgramHB 211: Universal Head Start PlanHB 259:Home-Based Child Care Provider Start-Up GrantsHB 403: Creates a tax credit for child care-related expenses Appropriations Rasoul Suetterlein HB 275 and SB 10: Reduces the age that someone is allowed to participate in an apprenticeship program to 16 provided that the child (i) is an apprentice registered pursuant to relevant law; (ii) is employed in a work-training program administered pursuant to relevant law; or (iii) has obtained an industry certification, license, or other verifiable proof of competency for the work being performed. Commerce & Labor Tata HB 366: Allows grants from the Virginia Military Community Infrastructure Grant Program to be awarded to projects without federal funding Appropriations Glass HB 1248: Establishes the Creative Economy Grant Program Pending 8 Policy Priorities -Fiscal Responsibility & Budget Impacts Patron Bill number & Summary Status McNamara, Tata & Suetterlein HB 13 and 703 & SB 9;Eliminates the remaining one percent local grocery tax beginning on July 1, 2026. The bill requires an equivalent amount of revenue to be distributed to cities and counties on a monthly basis in compensation for the lost tax revenue. SB 9 has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. Finance McPike SB 66; Authorizes all counties and cities to hold a referendum on a 1% sales tax increase for school construction Finance Boysko SB 2; Establishes a mandatory paid family and medical leave insurance program with benefits beginning January 1, 2029. Under the program, benefits are paid to covered individuals for family and medical leave and funding for the program is provided through premiums assessed to employers and employees beginning January 1, 2028. Commerce & Labor Feggans &DeSteph HB 175 and SB 8 seeks to close a loophole in the Veterans Tax exemption for surviving spouses Finance Tran HB 1263 Eliminates the local option for collective bargaining and establishes a Public Employee Relations Board Pending N. Cole HB 412 requires a local governing body to meet or exceed the school division’s budget of need Education 9 Policy Priorities -Land Use Patron Bill number & Summary Status Simonds HB 262; Eliminates local authority to maintain minimum parking requirements for new developments CCT Cole HB 418;Zoning; manufactured housing. Amends provisions that require localities to permit manufactured housing in areas zoned for agriculture by expanding such requirement to all zoning districts where site-built housing is allowed. CCT Cohen HB 611;Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units.Requires a locality to include in its zoning ordinances for single-family residential zoning districts accessory dwelling units as a permitted accessory use. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. CCT Helmer HB 804 Statewide housing targets for localities. Requires localities to increase their total housing stock by at least 7.5 percent over the five-year period beginning January 1, 2028. CCT Helmer HB 816 Requires a locality to include provisions in its zoning ordinance allowing for the by-right development and construction of multifamily residential uses on at least 75 percent of all land contained in commercial or business zoning district classifications, including any land contained in commercial or business zoning district classifications that allow for the by -right development and construction of single-family residential uses. Pending J. Cole HB1279 Faith in Housing mandates zoning ordinances for all purposes shall allow the by-right development and construction of housing on real property owned by religious organizations Pending 10 Legislation of Interest Patron Bill number &Summary Status WardLocke HB1 and SB1 Increases the minimum wage incrementally to $15 Commerce & Labor Convirs- Fowler HB 5;Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. Requires one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked for all employees. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. Commerce & Labor Sullivan HB 55;Noise abatement monitoring systems; local authority; civil penalties.Authorizes counties and cities in Planning Districts 8 (Northern Virginia Regional Commission) and 16 (George Washington Regional Commission) to place and operate noise cameras. Transportation Martinez HB 514;Establishes an outreach program to ensure military service members transitioning from military to civilian life and their family members can easily access federal, state, and local benefits and other programs and services available to them. General Laws McAuliff HB 505;Prohibits a member of a governing body of a locality from holding any other position of employment with such locality P & E Watts HB 475;Creates the Mass Violence Care Fund as a subfund within the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund for the purpose of reimbursing victims or claimants of mass violence for unreimbursed medical expenses related to a mass violence event. Approps subcomm 11 Legislation of Interest Patron Bill number &Summary Status Anthony HB1241 Establishes a workgroup to study transportation and infrastructure needs of a Hampton Roads localities Gen Laws Askew HJ 28 Establishes a workgroup to study extending light rail to the Oceanfront Pending VanValken burg SB 176;Elections; conduct of election; ranked choice voting; locally elected offices; report.Expands the option to use ranked choice voting from only elections for county board of supervisors and city councils to any local governing body and requires the State Board of Elections to provide standards and to approve vote tabulating software for use with existing voting systems in elections conducted by ranked choice voting. P&E Suetterlein SB 202;Elections; filling vacancies in county and city governing bodies. Removes the ability to fill a vacancy in a county or city governing body by an interim appointment and requires that a special election be held to fill any such vacancy. Requires the local governing body to petition the court for a writ of special election within one day of the occurrence and for the court to promptly issue the writ for a special election no more than 45 days from the date the writ is issued, with extensions for special election dates that conflict with primary and general elections. P&E Singh HB 1120;Directs VDOT to convene a work group make recommendations for improving the safety of e-bikes, motorized skateboards and scooters, electric personal assistive mobility devices, and other motorized single-occupant vehicles Pending 12 Retail Cannabis Bill & Patron Summary HB 642 Krizek Retain authority to regulate local zoning and land use requirementsDoes not include option to hold referendum to opt-out of sales Prohibited:•Adopt ordinances regulating or prohibiting cultivation, processing, possession, sale, distribution, handling, transportation, consumption, use, advertising, or dispensing Allowed to adopt ordinances:•Prohibiting consumption or offering in public places (parks, playgrounds, sidewalks, etc.) or public school grounds•That decrease the minimum distance requirement (i) between retail marijuana stores and microbusinesses or (ii) between a retail marijuana store or microbusiness and any place of religious worship; hospital; school or college; playground or recreational facility; child day program; substance abuse treatment facility; or federal, state, or local government-operated facility•Which regulate cannabis businesses, including local zoning and business license/land use requirements•To set hours during which cannabis may be sold. Mandated:•Localities must tax any sale between 1% to 3.5%. •Localities must notify, within 30 days,the CCA and any retail store of the tax ordinance 13 E-Bike Legislation Bill & Patron Summary HB269 Reid Establishes a new vehicle definition: "Motorized mobility vehicle" means any vehicle with not more than three wheels in contact with the ground that is powered in whole or in part by an electric motor or internal combustion device and is designed to transport one or more persons."Motorized mobility vehicles"shall be classified as follows: 1. "Class A" means any motorized mobility vehicle capable of traveling at speeds of no more than 25 miles per hour. 2. "Class B" means any motorized mobility vehicle capable of traveling at speeds in excess of 25 miles per hour and no more than 35 miles per hour. Designates a motorized mobility vehicle that travels in excess of 35 mph as a motorcycle Requires Class B to register with DMV like a moped Requires a drivers license to operate a Class B Requires every minor to wear a helmet for Class A or BMust be at least 16 to operate a Class B Prohibits the sale of a Class B vehicle to a minorRequires passing a training course prior to the purchase of a Class B 14 Tax Changes Bill & Patron Summary HB 978 Watts HB 1179 Tran Major tax changes have been proposed to support the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and transit agencies state-wide Changes include:Applying the sales tax to a set of services and digital products (not dedicated to transit)Creates a regional Highway Use FeeApplies sales tax to Transportation Network Company trips (Uber/Lyft)Creates a retail delivery tax of 50 cents per delivery Reduces the sales tax on retail products by .3%Eliminates the 1% local tax on groceries 15 Discussion