HomeMy WebLinkAboutGeneral Assembly Update1
2026 General Assembly
Week 8
2
2026 Session
Today’s update:
•Status of Legislative Agenda items
•Legislation of interest
Goal of today’s presentation is to provide an update on the General
Assembly session and highlight legislation of interest
3
Legislative Agenda items
10:1 Charter Election
System
HB 187 Convirs-Fowler
SB 681 Rouse
•Governor added emergency clause; House
agreed 66-29-1; now in Senate
•Governor added emergency clause; House
agreed 67-27 ; Senate agreed 22-17
Subaquatic Vegetation HB 390 Askew •Passed House 98-0
•Passed Senate 37-0 with substitute, House
agreed 98-0; now goes to Governor
10-1 General Law HB 168 Askew
SB 51 Rouse
•Governor added emergency clause; House
agreed 67-30; now in Senate
•Governor added emergency clause; Senate
agreed 20-19; House agreed 67-29
4
Legislation with Fiscal Impact
SB 378 Surovell
HB 1263 Tran
Collective Bargaining for Public Employees •Headed to conference
HB 569 Feggans
SB 518 Rouse
Requires prevailing wage for public works projects •Headed to conference
HB 5
Convirs-Fowler
SB 199 Favola
Requires one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked
for all employees.
Delayed effective date of July 1, 2027
•Headed to conference
SB 2 Boysko
HB1207 Sewell
Establishes a mandatory paid family and medical leave insurance program with benefits beginning January 1, 2029. Premiums assessed to employers and employees beginning January 1, 2028
•Headed to conference
5
Revenue Streams
SB 661 Rouse
HB 1272 Hayes
Skill Games authorization and tax
$800/per month per machine tax – 15% to local government
where machine is located
•Headed to conference
SB 542 Aird
HB 642 Krizek
Establishes a framework for the creation of a retail marijuana
market in the Commonwealth
•Headed to conference
HB 334 Rasoul Authorizes all counties and cities to impose an additional
local sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent
with the revenue used only for capital projects for the
construction or renovation of schools if such levy is
approved in a voter referendum.
•Continued to 2027
6
Land Use Legislation
HB 804 Helmer
SB 488
VanValkenburg
Requires localities to increase their total housing stock by at
least 7.5% over the five-year period
•HB 804 passed 63-35 then
stricken by patron
•SB 488 stricken by patron
HB 611 Cohen
SB
531 Srinivasan
Requires a locality to include in its zoning ordinances for
single-family residential zoning districts accessory dwelling
units, or ADUs, as defined in the bill, as a permitted
accessory use.
•HB 611 Continued to 2027
•SB 531 passed Senate 21-19;
Passed House 62-37; Heads to
Governor.
HB 816 Helmer
SB 454
VanValkenburg
Requires a locality to include in its zoning ordinance allowing
for by-right development of multifamily residential uses on at
least 75 percent of all land contained in commercial or
business zoning districts
•HB 816 defeated by Senate 17-
22
•SB 454 sent back to Committee
HB 1279 J. Cole
SB 388 McPike
"Faith in Housing" , allows for the development and
construction of housing on land owned by religious
organizations or tax-exempt nonprofit organizations
•Headed to conference
HB 888 Shin Sets limits on minimum parking requirements in designated areas where residents have mass transit access •Senate sub passed 21-19; now
goes back to House
7
Legislation of Interest
HB 707
Hayes
Prohibits a public body from maintaining an official website for use
by the public with a domain other than a .gov domain
Continued to 2027
HB 343Martinez Permits localities to adopt ordinances requiring children 14 years of age or younger to wear protective helmets whenever riding or being carried on a motorized skateboard or scooter or a nonmotorized scooter.
Passed Senate 21-19 with amendment. Goes back to House
HB 1120 Singh Directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to convene a work group for improving the safety of electric power-assisted bicycles Headed to Governor
HB 514 Martinez 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.
Continued to 2027
SB 50 Expands the definition of "lobbying" to include influencing or attempting to influence local government action Tabled in House Appropriations
HJ 28 Askew Establishes a workgroup to study public transit systems to ensure it meets needs of region Passed General Assembly; executive summary to be reported to DLAS by 1st day of 2028 session
8
Discussion