(The Center Square) — The Senate Transportation Committee set aside Thursday a bill expanding Virginia’s speed camera program, which generated over $19.9 million in paid citations last year.
Virginia’s General Assembly convened on January 8 for the start of its 30-day session; to keep readers informed on their local representatives’ efforts, we’ve reviewed some of their bills and votes. Virginia shares bills, votes, and schedules online through the Legislative Information System.
Virginia has 40 Senators who serve 4-year terms.
Senator Tara Durant (R) represents District 27, which encompasses the City of Fredericksburg and some parts of Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties. Durant was elected in 2023. She serves on the Education and Health, Local Government, and Privileges and Elections committees.
Durant is Patron or Co-Patron on 50 bills. We explored a few:
SB749 K-12 schools and institutions of higher education; student participation in women’s sports; civil cause of action.
This bill mandates that all athletic teams or sports sponsored by public schools, Virginia High School League members, or public higher education institutions be designated based on the biological sex of participants. Teams must be labeled as male, female, or coed/mixed if open to both sexes. A signed physician’s statement is required to affirm the biological sex of any student wanting to join a designated team.
It prohibits female-designated teams from allowing male participants and ensures that no government entity, accrediting organization, or athletic association can take action against a school or institution for not following this rule. The bill also allows schools or institutions to take legal action if harmed by violations and permits students to file a civil suit if they are harmed due to a violation or for reporting one.
This bill was passed indefinitely by the Education and Health committee.
SB1241 Charitable gaming; certain common interest communities to conduct bingo.
This bill allows common interest communities serving residents 55 or older to become qualified organizations for conducting Bingo. Virginia currently has 520 organizations that are registered and allowed to conduct charitable gaming.
The bill is in the Finance and Appropriations committee, having passed the General Laws and Technology committee 10-5.
SB1244 Ed. opportunities for children of fed. employees; students transferring from foreign countries.
This bill aims to smooth the transition for children of federal employees who are transferring from foreign education into a Commonwealth school. The bill states delays in receiving school records from other countries and variances in attendance, curriculum, or other policies should not delay the student’s admittance to their Virginia school.
The bill passed the Education and Health committee 15-0 and is in the Senate.
SB1238 Health insurance; cost sharing for breast examinations.
This bill prohibits health insurance carriers from requiring cost sharing (such as copayments or deductibles) for diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations under certain health insurance policies, subscription contracts, and healthcare plans in Virginia, starting January 1, 2026. The bill defines these examinations to include diagnostic mammography, breast MRI, and breast ultrasound. This legislation is based on a recommendation from the Health Insurance Reform Commission.
The bill was incorporated with SB1436, which passed the Senate 40-0.
SB1289 Public elementary and secondary schools; nutritional standards for school meals and other foods.
This bill prohibits public elementary and secondary schools from offering or making students any foods that contain one of seven artificial dyes. The prohibited dyes include Red No. 3 and No. 40.
The bill passed the Education and Health committee and is in the Senate.
SB1443 Income tax; state; establishes car tax credit.
This bill would offer a tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2027 to individuals who meet certain criteria in order to offset personal property taxes on vehicles. The bill notes that the personal property tax relief program has not been adjusted for changes in population, number of vehicles, and average vehicle value since 2004, when it established a $950 million program to distribute tax relief statewide.
The bill was passed indefinitely in the Finance and Appropriation Committee.
Jeremy McPike (D) represents District 29, which encompasses parts of Prince William and Stafford Counties. He is the Chair of the Local Government Committee, and serves on the Commerce and Labor, Finance and Appropriations, General Laws and Technology, and Rules committees.
McPike is listed as Patron or Co-Patron on 40 bills. We explored a few:
SB1301 Workers’ compensation benefits; post-traumatic stress disorder incurred by firefighters, etc.
The bill extends the duration of workers’ compensation benefits for law enforcement officers and firefighters suffering from mental health disorders incurred in the line of duty. It increases the maximum duration for anxiety or depressive disorders from 52 weeks to 104 weeks, and for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from 52 weeks to 500 weeks.
This bill passed the Commerce and Labor Committee 15-0 and was referred to Finance and Appropriations on Jan. 20.
HJ1 Constitutional amendment; fundamental right to reproductive freedom (first reference).
Senator McPike was the Senate patron for this bill; Del. Cole and many others were patrons in the House.
This bill affirms that every individual has a fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including decisions related to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care. This right can only be restricted by a compelling state interest and the least restrictive means.
The Commonwealth can regulate abortion in the third trimester, but cannot prohibit it when necessary to protect the health or life of the individual, or if the fetus is not viable.
The bill passed 21-18 on Jan. 31. Vote detail was not available at the time of writing.
SB1312 Real property tax; high exemption locality reimbursements.
This bill would establish a reimbursement program for high exemption localities starting in tax year 2025. These localities will receive 50% reimbursement from the Commonwealth for the exemption value of real property that is exempt from taxes for disabled veterans or surviving spouses of fallen service members.
The exemption value is based on real property exceeding one percent of the locality’s total property value in 2022. A “high exemption locality” is defined as a locality where at least one percent of real property was exempt for these reasons in 2022.
The bill also mandates the Department to assist local revenue commissioners with data for administering the program. The bill would take effect on July 1, 2025, if passed during the 2025 General Assembly session.
This bill was passed by indefinitely on Jan. 23 by the Finance and Appropriations Committee with a 7-6 vote.
SJ249 Constitutional amendment; marriage between two adult persons, etc., (first reference).
This bill affirms the right of two adult persons to marry, regardless of their sex, gender, or race, and prohibits the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions from denying a marriage license based on these factors. It also mandates that all lawful marriages be recognized and treated equally under the law.
This amendment repeals the provision that defined marriage as only between one man and one woman, along with related provisions invalidated by the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.
This bill passed Jan. 21 with a 24-15 vote. McPike and Durant both voted Yea.
SB1303 Public elementary and secondary schools; diabetes medical care and management in public schools.
This bill makes several changes to how public schools manage and care for students with diabetes. Students with parental consent and a provider’s approval may carry and use diabetic care supplies and manage their condition independently while at school. School Boards must ensure a certain number of school employees complete diabetes care training, and the bill expands the care services that school employees may assist with.
The bill is in the Senate.
SB1306 Taxation, Department of; repealing Virginia Free File Tax program.
This bill directs the state Tax Commissioner to end the Virginia Free File program and its agreement with the Consortium for Virginia.
It requires the Tax Commissioner to develop a new free individual state income tax filing program, starting in taxable year 2028, which will be similar to and compatible with the federal IRS Direct File program. To create this program, the Tax Commissioner must work with the IRS through a memorandum of understanding.
The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on Saturday, Feb. 22. Senators will continue introducing and reviewing bills throughout the period.
The Virginia House of Delegates Subcommittee of the Cities, Counties, and Towns Committee rejected a bill that sought to regulate the siting of data centers near schools, parks, and residential areas. Delegate Ian Lovejoy (R-22, Prince William County) presented HB1984, which would have required local government approval for data center developments only if they were located at least a quarter mile away from such properties. The subcommittee voted 8-0 to “lay the bill on the table,” effectively killing it.
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A bill to protect individuals experiencing homelessness by prohibiting criminal penalties for seeking temporary shelter in legally parked vehicles failed to advance in the Virginia House of Delegates Subcommittee of the Cities, Counties, and Towns Committee. HB2602, introduced by Delegate Joshua Cole (D-65, Fredericksburg), sought to address homelessness by ensuring humane treatment and temporary shelter solutions.
The bill would have prohibited localities from enforcing ordinances penalizing individuals for sleeping or seeking refuge in legally parked cars. Additionally, it required localities to make reasonable efforts to provide temporary shelter, including using government-owned property and stipulated that no individual could be detained solely for public camping unless they posed an immediate public threat or were offered alternative shelter.
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On January 24, 2025, the Virginia House of Delegates Cities, Counties, and Towns Committee reviewed several critical bills advanced. A charter amendment for the Town of Dumfries was unanimous, while a proposal to protect unhoused individuals seeking shelter in vehicles was rejected.
Dumfries Charter Amendment Advances
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With contraception rights under scrutiny nationwide, Virginia Democrats are doubling down on efforts to safeguard access, even as they brace for potential pushback from Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the Virginia Mercury reports.
House Bill 1716, introduced by Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News, passed the House of Delegates on Thursday, while a companion bill from Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, cleared the Senate Education and Health Committee.
Last year, similar bills passed both chambers with bipartisan support but were ultimately vetoed by Youngkin.
By Sarah Roderick Fitch
(The Center Square) – Three amendments are one step closer to being enshrined in the Virginia Constitution after passing the Senate on Tuesday. These amendments address abortion rights, marriage equality, and the restoration of voting rights for formerly incarcerated felons.
The resolutions on abortion and voting rights passed along party lines, while the marriage equality resolution received bipartisan support with a 24-15 vote. Democrats currently hold a 21-19 majority in the Senate for the four-year terms through December 2027.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin cannot veto constitutional amendments. The process requires these amendments to be approved twice over two years, with a legislative election in between. If approved again, the proposed amendments will appear on the 2026 ballot for voters’ consideration.
The abortion amendment aims to protect reproductive freedom in Virginia. It ensures individuals have the right to make decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care. Republicans proposed amendments to the resolution, including parental consent for minors and a clause guaranteeing a baby’s rights if born alive. These proposals failed.
The second amendment pertains to restoring voting rights for individuals convicted of felonies. According to the amendment, “A person who has been convicted of a felony shall not be entitled to vote during any period of incarceration for such felony conviction, but upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him, such person shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote.” This represents a shift from the current system, which requires the governor or another authority to restore voting rights.
The third amendment would define marriage as a union between “two adult persons” and repeal the prohibition on same-sex marriage. The amendment further states, “The amendment prohibits the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions from denying the issuance of a marriage license to two adult persons seeking a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of such persons.” The resolution repeals outdated constitutional provisions invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision.
Senate Republicans criticized the votes and referenced comments made by former Gov. Ralph Northam in 2019 regarding infanticide. The Virginia Senate GOP stated in a post on X, “Today, EVERY SINGLE Democrat in the Virginia Senate voted to reject an amendment that would guarantee a baby’s rights to life if born ALIVE…It wasn’t a gaffe, it was the groundwork to where we are today.”
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, celebrated the passage of the resolutions, saying, “Senate Democrats ran on codifying Roe v. Wade, affirming marriage equality, and excising Jim Crow from the Constitution of Virginia, and today we delivered. This starts the process of giving Virginia voters a chance to affirm cherished rights.”
A debate over proposed legislation targeting panhandling in road medians sparked a spirited discussion among Stafford County Supervisors during their January 21 meeting. The proposed bill, sponsored by Delegate Paul Milde (R-64, Stafford County), seeks to impose fines on motorists and pedestrians who exchange items in roadway medians to improve safety and reduce traffic disruptions.
The legislation was also a topic of discussion on the Potomac Local News Podcast, where Milde elaborated on his rationale behind the bill in an interview with Publisher Uriah Kiser.
Safety and Traffic Flow Concerns
During the podcast, Milde emphasized the safety and traffic issues posed by panhandling in medians.
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Virginia Mercury: "Virginia lawmakers are moving forward with a bill to crack down on the misuse of the “homeless” designation by school officials to recruit student athletes. House Bill 1656, introduced by Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, also prohibits officials from accepting money or gifts intended to influence a student’s decision to transfer schools for athletic purposes.
The legislation narrowly advanced to the full House on an 11-10 party-line vote in the House Education Committee. No lawmakers spoke on the bill ahead of the vote.
The bill comes in the wake of multiple controversies involving high school sports programs. In November, the Virginia High School League (VHSL) found Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria violated its eligibility rules for transferring by allowing multiple students to play on its football team."
