2021 Priority VA Legislation

★ Prefiling for the 2022 Regular Session begins Nov 15, 2021.

The 2021 VA Legislative session ended Monday, March 1. Both houses voted to adjourn Sine Die (without naming a day to reconvene).

Items marked 'Failed' on list below were passed by both houses—but in different forms. Compromise wording, put together in 'Conference Committee', failed to pass one of the houses.

Hover over colored blocks for more info. Click on blocks and blue text for more info in LIS site.

Priority Bills

Cat House Senate GA / Gov Number Summary Chief Patron Click Chief Patron to see other Patrons. update
guns Passed Passed Signed HB 2128 Firearms; criminal history record information check delay increased to five days Lopez (D) 3/11
elections Stricken SB 1101 Presidential electors; National Popular Vote Compact. Ebbin (D) 3/11
guns Passed Passed Accepted: Gov Rec SB 1381 Weapons; possessing or transporting within Capitol Square, etc. Ebbin (D) 3/11
workers Passed Defeated HB 1786 Minimum wage; farm laborers or farm employees. Ward (D) 3/11
animals Tabled Passed SB 1390 Cats; trap, neuter, and return programs, civil penalty. Lewis 3/11
guns Defeated SB 1382 Firearms; purchase, etc., following conviction for assault and battery of a family member. Barbara Favola 3/11
Oppose ➔ environment Passed Passed Signed SB 1164 Unregulated Plastic Chemical Conversion Plants Emmett Hanger 1/23
campaign finance Passed Left HB 1952 Campaign finance; prohibited personal use, child care exception. Marcus Simon 1/1
elections Passed PBI HB 2082 Transparency in Redistricting Process. Mark Levine 1/1
environment Passed Passed Signed SB 1265 Natural gas pipelines; stop work orders. Creigh Deeds 1/1
education Passed Passed Approved HB 1904 Teachers and other licensed school board employees; cultural competency. Clint Jenkins 12/3
education Passed Passed HJ 537 Racism; General Assembly to recognize as a public health crisis. Lashrecse Aird 12/3
guns Passed Passed Approved HB 1992 Firearms possession following domestic abuse conviction. Kathleen Murphy 4/29
cjr Passed Passed Accepted: Gov Rec HB 2047 Criminal proceedings; consideration of mental condition and intellectual, etc. Jeffrey Bourne 4/9
guns Passed Passed Accepted: Gov Rec HB 2295 Firearm or stun weapon; carrying within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, state-owned bldgs. Mark Levine 4/9
cjr Passed Passed Accepted: Gov Rec HB 2312 Marijuana; legalization of simple possession, etc. Charniele Herring 4/9
environment Passed Passed Signed SB 1311 Water quality standards; modification of permits and certifications. Jennifer McClellan 4/3
environment Passed Passed Signed HB 1979 EV Rebate Program. David Reid 4/3
women Passed Passed Signed HB 1817 Certified nurse midwives; practice. Dawn Adams 4/1
environment Passed Passed Signed HB 2118 Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Fund and Program; created, report. Mark Keam 4/1
housing Passed Passed Signed HB 2053 Accessory Dwelling Units Ibraheem Samirah 4/1
environment Passed Passed Signed HB 2227 Uniform Statewide Building Code; energy efficiency and conservation. Kaye Kory 4/1
guns Passed Passed Signed HB 1909 School board property, certain; establishment of gun-free zone permitted. Suhas Subramanyam 4/1
women Passed Passed Signed SB 1310 Employment; domestic service; Human Rights Act. Jennifer McClellan 3/31
workers Passed Passed Signed HB 2137 Paid sick leave; employers to provide to certain employees. Elizabeth Guzman 3/31
guns Passed Passed Signed HB 2081 Polling places; prohibited activities, unlawful possession of a firearm, penalty. Mark Levine 3/31
cjr Passed Passed Signed HB 2263 Death penalty; abolition of current penalty. MichaelMullin 3/27
cjr Passed Passed Signed SB 1165 Death penalty; abolition of current penalty. Scott Surovell 3/27
women Passed Passed Signed SB 1227 Hormonal contraceptives; payment of medical assistance for 12-month supply. Jennifer Boysko 3/21
environment Passed Passed Signed HB 1965 Low and Zero Emissions Vehicle program. Lamont Bagby 3/21
women Passed Passed Signed SB 1316 Child care providers; background check portability, subsidy pilot program, report. Jennifer McClellan 3/21
agriculture Passed Passed Signed HB 2068 Local Food and Farming Infrastructure Grant Program; established. Sam Rasoul 3/21
women Passed Passed Signed HB 2212 Children's Services Act; effective monitoring and implementation. Ken Plum 3/21
women Passed Passed Signed HB 2002 Child support; health care coverage. Ibraheem Samirah 3/21
women Passed Passed Signed HB 1896 Allows plans with abortion coverage to be traded on the state exchange Sally Hudson 3/16
women Passed Passed Signed SB 1276 Essential health benefits; abortion coverage. Jennifer McClellan 3/16
voting rights Passed Passed Enrolled SJ 272 Constitutional amendment; qualifications of voters and the right to vote (first reference). Mamie Locke 3/16
voting rights Passed Passed Enrolled HJ 555 Constitutional amendment; felon disenfranchisement. Charniele Herring 3/16
guns Passed Passed Failed HB 2276 Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, sale, transfer, etc., penalty. Marcus Simon 3/1
environment Passed Passed Failed SB 1380 Electric utilities; electric school bus projects. Louise Lucas 3/1
cjr Passed Passed Failed SB 1443 Mandatory minimum sentences; elimination, modification of sentence to mandatory minimum term. John Edwards 3/1
cjr Incorp HB 1815 Marijuana; legalization of cultivation, manufacture, sale, possession, and testing, penalties. Steve Heretick 2/19
environment Passed PBI HB 2200 Electric Utilities; Triennial Review. Jay Jones 2/17
campaign finance Passed Passed HJ 526 Comprehensive campaign finance reform; joint subcommittee to study. 2/17
environment Passed PBI HB 2048 Electric utility regulation; purchasing from competitive suppliers. Jeffrey Bourne 2/16
women PBI SB 1228 Virginia Equal Pay Act; civil penalties. Jennifer Boysko 2/10
women Left HB 1922 Medical assistance; coverage for reproductive health services. Cia Price 2/10
cjr Tabled HB 2226 Criminal street gang reporting; notice & process for contesting entry of information into databases. Kaye Kory 2/10
workers Left HB 2016 Paid family and medical leave program; Virginia Employment Commission required to establish. Hala Ayala 2/10
workers Left HB 1755 'Right to work' law; repeals provisions of Code that refers to denial or abridgement. Lee Carter 2/10
environment Left HB 2292 Fossil fuel projects; establishes a moratorium, effective January 1, 2022, etc. Josh Cole 2/10
environment Incorp HB 2057 Electric utilities; triennial review. Lee Ware 2/10
workers PBI SB 1330 Paid family and medical leave program; Virginia Employment Commission to establish. Jennifer Boysko 2/10
environment Left SB 1224 Uniform Statewide Building Code; amendments, energy efficiency and conservation. Jennifer Boysko 2/10
elections Defeated SB 1236 Prohibited contributions to candidates. Chapman Petersen 2/10
campaign finance Left HB 1906 Prohibits contributions from corporations, civil penalty. Lee Carter 2/10
campaign finance Left HB 1756 Campaign finance; prohibited contributions to candidates. Ibraheem Samirah 2/10
elections Left HB 1933 Presidential electors; National Popular Vote Compact. Mark Levine 2/10

KEY + —
Click on bill no. for full summary. Click on Patron name for additional patrons (sponsors).
Signed Signed by Governor.
Enrolled Sent to the Governor, but not yet signed.
Passed Passed House or Senate.
Comm In Committee. Hover to see committee name. Click to see members.
Read1/2/3 Read in chamber.
Reported Approved by Comm.
Recommends Recommended by Subcommittee.
Left Left in committee.
Incorp Incorporated into another bill.
PBI. Passed by Indefinitely.
Stricken Bill withdrawn.
  Defeated.

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Other Legislation

2022 Virginia Legislation
2020 Virginia Legislation
2021 US Legislation


Glossary

Dillon Rule. Restricts local government authority to enact ordinances.

Conference Committee. A temporary committee w. members from both the House and Senate, tasked with reconciling differences in legislation that passed both chambers.

Continued/Carried over. Action taken in an even-numbered year to postpone the consideration of a measure until the next regular session of the General Assembly.

Crossover. The last day for a bill to pass out of the chamber in which it was introduced and move forward for consideration in the opposite chamber. If a bill does not move forward, it is "Left" (dead).

Engrossed. A legislative stage when a bill passes the second reading in the House of origin. Every bill has to be "read" on the floor three times before voting on it. The action or any debate or discussion usually comes on the day of the second reading or the third reading.

Enrolled. Legislation which has passed both the House of Delegates and the Senate, signed by the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, sent to the Governor, but not yet signed.

Failed to report. Defeated. The rejection of a motion to 'report' a bill to the full chamber.

Incorporated. Rolled into someone another bill. Either because they're identical, or they have incorporated *some* of the language in, and the patron agreed to have her name on the other bill.

Patron. Bill sponsor. There can be many patrons.

PBI. Passed by Indefinitely. Action to allow a committee to reconsider legislation at a later meeting. If the committee takes no further action, the bill is dead. [Usually the bill is dead.]

Referred. The assignment of legislation to another standing committee with no stance on the policy of the measure (neither endorses nor rejects the legislation).

Reported. The approval of a measure by the majority of the committee. The legislation may be reported by the committee with or without amendments. A bill may also be reported and referred to another committee.

Stricken. Legislation removed from a committee's docket, frequently at the request of the patron.

More definitions from League of Women Voters Virginia
More definitions from University of Virginia