Good afternoon,
Hello from Richmond! After a few days of delay due to the Richmond water crisis, the 2025 legislative session is up and running, and I wanted to share with you my legislative agenda for the year.
The following list of legislation contains some of the highlights of my 20 bills this year:
Gun Violence Prevention:
SB848: Raises the age to purchase an assault firearm to 21 years old. The age to purchase handguns is already 21, and multiple recent high-profile mass shootings have been committed by individuals under 21.
SB891: Requires a five-day waiting period before purchasing a firearm. This measure will particularly help prevent impulsive acts of gun violence and suicide. Research suggests that waiting periods could reduce gun homicide by up to 17% and gun suicide by up to 11%.
Budget Amendment 391#6s: Appropriates Federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act funding for Substantial Risk Orders (also known as Red Flag laws) to train and promote the law among state and local law enforcement and commonwealth’s attorneys.
Housing Supply and Affordability:
SB932: Would allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) statewide, while allowing localities the flexibility to develop their own ordinances and guidelines. Increasing the supply of housing is crucial to solving our housing affordability crisis.
SB1011: Adds the City of Falls Church to the Affordable Dwelling Unit Program, aligning it with other Northern Virginia localities. This amendment enhances the city’s resources to address the ongoing affordable housing crisis.
SB1400: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act: Bans software such as RealPage, which uses an algorithms to artificially inflate rent prices above fair market levels. The Washington Post recently published an article about the use of such software in our region: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2025/realpage-lawsuit-rent-map/
Environment
SB1166: Requires signage at retail establishments that sell invasive plants, educating consumers about the potential harm these plants pose to the environment. Invasive plants annually cost the Virginia economy over one billion dollars and cause significant ecological damage. This legislation aims to empower consumers to make informed purchasing decisions.
SB1171: Grants local governments the authority to restrict the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. These leaf blowers employ two-stroke engines that emit excessive noise and pollution. One hour of leaf blower usage generates the same emissions as driving a car over 1,100 miles!
SB1165: Prohibits local governments from exploiting loopholes to prohibit the development of solar power within their jurisdictions.
Budget Amendment 109 #7s: Allocates $20 million annually to the Electric Vehicle Rebate Program, providing rebates on electric vehicles. Additionally, lower-income Virginians will be eligible for additional rebates.
Budget Amendment 999 #10s: Amends the $9 million appropriated to the City of Falls Church for stormwater projects, enhancing the city’s flexibility in managing its stormwater infrastructure.
Fighting for Working Families
SB920: Ensures that the families of first responders who succumb to occupational throat cancer are eligible for benefits. While Virginia’s worker’s compensation laws cover throat cancer, they lack specific definition, leading to the denial or delay of claims by grieving families.
SB954: Requires insurers and the state Medicaid plan to cover fertility treatments for individuals diagnosed with cancer. This legislation would enable those undergoing cancer treatments that may impact their fertility to still have a family in the future, if they so desire.
Miscellaneous Bills:
SB1009: Allows additional local governments to opt-in to ranked choice voting systems.
SB1161: AI Transparency Act. Requires developers of generative artificial intelligence systems made available within the Commonwealth to ensure that any generative artificial intelligence system that produces audio, images, text, or video content includes a clear and conspicuous disclosure meeting specific requirements outlined in the bill.
To see and follow the full list of my bills, please visit SalimVA.com/2025
In addition to my own bills, there are numerous other important pieces of legislation moving through the General Assembly this year. Here are some updates on those pieces of legislation:
Constitutional Amendments
This year, the House and Senate Democratic caucuses have prioritized three amendments to Virginia's constitution. In Virginia, all constitutional amendments must be passed by the General Assembly twice, with a House of Delegates election in between. After that, it goes to the voters in a statewide referendum to approve. The Governor does not get a say in the amendment process and cannot veto an amendment.
