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The Governor gave the State of the Commonwealth address a couple of days late on Monday morning, January 13th, officially kicking off our 2025 legislative session!

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“With these amendments, today we’re making our constitution a little bit more free, more Democratic, and more equal and I’m proud to support them.” - Sen. VanValkenburg

On Tuesday, January 14th, on the Senate Privileges & Elections Committee, I dedicated my legislative efforts to supporting three key constitutional amendments, including the fundamental rights to reproductive freedom, to vote, and to marry. Thanks to the invaluable advocacy and powerful voices of my constituents, and with my “yes” vote, all three proposed amendments were successfully reported. Here is a quick overview of the constitutional amendments:

Constitutional Amendment SJ247 - Provides that every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom and that such right shall not be denied, burdened, or infringed upon unless justified by a compelling state interest, defined within the text of the amendment, and achieved by the least restrictive means. 

Constitutional Amendment SJ248 - The amendment provides that 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.

Constitutional Amendment SJ249 - Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman as well as the related provisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United States Supreme Court decision. 

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Here I am speaking during the committee meeting to introduce our SOL and school assessment reform bill.

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During this year’s General Assembly session, my priorities for legislation include social media regulation for children, clean energy, increasing housing affordability and availability, and improving K-12 testing, among many other important issues. To read my recent op-ed about my housing bills, go here. To read my recent op-ed about overhauling K-12 assessments, go here.

This week, several of my bills were unanimously advanced to the next stage in the process. On Wednesday, my SB 1014, which prohibits any state agency from requiring a bachelor’s degree as a prerequisite for employment in a governmental job, with few exceptions, was reported (15-Y, 0-N) out of the Senate Committee on General Laws & Technology and referred to Finance & Appropriations. On Thursday, two of my education bills were, also unanimously, recommended for advancement. SB 855 aims to overhaul K-12 assessments to make them higher quality and a better use of instructional time. SB 955 seeks to increase access of students in resource-deprived public schools to high quality instructional materials and textbooks. Finally, on Friday, January 17th, my SB 1015, which amends the definition of state code of "practice of chiropractic" to include recommending or directing patients on the use of vitamins, minerals, or food supplements, was also unanimously recommended to be reported to the full Ed & Health Committee

Short descriptions of each of my remaining bills along with their status are outlined below:

SB 822 - Prohibits any public school teacher from participating in non-academic training more than once within six months of employment and more than once within five years afterwards. In addition, this bill stipulates that the training the teacher is required to participate in pursuant to state law or regulation shall not exceed 20 hours every five years. 

Status: This bill will be heard in the Public Education Subcommittee of the Senate Education & Health Committee in the afternoon on Monday, January 20th. 

SB 838 - Changes the civil penalty for violating recovery residence laws to a Class 1 misdemeanor. It also directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to form a workgroup to recommend oversight measures and create credentialing guidelines for recovery residences.

Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Rehabilitation & Social Services Committee which convenes on Friday mornings.

SB 839 - Requires localities to allow by-right development of multifamily housing in commercial and business zones. It also speeds up the review process for residential projects that reserve at least 10% of units for low-income households.

Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Local Government Committee and will be heard on Monday morning, January 20th. 

SB 840 - Requires social media users who engage children 14 years of age or older in content creation for the user’s own account and purposes to establish a trust so that these children are ensured to be properly compensated when the child achieves 18 years of age. In addition, SB 840 prohibits utilizing a child under 14 years of age for content creation purposes.

Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce & Labor and will be heard in the afternoon on Monday, January 20th. 

SB 854 - Prohibits an individual who operates a social media platform that has knowledge of a person younger than 18 years of age on their platform from using an addictive feed unless otherwise authorized by parental consent. SB 854 defines an addictive feed as media that is recommended or displayed on the user’s device based on information associated with the user or the user’s device.

Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on General Laws & Technology which convenes on Wednesday afternoon.

SB 871 - Extends from 2025 to 2028 the expiration of the retail sales and use tax exemption for certain printed materials purchased by an advertising business from a printer in the Commonwealth, so long as such materials are distributed outside of the Commonwealth.

Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations which convenes on Thursdays in the late afternoon.

SB 974 - Will expedite the need for a planning and governing body approval in the administrative review process of plats and plans, transferring full approval authority to a designated agent.

Status - This bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Local Government which convenes on Monday mornings.

SB 975 - Requires local governments to increase their housing by 7.5% over a five-year period, with an average growth rate of 1.5% per year. If localities do not meet this requirement, then their authority over residential housing is removed and given over to state officials.

Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Local Government and will be heard on Monday morning, January 20th. 

SB 1040 - Updates several of Dominion Energy Virginia’s renewable energy portfolio standard programs. Under the pilot program, it’ll eliminate the need for a solar and wind powered generating plant to have a minimum capacity of 50 kilowatts in order to be eligible for the third party power purchase agreement.

Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce & Labor which convenes on Monday afternoons.

SB 1119 - This bill provides that presidential primaries should be on the same date at the November election in presidential elections years. All primaries need to be held on the same day.

Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections which convenes on Tuesday afternoons.

Whether it is your first General Assembly session or your seventh, like it is mine, deciphering the language we use to discuss legislation around Capitol Square can be tricky. To visit the main General Assembly site pertaining to legislation, go here. Below is a helpful graphic showing how to read a bill and a glossary of some common terms and motions.

- The regular font shows you what the Code of Virginia already says.
- Italicized font means that language is being added to the Code of Virginia. 
- Strikethrough means that language will be removed from the Code of Virginia. 
- Bold font indicates a title or headers.

- Patron: The Delegate or Senator who introduced a bill.
- Co-Patron: A Delegate or Senator who supports the bill and signed on in support.
- First Reading: The bill is placed on the Senate or House floor calendar. 
- Second Reading: The bill is open for discussion on the Senate or House floor. 
- Third Reading: The bill is voted on the Senate or House floor. 
- Crossover: When all the bills that passed one body (Senate or House) “crossover” to the other body.
- Report: This motion is made to vote on the passage of a bill in committee. 
- Refer: This motion is made when a bill is being reported and referred to another committee for review and consideration. 
- Pass by for the Day: When a bill is still up for consideration but the committee or the patron needs more time to work on the bill. It is considered again during the next committee meeting. This motion can also be made on the Senate or House floor. 
- Lay on the table: This means the bill fails to pass.
- Pass by Indefinitely: This means the bill fails to pass. 
- Continued: The bill fails to pass but will be considered next year after more research/discussion, often accompanied by a workgroup that convenes between sessions. 
- Sine Die: The Senate and House have completed their work and session adjourns.

If you would like to reach out and discuss any of my legislative priorities, share an opinion, or if you’d like me to come and share a legislative update at a community or organization meeting, please do not hesitate to contact my office at [email protected]. 

Yours in service,