Dear Jack,

Week Four of the General Assembly session marks an important moment in our time in Richmond. This week, the House adjudicated several of my bills (see below), with next week serving as the final opportunity for House legislation to move through committees. As the session continues, I remain focused on delivering thoughtful, effective legislation for our community. Thank you for staying engaged!

As the legislative session continues, I am pleased to share an overview and update of the bills on which I am serving as Chief Patron or Chief Co-Patron. This legislation reflects the priorities I hear from our community and my continued focus on delivering meaningful results.

Voting Rights

HB 71
Allows localities the option to respond to community needs in setting early voting hours for satellite locations. Passed Subcommittee.

Economy 

HB 557
Creates a business tax incentive for electric lawn equipment as a clean alternative to gas-powered equipment. Passed Committee.

HB 1021
Gives localities the authority they need to include affordable units in assisted living facilities. Continuing to 2027.

HB 1022
Protects Virginians from recurring payments for services they no longer want.

HB 594
Allows localities to adopt expedited, administrative zoning approvals for qualifying all-affordable housing developments that increase density and prioritizes such localities for state housing grants and loans. Passed the House. 

HB 402
Modernizes "home bakery" laws by removing sales limits and permitting online sales. Passed Committee.

Education

HB 125
Ensures year-round protection of teachers' due process rights. Passed Subcommittee.

HB 203
Establishes the Middle Eastern and North African Advisory Board to advise on further developing economic, professional, cultural, educational, and governmental links between the Commonwealth and the MENA community in Virginia. Continuing to 2027.

HB 814
Established a board to advise on social studies and history SOLs. Passed Subcommittee and referred to Appropriations. 

HB 1278
Ensures schools develop and share their language assistance plans so parents can be meaningfully included in the education of their children. Passed Subcommittee and referred to Appropriations. 

HB 1367
Requires VDOE to report ELL spending data to ensure proper funding is allocated to cover the actual cost of education for English language learner students. Passed Subcommittee and referred to Appropriations. 

HB 1323
Directs the VDOE to update the state’s school accountability and performance framework, giving families clear explanations and tools to understand how student growth and performance are measured. 

HJ 77
Establishes Nowruz, the Persian New Year, as an annual day celebrated in Virginia. Passed subcommittee. 

HB 31
Provides a $10,000 annual salary supplement to professionally licensed teachers working in Virginia’s highest-vacancy public schools to improve recruitment and retention. Laid on the table.

HB 201
Requires school boards to inform parents annually about the safe storage of prescription drugs and firearms in the home. Passed the House.  

HB 288
Requires the VDOE to post instructional resources on the Indigenous peoples of the Commonwealth developed by the Virginia Tribal Education Consortium. Passed the House. 

Community Safety

HB 123
Replaces mandatory juvenile license denials with judicial discretion, aligning consequences with rehabilitation rather than automatic punishment. Passed the House. 

HB 124
Ensures retired district court judges recalled to duty have the same protections as active judges.

HB 556
Amends the requirement to provide a Social Security Number when filing for divorce if one is not available. Passed Committee.

HB 1020
Ensures survivors of child sexual assault can pursue civil causes of action when new evidence emerges, strengthening accountability and public safety. Passed Committee. 

HB 46
Increase the maximum number of circuit court judges in Loudoun, subject to Judicial Council review, to better meet caseload and judicial staffing needs. Combined with HB 443.

Health

HB 794
Designates VDH to lead the coordination of a statewide plan in response to the opioid and fentanyl crisis. Passed Subcommittee and referred to Appropriations. 

HB 795
Requires health insurers to cover overdose reversal medication, expanding access to life-saving treatment. Passed Subcommittee and referred to Appropriations.

HB 1019
Ensures outpatient patient-level reporting so doctors can coordinate care more effectively. 

Military Families and Veterans Affairs

HB 1018
Creates a Veterans Work Group to develop a holistic, strategic plan to better serve veterans and address their needs across the Commonwealth. Continuing to 2027.

HB 137
Expands and phases in Virginia income tax subtractions for military benefits, ultimately exempting all qualifying military retirement and survivor benefits from state income tax. Passed Subcommittee and referred to Appropriations. 

HB 175
Expands Virginia’s real property tax exemption for surviving spouses of service members who died in the line of duty, allowing localities to provide a full exemption regardless of home value beginning in 2026. Passed the House. 

Budget Amendment
Provides funding to expand the V3 program to include military spouses. 

Are you interested in watching the hearing for a bill you are particularly passionate about? Are you looking for a way to give testimony for bills that you support or oppose? Are you wondering what’s in the state’s budget? The General Assembly has these services and more to allow you to participate and view the entire General Assembly Session!

Virginia Legislative Information System (“LIS”)

The Virginia Legislative Information System tracks bills from their introduction to their passage! You can create lists of bills that interest you through the lobbyist in a box feature, look through the calendar to find when important bills are being heard, and see the overall stats of this session.

Virginia General Assembly Website

The General Assembly website streams every floor session, committee, and subcommittee meeting, gives a detailed explanation on how a bill becomes a law in Virginia, and showcases the history of the General Assembly and the Capitol Building. If you are interested in watching meetings of the General Assembly or learning more about our legislative process, you can find it on the link below.

Navigating state agencies can be confusing and difficult at times. As the delegate for House District 27, I can help you communicate with state agencies such as the Virginia Employment Commission, Departments of Taxation, Social Services, Transportation, and more! I can also submit inquiries with those agencies on your behalf. There are limits to what I can do, however. For example, I am unable to expedite cases or force state agencies to favor your inquiry, provide legal advice or recommend a specific attorney, intervene with judicial issues, overturn decisions, or be involved with matters between private businesses. 

Whether you require my office’s assistance, want to bring an issue to my attention or invite me to a community event, please reach out here: https://atoosareaser.com/help/.

Alongside constituent services, I can submit drafts for commending and memorial resolutions. If you know of a person or organization in the district that deserves special recognition, please submit a request here: resolution request form.

If you or your group plan to visit Richmond—whether to speak with legislators, attend a floor session, or just enjoy a day trip—please stop by my office! My staff and I would love to discuss ideas for improving our community and address concerns facing our region. The best way to reach us is by email at [email protected] or by phone at (804) 698-1027.