The General Assembly passed three proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution. We will have to pass each of these amendments again in the 2026 session before they can head directly to voters next November.

I had the honor of carrying one of our three proposed constitutional amendments, HJ2, which ensures the automatic restoration rights for returning citizens. Virginia remains the only state in the country that permanently disenfranchises people with felony convictions unless they individually petition the Governor for rights restoration. The proposed amendment also provides an affirmative fundamental right to vote for qualified voters and strengthens protections for individuals with disabilities.

We also advanced amendments to protect reproductive freedom and marriage equality in the Virginia Constitution. HJ1 would guarantee the right to the full continuum of reproductive care, including prenatal care, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, and IVF. HJ9 would repeal current language in our state constitution that prohibits same-sex marriage.

I passed eight other bills this session and five of these were signed into law. These bills will:

Make our tax code more fair by eliminating a tax break for multimillionaires. A study found that this tax credit was ineffective in its goal and ending it will return around $5 million annually for better uses. (HB2653)
Improve access to seizure rescue medications in schools. (HB2104)
Address school bus driver staffing shortages. (HB1993)
Cut red-tape and unnecessary costs for small businesses by studying whether small businesses that provide certain workshops should remain regulated like colleges and universities. (HB1995)
Ensure that public notices to inform citizens of local government actions can continue to be published in local newspapers that are published weekly. (HB1996)

A non-exhaustive list of other new laws this year can be found on here. You can see all the bills I co-patroned here.

Unfortunately, three of my bills were vetoed by the Governor. These bills would have:

Kept illegal guns out of the hands of convicted domestic abusers. (HB1960)
Preserved affordable housing by allowing localities to establish a right of first refusal to purchase publicly funded affordable housing developments when their affordability expires. (HB1973)
Ensured that restaurants and other locations that sell alcohol provide free tap water to customers to promote public health and safety. (HB1994)

A list of other bills that were vetoed can be found here.

Two of my bills did not make it out of the General Assembly. One would have provided school breakfast for all (HB1958). Although there was consensus that the current bureaucratic system leaves too many children behind and that, just as we provide books and buses for all, we should provide meals because students need full bellies to learn, the cost unfortunately could not be funded this year. The other bill would have supported our childcare infrastructure by prioritizing childcare eligible workers for the Child Care Subsidy (HB1959). This bill passed the House with very strong bipartisan support (85-12), but the Senate sent the bill to the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission to study this summer.

Delegate

Elizabeth Bennett-Parker

for Virginia's 39th Senate District