by Jackie Nunnery
RICHMOND—With the approach of the second Wednesday in January comes the opening of the 2026 session of the General Assembly on January 14. This being an even year, lawmakers will have an extended 60-day session to push through legislation.
According to the Virginia Legislative Information System (lis.virginia.gov), pre-filed legislation includes House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1, introduced by District 87 Del. Jeion A. Ward and District 18 Sen. L. Louise Lucas, to increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2028 with annual wage adjustments tied to the consumer price index after that.
House Bill 12 and Senate Bill 7, introduced by District 40 Del. Joseph P. McNamara and District 4 Sen. David R. Suetterlein, would make permanent the standard deductions of $8,750 for individuals and $17,500 for couples filing jointly. If not passed the deductions would revert to….
