by Jackie Nunnery
RICHMOND—The General Assembly opened the 2026 session on Wednesday, January 14. Lawmakers in both the House and Senate quickly passed four proposed constitutional amendments.
Amendments providing a fundamental right to reproductive freedom; automatically restoring a convicted felon’s right to vote upon release; affirming the right to marry and make a marriage between two individuals; and giving the General Assembly the power to modify one or more congressional districts outside of the standard 10-year cycle should any other state choose to redistrict will now go on to voters at the next general election.
Legislation of note
Among other legislation of note, House Bill 1/Senate Bill 1 introduced by Del. Jeion Ward and Sen. Louise Lucas would increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2028 with annual wage adjustments tied to the consumer price index after that. According to the Virginia State Legislative Information System (lis.virginia.gov), the bills have been assigned to the respective committees on labor and commerce.
House Bill 12/Senate Bill 7, introduced by Del. Joseph McNamara and Sen. David 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 $3,000 for individuals and $6,000 for couples filing jointly. The bills have been assigned to the respective committees on finance.
House Bill 13/Senate Bill 9 also introduced by McNamara and Suetterlein, would eliminate the 1% sales and use tax on food and essential hygiene products beginning July 1, 2026. The bills also would compensate….
