Spanberger signs more bills, vetoes others

In the days before the April 13 deadline, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed dozens of bills into law that had been passed by the General Assembly to expand workforce opportunities, strengthen schools, curb gun violence, and much more. She also vetoed several bills, including the closely watched measure on a casino in Tysons.

Among the bills signed by Spanberger:

Workers

Minimum wage – HB1 (Del. Jeion Ward – Hampton) and SB1 (Sen. L. Louise Lucas – Portsmouth) – Increases the minimum wage incrementally to $13.75 an hour by Jan.1, 2027, and $15 an hour on Jan. 1, 2028.

Tax relief – HB915 (Del. Alfonso Lopez – Arlington) – Allows localities to give federal workers who are furloughed or working without pay during a government shutdown an extension on personal property tax payments.

DOGE victims – HB494 (Del. Elizabeth Guzman – Nokesville) – Helps federal employees fired by DOGE or terminated due to federal budget cuts get jobs in state government.

Apprenticeships – HB275 (Del. Sam Rasoul – Roanoke) and SB10 (Sen. David Suetterlein -Roanoke) – Allows high school students to start an apprenticeship in culinary arts or information technology.

Nurse aides – HB413 (Del. Elizabeth Guzman – Nokesville) – Strengthens the healthcare workforce by creating a new program to help high school students train to become certified nurse aides.

Wind industry workers – HB67 (Del. Michael Feggans – Virginia Beach) and SB25 (Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy) – Directs the Department of Energy to develop training resources to expand the offshore wind industry workforce.

Firearms

Intimate partner loophole – HB19 (Del. Adele McClure – Arlington) and SB160 (Sen. Russet Perry – Leesburg) – Prohibits intimate partners convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes from possessing a firearm.

Ghost guns – HB40 (Del. Marcus Simon – Falls Church) and SB323 (Sen. Adam Ebbin – Alexandria) – Bans the manufacture, sale, and possession of untraceable firearms without serial numbers that law enforcement cannot track.

Gun violence – HB21 (Del. Dan Helmer – Clifton) and SB27 (Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy – Woodbridge) – Allows firearm manufacturers and dealers to be held legally accountable when negligent business practices contribute to gun violence.

Related story: Spanberger vetoes casino bill

Schools

New schools – HB544 (Del. Alex Askew – Virginia Beach) and SB498 (Sen. Lashrecse Aird – Petersburg) – Supports new investment in K-12 schools by making the Commission on School Construction and Modernization permanent and requiring a 10-year roadmap for capital improvements.

School performance – HB924 (Del. Sam Rasoul – Roanoke) – Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to implement a state program to support the improvement of low-performing schools based on school accountability standards established by the Board of Education.

SOLs – HB299 (Del. Dan Helmer – Clifton) and SB200 (Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg – Richmond) – Strengthens the administration of Standards of Learning assessments by exempting students with disabilities from certain requirements and limits the number of assessments for students in grades 7-12.

School ratings – HB1243 (Del. Israel O’Quinn – Bristol) – Ensures state accountability ratings based on SOL scores accurately reflect student achievement growth.

Student phones – SB108 (Sen. Stella Pekarsky – Centreville) – Strengthens the ban on students’ cell phones and smart devices “bell to bell.”

Financial aid – HB1221 (Del. Briana Sewell – Woodbridge) and SB167 (Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg – Richmond) – Cuts red tape by streamlining Virginia’s higher education financial aid programs to reduce confusion and help students apply for financial assistance.

Career training – SB592 (Sen. Lamont Bagby – Richmond) – Aligns career and technical education course offerings with emerging industry and workforce needs.

Tech addiction – HB1486 (Del. Sam Rasoul – Roanoke) and SB568 (Senator Glen Sturtevant -Midlothian) – Requires instruction for students on the addictive potential of electronic devices.

Social media – SB245 (Sen. Christopher Head – Roanoke) – Prohibits schools from using social media as the sole method of communicating with students about school-related extracurricular activities.

Healthy meals – HB1086 (Del. Amy Laufer – Crozet) – Encourages K-12 schools to purchase fresh school meal ingredients from Virginia farmers and producers. 

Suicide prevention – HB957 (Del. Elizabeth Guzman – Nokesville) – Encourages K-12 schools to promote information about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to address bullying and cyberbullying.

Biometric data – HB971 (Del. Cia Price – Newport News) – Prohibits institutions of higher education from disclosing student athletes’ biometric data without their consent.

Safe driving – HB1352 (Del. Laura Jane Cohen – Burke) – Expands school safety education to emphasize the dangers of speeding and reckless driving.

Related story: Spanberger signs bills aimed at affordability

Sex offenders

Cyberstalking – SB673 (Sen. Tammy Brankley Mulchi – Clarksville) – Strengthens cyberstalking laws to protect Virginians from unwanted sexual or violent contact online.

Sex offenders – HB1387 (Del. Mike Cherry – Colonial Heights) – Automatically revokes teaching licenses for convicted sex offenders.

Sex offenders in parks – HB250 (Del. Vivian Watts – Annandale) and SB55 (Senator Danny Diggs – Yorktown) – Prohibits convicted sex offenders from visiting state parks for the purpose of contacting children.

Sexual extortion – HB629 (Del. Katrina Callsen – Charlottesville) – Prohibits threats to release sexually explicit images of another person in an attempt to get that person to engage in sexual acts. Also makes it a crime to produce explicit images of a person without their consent.

Obscene material – SB778 (Sen. Mark Obenshain – Harrisonburg) – Makes it a felony for anyone 18 or older to display obscene material to a minor under the age of 13.

Drivers ed – HB559 (Del. Scott Wyatt – Mechanicsville) and SB399 (Sen. Danny Diggs – Yorktown) – Prohibits convicted sex offenders from teaching driver education courses.

Domestic violence – HB1233 (Del. Karrie Delaney – Centreville) and SB329 (Senator Russet Perry – Leesburg) – Supports the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund by assessing a $500 fee for certain sexual and domestic violence convictions.

Human trafficking – SB95 (Sen. Danica Roem – Manassas) – Calls for the posting of signage at interstate highway rest areas to increase public awareness of human trafficking.

Another bill signed by Spanberger decriminalizes suicide. HB43, introduced by Del. Marcus Simon (Falls Church), abolishes the common-law crime of suicide and requires the Bureau of Insurance of the State Corporation Commission to review the impact on insurance.

The full list of legislation signed by Spanberger is available here.

Bills vetoed

Spanberger vetoed legislation to legalize skill gaming, noting that Virginia lacks an independent entity to regulate all legal gaming.

“The absence of a centralized regulatory authority for gaming creates gaps in oversight that threaten the Commonwealth of Virginia’s ability to provide consistent enforcement, prevent illicit activity, and protect all consumers,” she said.

Spanberger also vetoed legislation that would:

• Allow towing companies, garage operators, and mechanics to sell cars on their lots without a court order.

• Require mattress retailers to participate in a single recycling program and require Virginians to pay a new fee on all mattress purchases.

• Prohibit commonwealth’s attorneys from exercising their discretion to pursue felony convictions for drug offenses.

• Create a new offense with misdemeanor penalties for possession of drug residue, which would have made offenders ineligible for drug court.

Spanberger also recommended amendments to a long list of bills that had been passed by the General Assembly.

Bills that never made it out of the General Assembly would have expanded the sales tax to cover such services as gym memberships, dog walking, dog grooming, storage facility use, vehicle repairs, home repairs, counseling, and computer-related services.