VAPLAN
@vaplan.bsky.social
Virginia Progressive Legislative Alert Network: tracking and reporting on the Virginia General Assembly sessions
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2026 Week One: Time to get to work!
January 16, 2026
vaplan.substack.com
Week One newsletter is live, featuring quote of the week from @SenatorLocke and including a breakdown of the amendments passed this week and some of the upcoming bills filed. vaplan.substack.com/p/2026-week-...
Tomorrow morning in the General Assembly:
7:30 am House Natural Resources sub takes up Del Herring bill to rejoin RGGI
9:00 Senate ACNR Rural Affairs takes up 🥜 🥜 (excise tax sunset extension)
7:30 am House Natural Resources sub takes up Del Herring bill to rejoin RGGI
9:00 Senate ACNR Rural Affairs takes up 🥜 🥜 (excise tax sunset extension)
January 20, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Tomorrow morning in the General Assembly:
7:30 am House Natural Resources sub takes up Del Herring bill to rejoin RGGI
9:00 Senate ACNR Rural Affairs takes up 🥜 🥜 (excise tax sunset extension)
7:30 am House Natural Resources sub takes up Del Herring bill to rejoin RGGI
9:00 Senate ACNR Rural Affairs takes up 🥜 🥜 (excise tax sunset extension)
🎰 Fairfax casino bill just dropped. lis.virginia.gov/bill-details...
SB756 - 2026 Regular Session | LIS
lis.virginia.gov
January 20, 2026 at 9:26 PM
🎰 Fairfax casino bill just dropped. lis.virginia.gov/bill-details...
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈House Labor and Commerce subcommittee reports out a bill (a bipartisan vote!!) to prohibit discriminating in health care or life insurance against those who take preventative HIV treatments.
January 20, 2026 at 7:09 PM
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈House Labor and Commerce subcommittee reports out a bill (a bipartisan vote!!) to prohibit discriminating in health care or life insurance against those who take preventative HIV treatments.
House Commerce and Labor reports what will almost certainly be the first bill to reach @spanbergerforva.bsky.social's desk: the bill to complete the minimum wage increase to $15/hr. (Note: Del Ward, the patron also voted yea, just after I took this pic.)
January 20, 2026 at 6:49 PM
House Commerce and Labor reports what will almost certainly be the first bill to reach @spanbergerforva.bsky.social's desk: the bill to complete the minimum wage increase to $15/hr. (Note: Del Ward, the patron also voted yea, just after I took this pic.)
Del Sullivan in House Commerce & Labor on $15 min bill: "When we started raising the minimum wage, we heard about the cataclysm that would result; then Gov Youngkin came in here year after year to tell us how great and strong the Virginia economy was and how many jobs we had."
January 20, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Del Sullivan in House Commerce & Labor on $15 min bill: "When we started raising the minimum wage, we heard about the cataclysm that would result; then Gov Youngkin came in here year after year to tell us how great and strong the Virginia economy was and how many jobs we had."
Del Kilgore in House Commerce and Labor sub on why he opposes minimum wage increase: Most people are already making $15 an hour. But also, all the businesses are going to move to TN to avoid having to pay the $15 that they are supposedly already paying.
January 20, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Del Kilgore in House Commerce and Labor sub on why he opposes minimum wage increase: Most people are already making $15 an hour. But also, all the businesses are going to move to TN to avoid having to pay the $15 that they are supposedly already paying.
Del Ward on why increasing the min wage helps business too: "People working at, for example Dollar General, getting a minimum wage increase turn right around and spend that money at Dollar General; they don't invest in stocks or whatever, they put it right back into the economy."
January 20, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Del Ward on why increasing the min wage helps business too: "People working at, for example Dollar General, getting a minimum wage increase turn right around and spend that money at Dollar General; they don't invest in stocks or whatever, they put it right back into the economy."
Senate Privileges and Elections rejects @scvanvalkenburg.bsky.social bill to align congressional and presidential primaries (using just the one March primary for both) in presidential years.
January 20, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Senate Privileges and Elections rejects @scvanvalkenburg.bsky.social bill to align congressional and presidential primaries (using just the one March primary for both) in presidential years.
Quick and easy report out of Senate Privileges and Elections on @scvanvalkenburg.bsky.social bill to have Virginia rejoin ERIC so that our voter rolls and voter registration can be accurate and accessible.
January 20, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Quick and easy report out of Senate Privileges and Elections on @scvanvalkenburg.bsky.social bill to have Virginia rejoin ERIC so that our voter rolls and voter registration can be accurate and accessible.
Mother of three and Old Dominion U grad Del Convirs-Fowler makes a motion to adjourn in the memory of #ReneeGood today in the Virginia House of Delegates.
January 20, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Mother of three and Old Dominion U grad Del Convirs-Fowler makes a motion to adjourn in the memory of #ReneeGood today in the Virginia House of Delegates.
I don't understand what's happening, but it may be time to prepare for an apocalypse, because the Senate of Virginia gaveled in at NOON. Not Senate Standard Time of 20 or 30 minutes after noon.
January 20, 2026 at 5:03 PM
I don't understand what's happening, but it may be time to prepare for an apocalypse, because the Senate of Virginia gaveled in at NOON. Not Senate Standard Time of 20 or 30 minutes after noon.
Because I am very diligent 🤓, I just watched this video to learn what Jake brakes sound like. @johnmcauliff.bsky.social HB1349 would give localities the ability to regulate their use in residential neighborhoods within their boundaries. youtu.be/e0EeoQ813UI?...
Jake brake compilation
YouTube video by Grtruckingdemolitionllc
youtu.be
January 20, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Because I am very diligent 🤓, I just watched this video to learn what Jake brakes sound like. @johnmcauliff.bsky.social HB1349 would give localities the ability to regulate their use in residential neighborhoods within their boundaries. youtu.be/e0EeoQ813UI?...
Unanimous vote in House HHS Health subcommittee to "report to remove poop in pools" legislation by @hopeforvirginia.bsky.social. It feels like it's been taking WAY too long to actually pass this obvious safeguard.
January 20, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Unanimous vote in House HHS Health subcommittee to "report to remove poop in pools" legislation by @hopeforvirginia.bsky.social. It feels like it's been taking WAY too long to actually pass this obvious safeguard.
Perhaps this will be the year that Virginia succeeds at establishing an affirmative right to contraception! @delciaprice85.bsky.social bill takes its first step in House HHS Health subcommittee.
January 20, 2026 at 3:07 PM
Perhaps this will be the year that Virginia succeeds at establishing an affirmative right to contraception! @delciaprice85.bsky.social bill takes its first step in House HHS Health subcommittee.
Up now in Senate ACNR sub: @BillStanley bill to expand animal cruelty felony law, after Franklin County story below. In that case, justices found that because there was no suffering (dogs were shot in the head), the felony animal cruelty law did not apply. www.wdbj7.com/2025/04/16/c...
Court overturns animal cruelty conviction case
An appeals court overturned a felony conviction for a Franklin County man who admitted to killing his two dogs back in February 2023.
www.wdbj7.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Up now in Senate ACNR sub: @BillStanley bill to expand animal cruelty felony law, after Franklin County story below. In that case, justices found that because there was no suffering (dogs were shot in the head), the felony animal cruelty law did not apply. www.wdbj7.com/2025/04/16/c...
Senator who voted last year against the right for humans to obtain contraception and against requiring insurance companies to cover human contraception is now presenting a bill in Senate ACNR sub to create a pet food surcharge to fund surgical sterilization of dogs/cats.
January 20, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Senator who voted last year against the right for humans to obtain contraception and against requiring insurance companies to cover human contraception is now presenting a bill in Senate ACNR sub to create a pet food surcharge to fund surgical sterilization of dogs/cats.
House Education K-12 subcommittee unanimously reports out @ebpforva.bsky.social bill to provide free breakfast to every student in our public schools.
January 20, 2026 at 1:02 PM
House Education K-12 subcommittee unanimously reports out @ebpforva.bsky.social bill to provide free breakfast to every student in our public schools.
House P&E Campaigns and Candidates subcommittee off the rails today, killing mild milquetoast campaign finance and transparency bills (not EVEN actual contribution limits), written by Democrats, and one of which passed the full House last year.
January 20, 2026 at 12:33 PM
House P&E Campaigns and Candidates subcommittee off the rails today, killing mild milquetoast campaign finance and transparency bills (not EVEN actual contribution limits), written by Democrats, and one of which passed the full House last year.
Tomorrow 🌅 in the House:
7:00 P&E sub hears @paulkrizek.bsky.social public campaign finance database, @jcole4va.bsky.social e-file ballot petitions.
7:30 Ed K-12 hears @ebpforva.bsky.social free school breakfast.
8:30 HHS hears @delciaprice85.bsky.social right to contraception
7:00 P&E sub hears @paulkrizek.bsky.social public campaign finance database, @jcole4va.bsky.social e-file ballot petitions.
7:30 Ed K-12 hears @ebpforva.bsky.social free school breakfast.
8:30 HHS hears @delciaprice85.bsky.social right to contraception
January 19, 2026 at 11:39 PM
Tomorrow 🌅 in the House:
7:00 P&E sub hears @paulkrizek.bsky.social public campaign finance database, @jcole4va.bsky.social e-file ballot petitions.
7:30 Ed K-12 hears @ebpforva.bsky.social free school breakfast.
8:30 HHS hears @delciaprice85.bsky.social right to contraception
7:00 P&E sub hears @paulkrizek.bsky.social public campaign finance database, @jcole4va.bsky.social e-file ballot petitions.
7:30 Ed K-12 hears @ebpforva.bsky.social free school breakfast.
8:30 HHS hears @delciaprice85.bsky.social right to contraception
🔥 from @abigailspanberger.com on Redistricting Amendment and GOP hypocrisy: "For those of you who oppose Virginia's response" to the Trump-induced redistricting in Texas and elsewhere, "I call on you to make your opposition to what's going on in other states clear!" 🔥
January 19, 2026 at 10:05 PM
🔥 from @abigailspanberger.com on Redistricting Amendment and GOP hypocrisy: "For those of you who oppose Virginia's response" to the Trump-induced redistricting in Texas and elsewhere, "I call on you to make your opposition to what's going on in other states clear!" 🔥
@abigailspanberger.com: "I respect the Second Amendment and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." But we can take commonsense steps to keep our kids and family safe: banning ghost guns, restrict access to firearms for convicted domestic abusers, strengthen red flag laws. [No mention of assault ban.]
January 19, 2026 at 9:53 PM
@abigailspanberger.com: "I respect the Second Amendment and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." But we can take commonsense steps to keep our kids and family safe: banning ghost guns, restrict access to firearms for convicted domestic abusers, strengthen red flag laws. [No mention of assault ban.]
Gov @abigailspanberger.com once again reiterates she will not end "right to work" law but says "We *can* be the best state for business AND the best state for workers" and so we will pass a paid family medical leave program, raise minimum wage, and create a child care subsidy program.
January 19, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Gov @abigailspanberger.com once again reiterates she will not end "right to work" law but says "We *can* be the best state for business AND the best state for workers" and so we will pass a paid family medical leave program, raise minimum wage, and create a child care subsidy program.
Woman who won governorship after her opponent said federal workforce cuts were "not a huge deal," "everyone loses a job sometimes," says she will put the full force of the Virginia government to supporting struggling federal workers.
January 19, 2026 at 9:37 PM
Woman who won governorship after her opponent said federal workforce cuts were "not a huge deal," "everyone loses a job sometimes," says she will put the full force of the Virginia government to supporting struggling federal workers.
@abigailspanberger.com announces affordability leg. pkg: pharmacy rebates go back to patients, targeted health care premium assistance, incentivize new providers; expand energy storage, low income energy efficiency, rejoin RGGI, eviction delay, offer mixed use development grants.
January 19, 2026 at 9:31 PM
@abigailspanberger.com announces affordability leg. pkg: pharmacy rebates go back to patients, targeted health care premium assistance, incentivize new providers; expand energy storage, low income energy efficiency, rejoin RGGI, eviction delay, offer mixed use development grants.
Governor of Virginia @spanbergerforva.bsky.social addresses the General Assembly, with LG @senatorhashmi.bsky.social, Speaker @donscott757.bsky.social, and Senate President protem Senator Lucas . This stodgy old 400 year body is starting to look really amazingly like actual Virginians.
January 19, 2026 at 9:12 PM
Governor of Virginia @spanbergerforva.bsky.social addresses the General Assembly, with LG @senatorhashmi.bsky.social, Speaker @donscott757.bsky.social, and Senate President protem Senator Lucas . This stodgy old 400 year body is starting to look really amazingly like actual Virginians.