Redistricting Negotiations broke down along party lines after a week of public hearings

The task of drawing up new legislative maps for the House of Delegates and state Senate will go to the state Supreme Court, after the newly established Virginia Redistricting Commission failed to agree on proposed General Assembly maps by the October 10 deadline.


After voters approved a new amendment to the state constitution last year, redistricting in Virginia is currently being handled for the first time by a bipartisan commission consisting of eight state legislators and eight citizens split evenly by political party. When data from the 2020 census was released this summer, the Commission had 45 days to draw up new maps for the General Assembly, and 60 days to come up with new Congressional maps. 


Those 45 days came and went without producing a compromise map. Negotiations broke down along party lines after a week of public hearings. 


On October 8, the Commission’s Democrats voted to propose a compromise, putting forward a Republican-drawn map for the House of Delegates and a Democratic-drawn map for the state Senate. Republicans defeated that measure, preferring to keep a Republican-drawn Senate map as an option. Republicans on the Commission said the public was not given a chance to comment on the Democratic-drawn Senate map, and that it appeared to be gerrymandered.


At this point, Democratic co-chair Greta Harris walked out of the meeting and was soon followed by two other Democratic citizen commissioners, James Abrenio and Brandon Hutchins. Lacking a quorum, the Commission adjourned its meeting. No proposed General Assembly maps were approved by the Commission before the October 10 deadline.


The Commission resumed work last Monday, but is now solely focused on developing new Congressional maps. Members of the Commission seemed more optimistic about the chances of agreeing on Congressional maps before the October 25 deadline. This is partly because incumbent residency is no longer a factor; members of Congress aren’t required to live within the districts they represent. 


Similar to the Redistricting Commission, the Supreme Court must consider geographic compactness as well as voting rights when they create new General Assembly maps. The justices will not draw maps themselves, but will rather select two experts from a list of nominees selected by each political party. Known as “special masters,” these experts have 30 days after receiving order from the court to file their proposed maps. The public will have the opportunity to submit written comments to the Supreme Court regarding redistricting.

[Virginia Public Media] New Virginia Law Will Expand Zoning for Manufactured Homes

By VOW Ops • April 23, 2026
Manufactured homes are constructed in a factory and then transported to a land plot instead of traditional homes which are built on site. Despite the cost-savings constructors and prospective homeowners earn from manufactured homes, outdated stigma prevents them from being located anywhere other than agricultural zones. As part of her Affordability Agenda, Governor Spanberger has signed legislation which will expand where manufactured homes can be located. Under HB 655 and SB 346, starting July 1st Manufactured homes can now be located within any residential zone intended for traditional homes (with exceptions for historic districts). Further, localities will not be permitted to place different rules or any additional restrictions on manufactured homes that would not be imposed on single-family homes. Both bills passed the General Assembly with near-unanimous support. Executive Director of the Virginia Manufactured and Modular Housing Association Randy Grumbine says the new laws “could be very significant” in removing barriers that have been in place for decades. In 2020, a single-section manufactured home cost 35% the price of a similar-sized traditional home. Virginians have been facing affordability challenges when looking for housing – especially over the last several years – and they continue to experience a housing shortage which only exacerbates the problem. Del. Maldonado and Sen. VanValkenburg have noted that the strong bipartisan support they received for their respective bills is because Virginia’s housing crisis affects everyone regardless of partisan affiliation. Beyond the expansion of locations for manufactured homes, Governor Spanberger also signed HB 1227, which increases the amount of state funding toward affordable housing. She also signed HB 4, which gives localities the authority to require property owners to give the local government or developer the first chance to purchase property to build affordable housing. You can read the full article here for more details.

[Virginia Mercury] Virginia Lawmakers Recess Special Session Without Budget Deal

By VOW Ops • April 23, 2026
[Virginia Mercury] Virginia Lawmakers Recess Special Session Without Budget Deal

[Virginia Mercury] Data Center Bills Dominated This Year’s General Assembly. Here’s What Happened

By VOW Ops • March 19, 2026
Virginia’s growing data center economy was the center of attention for this year’s General Assembly session, with lawmakers balancing the industry’s benefits against its costs to communities. Of the many bills that were proposed to regulate data centers, some passed both the House and Senate and now head to Governor Spanberger’s desk for either her signature or veto. SB 253 (Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth) would extend a program Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company offer low-income customers to reduce their monthly energy bills by weatherproofing their houses. The bill also gives the State Corporation Commission (SCC) the liberty to determine if more of the cost of generating electricity for data centers should fall onto them and large manufacturers instead of homeowners. SB 553 (Sen. Srinivasan, D-Loudoun) would direct water utilities to provide monthly or quarterly reports on how much water they are providing to data centers. Currently, data centers can withhold their water usage as an industry secret. SB 94 (Sen. Roem, D-Manassas) and HB 153 (Del. Thomas, D-Prince William) would require applicants who request localities to rezone for “high-load users” to submit site assessment reports. Localities would then be able to use the information from said reports to determine if the application conforms with their zoning requirements. HB 507 (Del. McAuliff, D-Loudoun) would mandate the Department of Environmental Quality to deny air permits for data center generators after July 2026 unless they meet stricter environmental regulations. Currently, data centers are allowed limited use of backup generators that run on diesel fuel, which have resulted in next-door neighbors complaining of noxious fumes spilling into their communities. HB 323 (Del. Sullivan, D-Fairfax) directs the Department of Energy to study how to best utilize waste heat generated by data centers to meet heating demands from neighboring buildings. One of the most robust debates involving data centers revolved around the sales tax exemption given to them on their server equipment and software. The Senate budget bill would end the exemption, hoping to recover the $1.6 billion they argue the state loses annually as a result. The House budget bill would keep the exemption but stipulate additional requirements for data centers to remain in compliance with receiving the exemption. The data center industry has rebutted the proposals to end the tax exemption, arguing that it has brought billions of dollars in investment into Virginia. Furthermore, the issue does not fall along clear, partisan lines, with both Democrats and Republicans arguing for against ending the exemption. The issue has ultimately ground Virginia’s budget approval process to a halt, with neither chamber coming to a consensus on the state’s biennial budget. Governor Spanberger has called for a special session beginning April 23rd so that the General Assembly can resolve the dispute. You can read the full article here for more details.
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