Virginia’s General Assembly wrapped up a brief special session this past Tuesday. The session, which was limited in scope, brought legislators to Richmond to decide how to allocate $4.3 billion in funds granted to the state via the American Rescue Plan and to fill judicial vacancies. The American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package passed by Congress and signed into law by the President in March, aims to support economic recovery throughout the nation after a year of uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Virginia became eligible to begin spending its allocation of ARP funds at the beginning of July. 


Legislators decided to spend $3.4 billion of the federal aid this year, leaving the remaining $1.1 billion in funds for spending in the next biennial budget that’s set to be shaped during the 2022 regular session. The additional funds may also be used for efforts to mitigate COVID-19 as Virginia begins to see a surge of cases brought on by the Delta variant. 


On the other hand, the $3.4 billion to be spent during this fiscal year will be funding a number of notable projects.

With Virginian children heading back to schools this fall, ventilation and air quality will be crucial to keeping classrooms healthy, especially considering that COVID-19 is an airborne virus. The legislature moved to allocate $250 million to complete planned ventilation and air quality upgrades in schools throughout the state. The $250 million is to be matched by localities, for a total of $500 million in investments. 


With many parts of the state — especially rural areas — lacking reliable access to the internet, universal broadband coverage has been a priority of the General Assembly for years. In 2018, Governor Ralph Northam set a goal to achieve universal broadband coverage in Virginia by 2028. But with the General Assembly approving $222 million in funds to accelerate this goal, Virginians can now expect internet access in every part of the state by 2024, four years earlier than originally planned. 


In the wake of five mental health institutions halting admissions on account of staffing shortages earlier this summer, the General Assembly allocated $354 million to be used for compensating staff at behavioral health institutions throughout the state. A portion of these funds will also be used to compensate state law enforcement officers. This allocation, however, is contingent upon further approval by the General Assembly during the 2022 regular session. 


With the state’s unemployment fund practically empty after a year of surging unemployment claims caused by the pandemic, $862 million will be used to replenish the fund. These funds will help small businesses avoid a steep tax increase next year that would have contributed to refilling the fund’s coffers. 



Aside from allocating ARP funds, the General Assembly also filled eight judicial vacancies. Earlier this year, the legislature voted to allow the right of appeal in all criminal and civil cases. Prior to this action, Virginia was the only state in the country that didn’t guarantee this right. Since the volume of cases the Court of Appeals will hear is certain to increase, the composition of the state’s second-highest court will grow from 11 judges to 17. Judges were appointed to fill these new roles, and two other existing vacancies were also filled. The new appeals court judges include Dominique A. Callins, Doris Henderson Causey, Vernida R. Chaney, Frank Friedman, Junius P. Fulton, Lisa M. Lorish, Daniel E. Ortiz, and Stuart A. Raphael. 


The General Assembly is scheduled to next meet on January 12, 2022, when the 2022 regular session will begin.


[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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