The Variables
The First Female Governor. Democrats everywhere. Funding complexities. Virginia’s 2026 General Assembly session kicked off on Wednesday, with a unique set of variables underpinning the 57 (and counting) remaining days. So what key factors are impacting the legislature this year and what does it mean for the bills you care about?
Unlike any session in Virginia’s history, in 2026 we are transitioning to our first female governor EVER - yes all 405 years of the Commonwealth’s history. And not only does a new governor add a layer of intrigue to this session - so does the change in political party of Virginia’s Executive Branch, the largest Democratic majority in the Virginia House of Delegates since the 80s, and the largest percentage of female legislators ever sworn in. With that being said there is no way to predict all the things ahead for session, a phenomenon not unusual to politics.
Key Dates for 2026:
For ease and straightforwardness let’s start by breaking down upcoming dates:
1/14 General Assembly Session Starts
1/16 Budget Amendment Deadline
1/17 Inauguration
2/17 Crossover
3/14 Regular Session Adjourns
4/13 Governor Must Act on Legislation
4/22 Reconvened Session
Session 101: The Foundation
For background, sessions that occur in an even year give legislators 60 days to review, discuss, and debate legislation (in odd years it’s 30 days - talk about a sprint not a marathon). Additionally, I will note that with a new Governor, dates can change, but the pace will undoubtedly be just as relentless.
Before we dive in on the session ahead, let’s take a step back to look at the legislative process holistically. For basics on how a bill becomes a law take a look at this great page by UVA or this resource graphic by the Virginia ACLU! The piece I find the most interesting is the cyclical never ending process and numerous variables that dictate what bills become laws every year.
The Year-Round Reality
Through the following my goal is to pull back the curtain on some of the nuts and bolts that underpin how long legislation takes to develop, what legislation is carried, and the unique factors that are influencing 2026 including: the changing political party of our executive branch, the large incoming class of first-time elected delegates, and the overarching financial circumstances that will underpin this year’s session.
Legislators, though technically part time in our citizen legislature, work year round to develop bills. Elected officials will meet in late spring and throughout the summer to develop or redevelop legislation for the upcoming year. They do this with constituents, peers, and yes lobbyists (their role in the process is for a later discussion). Essentially, by the time session kicks off the bills you will, or have been, hearing about have been in the works since May, or even before! So if you have an idea you want to become a law my recommendation – start early. The end of one session is the beginning of another.
Another unique circumstance of 2026 is that the democratic controlled legislature is gaining a democratic executive branch, giving the party an opportunity to address the “backup” of legislation. This “backup” includes bills from the preceding four years that have been passed by the Democratic House and Senate and vetoed by outgoing Governor Glenn Youngkin. Now with the changing of the guard per se, bills can and will come back! Adding another layer and quite frankly variable to the 2026 session. A great example of this - and one Virginia desperately needs - is the minimum wage bill. This will be the third time Chief Patron Delegate Jeion Ward has entered the second phase of minimum wage increases to the legislature – in 2024 and 2025 Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed the increase that passed in both the House and Senate.
The Talent Pipeline
Another variable of the 2026 session, is the size of the freshman class and the number of Special Elections Virginia has had this year. The freshman class is the group of newly elected first time Delegates, if I am doing my math right we are currently at 16 and by the end of January that number could rise to 18 based on the results of the upcoming Special Elections. Why so many Specials you ask? All I can say is that we love a Governor, and a leader who recognizes, taps, and develops talent when they see it! Yes, this is unprecedented and does directly impact who carries what bills, what bills get entered, and the outcome of the 2026 session.
With the freshman class being so large this opens up substantial capacity for senior and returning Delegates to pass on legislation to newly elected officials. On top of this 13 members of the freshman class flipped their seats adding even more members to carry democratic legislation. Meaning that democratic legislators with a backlog of vetoed bills and a library of new ideas now have 13 new friends they can share with. This is not entirely unique to the year, often newly elected officials will take on bills previously carried by other returning elected officials, or these more senior members may also share new bills they don’t have the capacity to carry for a session.
Like I said, the legislative process is year round, meaning that ideas good, and yes, sometimes bad, make it on to the desks of elected officials. This happens at any time, and often at volumes not feasible for one member to carry. Regardless, legislators will see anywhere from 2,000 - 3,000 bills come through the General Assembly in one year. I won’t speak to the deciding process of what bills members select to carry, because this is unique to each legislator and their constituency. The bills they choose to carry can be anything from the greatest need of the district or the Commonwealth and areas of personal expertise, to things they find intriguing or maybe even the outcome of deals they’ve made. Because there are so many bills on topics that span almost anything you can think of, a good rule of thumb is to have a specific bill top of mind. This will guide the conversation and help direct any questions, comments, asks, or ideas you have to share with the representative and their staff!
So with that being said throughout the 2026 bill introduction process you will see many bills that have been considered in previous sessions return, sometimes with new Patrons. After the bills are introduced in the coming days they will go through the committee process and then everything will come to a head on February 17th - Crossover. The final day for the Senate and the House to pass bills that have been introduced in the respective chambers. The best way to think of Crossover is as the sessions’ halftime show – any bill that does not pass its chamber of origin by the end of day Tuesday, February 17th, dies. Meaning we won’t see the bill again until another session kicks off, or even never. Then on Wednesday the 18th the clock starts ticking on the remaining 30ish days legislators have to pass the bills in the other chamber, in order for them to reach the governor’s desk. A quick tip – the days leading up to crossover can be some of the most stressful days for staff, so keep this in mind. Like in almost all circumstances in life – kindness does and can get you further in the General Assembly Building.
Money Matters: The Double Whammy
The other key variable to keep in mind as the 2026 General Assembly kicks off is the financial position of the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, this variable is the one that has and will be impacted by the ongoings of the federal government. Under the current presidential administration, the allocation of federal funds to state governments, their programming, and also individual organizations have been drastically reduced. This spans everything from our healthcare programs and state agency positions to the small community nonprofit that hosts your favorite festival or is preserving the historic building down the street. At all levels of community, local government, and state government these programs have felt the federal funding cuts to some extent.
To top this off, July 1, 2025 marked the end of the Biden Administration’s covid relief funding, which you may know as the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Meaning that any unused funding that helped bolster state and local government programming over the last 4 years either had to be spent, or it was clawed back – yes in the *poof* it’s gone kind of way. Though this money was designed to rescue and provide relief, not bolster or develop programs, it did, by trickling down into your communities through grants, scholarships, projects, and more.
Under both circumstances, cuts to existing federal funded programs and the end of ARPA, quality of life programming and essential services will both take a hit this year. Is this a double whammy. Would I go as far as to call it the perfect storm? Honestly, I am not sure. Thus, it is absolutely essential to understand the fiscal impact associated with each bill. As there will be immense pressure on legislators to balance the budget, and additions of new bills or budget amendments with large fiscal impacts risk the entire bill passing, in both chambers.
Week One: They Came to Play
If the first days of session were any indication - our elected officials mean business in 2026. The factors from the inauguration of a new governor, the changing of the executive branch’s political party, makeup of the House of Delegates, and the financial implications facing the Commonwealth all underpin what will undoubtedly be a historic legislative year. In just the first few hours, following the swearing in of the newly and reelected legislators substantial progress was made as the the four constitutional amendments were introduced, sent to committee, and by the end of the third day of session had passed in the Virginia House and Senate.
As promised, more is to come! Ahead of my next piece, and per usual, I recommend getting involved and right now a great way to do that is by participating in a Hill Day. Do a quick search for organizations you are a part of or interested in and see if they are headed to Richmond in the coming weeks. Hill Days are a great way to not only engage, but gain first-hand insight into the legislative process.
