Guns, wages, weed: The bills Virginia GA sent to Spanberger
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The General Assembly may have adjourned this weekend without a budget deal, but it also passed and sent hundreds of other bills to Gov. Spanberger.
Why it matters: How she handles them could define how far state Democrats will be able to push their agenda under unified control.
Flashback: The last time Democrats held a trifecta, Virginia abolished the death penalty, legalized recreational marijuana and expanded abortion access — cementing the once solidly conservative state as one of the most progressive in the South.
The latest: This time around, lawmakers have already advanced constitutional amendments on redistricting, abortion, marriage equality and restoration of voting rights. Voters now decide on them.
They've also passed legislation that:
- Creates a recreational weed market starting January 2027, increases the minimum wage to $13.75 an hour in January and $15 per hour in 2028, and requires employers provide paid sick leave by July 2027.
- Creates a state-run paid family and medical leave program funded through payroll contributions with benefits starting in 2029.
- Ban the selling and buying of assault weapons after July 1.
Zoom in: Here are the other major bills headed to Spanberger and what they'd do.
Car insurance
🚗 Ban insurers from using credit scores to set car insurance rates or deny coverage.
Education
🎓 Expand oversight of the governor's university board picks and bars rejected appointees from serving.
📚 Allow schools to teach about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and characterize it as a violent attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
Environment
👀 Rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which caps carbon emissions from power plants. Gov. Youngkin pulled Virginia out of it in 2023.
Gambling
🎰 Legalize and regulate so-called "skill games," which look like slots-like machines, in convenience stores.
Health
💊 Require health insurers to cover FDA-approved birth control drugs.
🍃 Ban the sale of kratom to anyone under 21 and kratom products marketed in a way that appeals to kids.
Immigration
🧊 Ban federal immigration enforcement in courthouses, schools and state-owned hospitals.
🚔 Ban local officers from assisting ICE unless required by law.
😷 Ban most federal and state law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings while on duty.
Labor
🧳 Allow public employees statewide to unionize.
Taxes
🚫 Remove tax breaks for the Richmond-based United Daughters of the Confederacy, which were added to the state code in the 1950s.
What's next: Spanberger has until April 13 to either sign, amend or veto the bills.