Richmond, Va, March 19, 2024 – Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has awarded Virginia Poverty Law Center $1 million through her charitable organization, Yield Giving. The grant will help VPLC expand its legal resources and online tools to assist thousands of additional Virginians by providing one-of-a-kind, multi-format, self-help materials. Today’s announcement follows a competitive, nationwide call for […]

To download this sheet as a PDF, click here.

To download this fact sheet as a PDF, click here.

Help Get Rid of Zombie Mortgage Foreclosures HB 184 by Delegate Simon amends Virginia law concerning foreclosures. A second mortgage holder must detail what is owed and must prove they have sent monthly statements to the property owner to recover fees and interest covered by the period the mortgage appeared to be dead. To download […]

Make probate loans comply with the Virginia Fairness in Lending Act HB 648 by Del. Coyner deals with yet another attempt to evade the 2020 Virginia Fairness in Lending Act, which passed the House in a bipartisan 62-30 vote. VPLC believes that the Virginia General Assembly should determine what is a loan, not the company […]

Disclose all Mandatory Fees and Charges VPLC supports HB1320 (McClure) and SB388 (Pekarsky), which would require the disclosure of all mandatory fees and charges included in the advertised and displayed price of any good or service. This would create a clear, upfront picture of the total cost of a product. To download this fact sheet […]

SUPPORT Budget Amendment 44 #2s (Edwards): High-quality family legal representation has been proven to improve outcomes for children in foster care – without compromising safety.  Virginia pays court-appointed counsel for parents at the lowest rate of any state: there hasn’t been a raise in 23 years.  Judges say they can’t even find lawyers to take these cases; […]

VPLC encourages Virginians to contact lawmakers and ask them to support Senate Budget Amendment item 308 #16s and House Budget Amendment item 304 #12h.   These proposals are not an expansion of Medicaid eligibility. They simply eliminate unnecessary and burdensome processes, benefiting both administrators and consumers.  Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee/ Health & Human Resources […]

Senate Item 341 #1s & House Item 346 #2h | NGF $1.1M; GF $20.4   Increase the minimum amount of SNAP benefits available to eligible individuals 60+ years of age from $23 to $48/month. This will help to offset the impact of the end of pandemic-related SNAP allotments and the impact of escalating food prices for […]

Item 114 #12h (Delegate McQuinn)/Item 114 #27h (Delegate Coyner)/Item 114 #7s (Senator Locke)/Item 114 #9s (Senator McClellan): $90.1M to establish and fund the Virginia Housing Stability Fund 3-year pilot program that will provide long-term rental assistance to low-income households. Will provide assistance to 5,000 rent burdened households with incomes at or below 50% Area Median […]

Item 114 #36h (Delegate Carr)/Item 118 #1s (Senator Ebbin): $500,000 ($200,000) for DHCD to conduct a comprehensive statewide housing needs assessment every five years. By regularly assessing Virginia’s housing needs, the Commonwealth will be well equipped to develop a statewide plan to meet the demand for housing.   Item 114 #1h (Delegate Maldonado)/Item 163 #1s […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    Virginia Ratepayer Protection Alliance Urges General Assembly to Oppose “Virginia Electric Utility Regulation Act”  Utility-backed legislation is bad for ratepayers, erodes regulatory oversight  The Virginia Ratepayer Protection Alliance, an initiative launched in 2022 by the Virginia Poverty Law Center to advocate for millions of forgotten and over-charged ratepayers, has announced its opposition […]

Vote No on SB 1285 – Expanding Catastrophic Health Plans Vote No on SB 1336 – Expanding Short Term Limited Duration Plans Short Term Limited Duration (STLD) Plans Lack important consumer protections leading to higher, unexpected costs. They can: Charge more based on a pre-existing condition or gender, Cap what they pay for services, exposing […]

Support HB1532 (Delegate Clark)/SB1278 (Senator Boysko)  Rents are on the rise:  Average rents in Virginia have increased over 10% in the past year and have risen even more drastically in certain localities. Rents in Henrico, Chesterfield, Spotsylvania, Hampton, Virginia Beach, and Bedford County increased 20%! Such severe increases in rent leads to unnecessary cost burdens […]

Support HB1651(Price) The Problem: A hidden aspect the housing affordability crisis is the cost on tenants applying for rental housing. Despite widespread use of tenant screening reports, there is no uniform screening criteria, which leaves tenants guessing whether they will qualify for a rental. Different landlords have varying rules about acceptable criminal records. While one […]

Support HB1650 (Delegate Price)    The Problem: There are apartment complexes in Virginia in such deplorable condition it’s unsafe to live there. Usually, tenants living in these deplorable conditions lack the means to enforce their rights to require their landlords to make necessary repairs. They don’t have access to attorneys, and they lack funds to […]

Support HB1702 (Maldonado) Tenants need clear notice of rent increases in time to find other housing  The Problem: Many residential leases contain automatic renewal provisions under which the lease renews for the original lease term (usually 12 months) if neither tenant nor landlord provides notice to the other of an intent to not renew the […]

Support HB1732 (Delegate Bennett-Parker)   The Problem: All too often, families are evicted for relatively small amounts of unpaid rent that grow into large sums because of court costs and attorney’s fees. These evictions serve neither tenant nor landlord, as landlords incur extra expenses and work to first pursue an eviction in court and then […]

Support HB1652 (Delegate Price)/SB (Senator McClellan)   The Problem: All too often, families are evicted for relatively small amounts of unpaid rent that grow into large sums because of court costs and attorney’s fees. These evictions serve neither tenant nor landlord, as landlords incur extra expenses and work to first pursue an eviction in court […]