HB1370, introduced by Delegate Karrie Delaney, prohibits medical providers from reporting medical debt to consumer reporting agencies.   VPLC supports this bill which has passed the House and a Senate committee. Why did Delegate Delaney introduce this bill and  Why is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau concerned about health care debt?  “The fact that the CFPB […]

Read the Black History Month Proclamation, signed by Governor Yougkin: WHEREAS, February is recognized and commemorated in the United States as Black History Month, and we recognize the people, historic events, and the cultural moments that have shaped American and world history and our society today; and WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia at Fort Monroe […]

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 […]

VPLC’s Jay Speer and Christie Marra appeared on Pod Virginia this week to discuss VPLC’s legislative agenda and advocacy around ending junk fees and protecting renters. Listen below or on Apple Podcasts:

Keep the Lights on for Virginians Experiencing Hard Times VPLC supports HB906 (Shin) and SB480 (Aird), which aim to introduce safeguards around utility shut-offs. Learn more about VPLC’s legislative agenda and get involved HERE. Update: This legislation has passed through the House, next it will be considered by the Senate. Legislative Overview Lower-income households spend […]

A proposal to incrementally increase the state’s minimum wage, from $12 to $15 hourly advanced through a Senate committee this week. The legislation, carried by Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, may fare well in both chambers, as Democrats now control both the Senate and House of Delegates. What it costs to live in Virginia “Economic […]

People are struggling to pay their rent, utilities, and buy food.  We see it everywhere.  Lack of affordable housing, lack of access to medical care, utility shutoffs.  The Commonwealth of Virginia is not doing enough to help people.  Into that gap come those that will exploit desperation– payday lenders, get rich quick con men and […]

A few days into the 2023 Virginia General Assembly session, VPLC learned that an “earned wage access” lender had talked two legislators into filing legislation to “regulate” the industry.  The 2023 General Assembly rejected the legislation.  However, it appears that there will be another effort to pass legislation in the 2024 General Assembly. What is […]

Odds are, by now you’ve heard about that song from a country singer in Farmville, Virginia, who performs under the stage name Oliver Anthony.    As he belts “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Mr. Anthony raises an important issue that we here at VPLC care about and work hard to change: that working class and lower-income people work hard […]

With need for access to justice at an all-time high and the Rule of Law in the news every day, it is gratifying to be among 32 deserving nonprofits across the Commonwealth whose work addresses these areas. The work with Virginia Law Center completely aligns with the Virginia Law Foundation mission to promote the Rule […]

June 9, 1940 – August 4, 2023 The staff and friends of Virginia Poverty Law Center mourn the loss of John Horejsi, an unsurpassed advocate for impoverished Virginians. John was the founder of, the fire within, and the guiding light of Social Action Linking Together (SALT). SALT is a network of Virginians embracing the principle […]

It seems like scams are everywhere and sometimes it feels like there’s no way to avoid being taken advantage of by heartless scammers. Don’t worry – we’ve put together the top red flags to look for and things you can do to avoid being the victim of a scam! Scammers will often pretend to be […]

During the debt ceiling negotiations, the topic of “work requirements” was front and center. While Medicaid went unscathed, SNAP and TANF requirements will now have stricter requirements, though not as strict as the original proposed house bill. These changes were not about helping families, instead they harm those who most need our help.  Analysis from […]

Why does the United States, the richest country on earth, have more poverty than any other advanced democracy? Because too many of us benefit from it, says Matthew Desmond, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Poverty, by America. Desmond makes a proposal for ending poverty in his talk Thursday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m. at the […]

The Supreme Court of Virginia has ruled that Hanover County residents can sue over the Wegman’s Distribution Center slated to open near their property. A Hanover Coumty Circuit Court judge threw the case out earlier, sayng the residents didn’t have legal standing to sue the Hanover Board of Supervisors for their approval of rezoning and […]

By Pat Levy-Lavelle, Legal Aid Justice Center and Flannery O’Rourke, Virginia Poverty Law Center The Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) currently has a backlog of more than 96,000 first level appeals of unemployment decisions. The persistence of this backlog directly harms workers and employers, who (on average) must wait a whole year for an appeal hearing. […]

Did you know that Virginia Poverty Law Center was founded in 1978 as the Virginia State Legal Aid Society Support Center (VSLASSC)? The VSLASSC, or the “Big Pickle” as we were affectionally known, was created to help train and educate Virginia legal aid organizations on civil poverty law issues. For 44 years, VPLC has been […]