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 […]

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 […]

This was a busy week at the General Assembly for VPLC advocates. We often must try and follow bills being heard in two or even three committees that meet at the same time! Please encourage your legislators to do the right thing and publicly praise them when they do. Below, an update on some of our issues […]

The 2022 General Assembly is off and running, with 1,938 House and Senate bills filed — and more expected to come. Our advocates are dealing with a lot of change this year: a new Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, members in the House of Delegates, and committee chairs. But among the change, one thing remains […]

October 6 is National Energy Efficiency Day. Today’s post comes from VPLC’s Director of Outreach and Consumer Advocacy, Dana Wiggins and Affordable Clean Energy Project Coordinator, Carmen Bingham. Energy Efficiency and the Affordable Clean Energy Project Energy efficiency is the least cost resource for energy, because the least expensive kilowatt hour is the one you […]

A year and a half into the pandemic, laws around tenants’ right continue to change at a rapid pace. Here’s a quick update on what you need to know about eviction protections and important resources that can help those struggling to stay safely housed. CDC Eviction Protections Have Ended Last week the US Supreme Court […]

When the General Assembly convened for a special 2021 session, we urged lawmakers to prioritize Virginians hit hardest by the pandemic with a budget focused on equity. Not all of our priorities were funded, but we will continue to push for these in the state’s next budget. Below, here’s how our recommended budget priorities fared […]

The Virginia General Assembly will convene in Richmond on Monday, August 2 for a special legislative session to allocate more than $4.3 billion in federal relief funding and fill judicial vacancies. The remaining $4.3 billion comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, which has provided essential relief to millions of American workers – many of […]

The 2021 General Assembly session officially ended Monday, with all the bills and budget amendments passed now on the Governor’s desk waiting to be signed into law. The Governor has until March 31, 2021 to sign, amend, or veto a bill. If he signs a bill, it becomes law on July 1, 2021 (or later […]

Many people are getting the vaccine, and there is hope that we may see this pandemic winding down. The General Assembly special session is also winding down, and there is hope that many of our initiatives will be enacted into law. Below, a more detailed update on some of the issues we’re working on. Housing […]

Dear fellow housing advocates, We are roughly halfway through the 2021 regular legislative session and have made great progress advancing tenants’ rights in Virginia! All but one of the bills we are supporting this session have passed in both chambers! On Wednesday afternoon, February 17, the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee will consider Delegate Price’s bill (HB1889) […]

The 2021 General Assembly session has ended, but by order of the Governor, the 2021 General Assembly Special Session began Wednesday. The Special Session is expected to last two to three weeks. Both the House and the Senate approved the Governor’s proposed budget but with many amendments.  It is expected that the House will reject […]

Last Friday was “Crossover Day” in the General Assembly, the last day for bills to be heard in the Senate or House of Delegates before crossing over to the other chamber for review. Check out our 2021 Crossover Update to learn more about the progress of our legislative priorities for this session.

While much of our work at the General Assembly is not making the headlines, we are quietly having success (so far) with our initiatives to create a more just and equitable Virginia. Housing Our housing bills are all about preventing evictions. Many of our initiatives are supported by landlords because avoiding eviction also often leads […]

The 2021 General Assembly completed its first full week, and this virtual session is running smoothly thanks to the General Assembly staff and the cooperation of legislators and their staff. But it’s not the same as an in-person session. It’s very difficult for VPLC advocates to talk with legislators and their staff when everything must […]

The Virginia General Assembly is off and running. This is the 402nd year the General Assembly has met, and it promises to be like no other thanks to the continuing pandemic. The House of Delegates is meeting virtually, and the Virginia Senate is meeting both in-person and virtually. As always, VPLC has an important legislative […]

2021 legislative session starts today. Join us in supporting policies that improve rights and opportunities for tenants. Dear fellow housing advocates, It’s the first day of the 2021 legislative session, and we’re excited to continue our advocacy to defend, preserve, and enhance opportunities for low-income Virginians! We hope you will join us this session in support […]

Research shows that eviction is a significant cause, not just a result, of poverty. And Virginia is suffering an eviction crisis among the worst in the nation. But no one should be forced from their home and have their life turned upside down simply because they don’t know their rights. Easy access to reliable legal information […]

With another General Assembly session behind us and the dust settled after this month’s veto session, here is a review of what occurred during the 2019 legislative session. This year brought several wins—foster care reform, fairer laws for tenants in the wake of a report detailing Virginia’s high eviction rates, and the end of driver’s […]