Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC) has joined a lawsuit against Acting Director Russell Vought to challenge the unlawful dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The lawsuit, filed February 13, 2025, also includes the National Treasury Employees Union, National Consumer Law Center, NAACP, and the CFPB Employee Association. The next day (2.14.2025), at the […]

By Carmen Bingham, VPLC Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Project Coordinator HB2621, as amended by the House of Delegates, will be before the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee Monday, February 10, 2025 in the afternoon. It is not the savior bill for APCo customers as it is being touted to be. There are no “immediate” savings […]

Direct File is the IRS’ first attempt to provide a free filing program comparable to existing commercial software. While the pilot was limited to people with simple tax returns in a handful of states, the Department of the Treasury estimated that one-third of taxpayers in those states — almost 19 million people — were eligible […]

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 […]

Vote YES on House Bill 418 (Simon) The Virginia General Assembly passes laws to properly regulate marketplaces and protect individuals but many times those laws are not effectively enforced because government agencies may lack the necessary resources. Virginia and Mississippi are the only states in the country that do not allow class action lawsuits. Virginians […]

Why are the payday lenders trying to destroy the CFPB? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a U.S. government agency that makes sure banks, lenders, and other financial companies treat you fairly. The CFPB was created in the wake of the 2008 recession when reckless financial practices by banks and other financial institutions nearly […]

Our condolences are with the family of Karl Bren, a lifetime fair housing advocate and a VPLC Board member for decades. As a founding member of VPLC’s Advisory Council, Karl certainly felt like family to many of us here. He remains one of the best people I have ever known. Karl brought his brilliant mind, […]

Over 350,000 Virginians live in Mobile Home Parks. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, mobile homes are the largest source of non-subsidized affordable housing in the U.S. At a time when, according to JLARC, over 900,000 Virginia households pay more than they can afford for their housing (53% are renters, 47% owners), […]

2023 Crossover Report_Housing Legislation

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 […]

On Sunday, each body of the General Assembly reported its budget. As expected, we have good news and bad news around which of our priorities received funding. While we’re disappointed some of our priorities didn’t make it into the budgets, we’re hopeful about the items that have been included, and we’ll continue bringing up the […]

We’re winding down week three of the General Assembly session. While some of our bills haven’t made it, many are still moving forward, and that progress has only been possible with your help. Together, in just three weeks, we’ve generated over 150 calls, emails, and tweets to legislators on important legislation for low-income Virginians! These efforts […]

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 Jill A. Hanken Scholarship Fund will honor Hanken’s accomplishments and build upon her legacy by training health law advocates in Virginia’s legal aid community. RICHMOND, VA – After a long and storied career of public service, advocacy, and leadership in healthcare for low-income Virginians, Jill Hanken, Health Attorney and Director of the Center for […]

To our clients and community, As the situation around COVID-19 evolves rapidly, we are doing all we can to help slow the spread of the virus while still supporting those who are being hit hardest by the pandemic. We urge everyone to consider how to help those in our community who may be facing difficult […]

The purpose of a court system is to enable all citizens—equally, without regard to race, religion, or wealth—to seek legal redress: that is, to have wrongs righted and disputes decided by a neutral arbiter, under the laws of the land (before courts existed, people had to take matters into their own hands). While we are […]

“It takes a village to raise any child. The village shouldn’t pick and choose who to support.” When children can’t live with parents, for any variety of reasons, the next best thing for them is to live with relatives. Remaining in their communities, nurtured by someone they know and love and retaining their connection to […]

“Any budget is a moral statement of priorities, whether it’s a budget created by an individual, a family, a school, a city, or a nation. It tells us, mathematically, what areas, issues, things, or people are most important to the creators of that budget, and which are least important.” -Jim Wallis Virginia Poverty Law Center […]