House General Laws Subcommittee on Procurement/Open Government_Tuesday, January 27, 2026

The House General Laws subcommittee on Procurement/Open Government met on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. This week's docket includes a few pieces of proposed legislation impacting K-12 education, with 2 bills dealing with FOIA. 

 

To view this week's House General Laws subcommittee click here.

The bills listed below reported out of full committee in the uncontested block. 

HB313 (Delegate Wachsmann) Virginia FOIA; public records to be open to inspection, non-citizen property owners.

Includes non-citizens owning property within the Commonwealth among the list of persons to whom all public records shall be open under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. 

Tabled and forwarded to the FOIA Council for more information. 

HB463 (Delegate Cohen) Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definitions, meetings, quorum and electronic communication.

Amends the definition of "meeting" for purposes of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act such that any assemblage of a quorum of the constituent membership of a public body constitutes a meeting. Under current law, as many as three members or a quorum, if less than three, of the constituent membership of a public body constitutes a meeting. The bill additionally authorizes members of a public body participating through electronic communication in a meeting in which other members are participating in person to count toward the quorum as if the individual were physically present, should such member's physical absence be due to an approved cause of absence. 

Continued to 2027 with a letter to the FOIA Council. Passed unanimously on a voice vote. 

 

The House General Laws subcommittee on Procurement/Open Government meets weekly during the session on Tuesdays, 15 min after the adjournment of General Laws - ABC/Gaming Subcommittee, on House Committee Room B - 205, General Assembly Building. A link to the Live Stream video and recordings of all previously held committee meetings and floor sessions of the House can be viewed by clicking here. 

 

Sofhia Pineda

VSBA Government Relations Specialist

House Rules Full Committee_Tuesday, January 27, 2026

The House Rules full committee met on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. This week's docket includes a few pieces of proposed legislation impacting K-12 education, with 2 bills for school construction and modernization on the uncontested calendar. 

To view this week's House Rules full committee click here.

The bills listed below reported out of full committee on the uncontested block: 

HB264 (Delegate Simonds) School Construction and Modernization, Commission on; extends sunset date.

Extends from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2029, the sunset date for the Commission on School Construction and Modernization. 

HB544 (Delegate Askew) School Construction and Modernization, Commission on; revisions, elimination of sunset. 

 Eliminates the expiration date of the Commission on School Construction and Modernization, which, pursuant to current law, is set to expire on July 1, 2026. The bill also directs the Commission to follow a set of requirements. 

 

The House Rules meets weekly during the session on Tuesdays, immediately upon adjournment of the House, on House Appropriations Committee Room - 1200, General Assembly Building. A link to the Live Stream video and recordings of all previously held committee meetings and floor sessions of the House can be viewed by clicking here. 

Sofhia Pineda

VSBA Government Relations Specialist

House Education Subcommittee on K-12_Tuesday, January 27, 2026

The House Education Subcommittee on K-12 met on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. This week's docket includes 21 pieces of proposed legislation impacting K-12 education, with 3 bills being passed by for the day: HB478 (Watts), HB195 (McQuinn), HB873 (Kent)

To view this week's House Education Subcommittee on K-12 click here.

Below you will find a few of the bills heard in this week's subcommittee hearing. 

HB138 (Delegate Simonds) Public high schools; career coach required. 

Requires each school board to employ at least one career coach in each public high school in the local school division to assist students with securing internships, externships, credentialing opportunities, information on apprenticeship programs, and connecting students to career opportunities. The bill also provides that each such individual shall be employed in addition to and not as a replacement for the required school counselor positions, specialized student support positions, or support services positions.

K‑12  subcommittee recommends reporting and referring to Appropriations

HB139 (Delegate Simonds) School board policies; unpaid educational leave for certain employee association officers.

Requires each school board to adopt a policy to approve unpaid educational leave for school board employees who are state employee association officers and for at least two school board employees who are local employee association officers for a maximum of four years per officer. The bill permits employee association officers approved for such leave to purchase service credit with the Virginia Retirement System for such period of leave. 

Our VSBA Chief Lobbyist raised concerns about the mandate requiring leave to be granted to any state or local association officers. With collective bargaining forthcoming, this mandate could result in significant financial implications and further strain an already existing teacher shortage by requiring leave for officers of any union. VSBA would support the bill with an amendment changing the language from “shall adopt a policy” to “may adopt a policy,” thereby preserving local authority. While VSBA supports the VRS service credit provision of the bill, it does not support the mandated leave requirement. 

K‑12  subcommittee recommends reporting

HB332 (Delegate Rasoul) Teacher licensure; three-year license to teach career and technical education, etc.

Requires the Board of Education to provide for the issuance of a three-year license to teach solely CTE courses or dual enrollment courses at public high schools. The bill requires the Board to require any such instructor to maintain continuous employment in such position at the institution of higher education as a condition of continued licensure. 

K‑12  subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (10‑Y 0‑N)

HB410 (Delegate Reid) School boards; participation in SAT School Day program required, student participation.

Requires each school board to participate in the SAT School Day program or any similar program offered by the College Board whereby high school students are permitted to take the SAT during regular school hours at the high school at which they are enrolled. 

K‑12  subcommittee  recommends reporting with substitute and referring to Appropriations (9‑Y 1‑N)

HB786 (Delegate Austin) School bds.; authority to prohibit sale of caffeinated beverages to students in public high schools.

Permits any school board to prohibit the sale of caffeinated beverages to students in public high schools in the local school division. 

An amendment was added to line 27 to include "F. Any school board may prohibit the sale of all or any variety of caffeinated beverages to students in public high schools in the local school division..."

K‑12  subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (10‑Y 0‑N)

The House Education Subcommittee on K-12 meets weekly during the session on Tuesdays, at 7:30 a.m., on House Room A, and Tuesdays, at 4:00 p.m., House Room C, General Assembly Building. A link to the Live Stream video and recordings of all previously held committee meetings and floor sessions of the House can be viewed by clicking here. 

Sofhia Pineda

VSBA Government Relations Specialist

House Finance Subcommittee #2

The House Finance Subcommittee #2 met in the Virginia General Assembly on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. This week's docket includes 9 pieces of proposed legislation. 

To view this week's House Finance Subcommittee #2 click here.

Below you will find the bill heard in this week's subcommittee hearing. 

HB10 (Delegate McNamara) - Real property tax; classification of land and improvements.

Reclassifies improvements to real property as a separate class of real property and authorizes any locality to impose a real property tax on improvements to real property at a tax rate that is different than the rate applied to the land on which such improvements are located. 

Tabled by a vote of 10-0. 

HB68 (Delegate McNamara) - Real property; effect on rate when assessment results in tax increase, consideration of inflation.

Provides that, in determining a locality's total real property tax levies for purposes of determining the rate of levy that the locality shall impose upon such properties in order to produce no more than 101 percent of the previous year's real property tax levies. 

Passed by for the day per patron. 

HB72 (Delegate Cole, J.G.) - Real property tax; classification of land and improvements in City of Fredericksburg.

Authorizes the City of Fredericksburg to levy a tax on the improvements to real property at a different rate than the tax imposed upon the land on which it is located. 

Passed and reported by a vote of 9-1.

HB175 (Delegate Feggans) - Real property; tax exemption, surviving spouses of members of Armed Forces who died in line of duty.

Authorizes localities by ordinance to provide a total exemption from real property taxes regardless of assessed value beginning in taxable year 2026 for surviving spouses of members of the Armed Forces who died in the line of duty.  

Passed and reported by a vote of 10-0. 

HB261 (Delegate Simonds) - Real property; tax classification of land and improvements in City of Newport News.

Authorizes the City of Newport News to levy a tax on the improvements to real property at a different rate than the tax imposed upon the land on which it is located.   

Passed and reported by a vote of 8-1. 

HB282 (Delegate Callsen) - Real property tax; classification of land and improvements, Charlottesville Falls Church

Authorizes the Cities of Charlottesville and Falls Church to levy a tax on the improvements to real property at a different rate than the tax imposed upon the land on which it is located.

Passed and reported by a vote of 9-1. 

HB334 (Delegate Rasoul) - Additional local sales and use tax to support schools; referendum.

Authorizes all counties and cities to impose an additional local sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent with the revenue used only for capital projects for the construction or renovation of schools if such levy is approved in a voter referendum. 

Passed and reported by a vote of 8-2.  

HB341 (Delegate Martinez) - Plastic bag tax; distribution to towns.

Requires that any town located within a county that has imposed a disposable plastic bag tax receive a distribution of revenues collected by the county based on the local sales tax distribution formula for appropriations to towns.  

Passed and reported by a vote of 10-0.   

HB345 (Delegate McLaughlin) - Real property tax; partial exemption for certain commercial and industrial structures.

Prohibits the application of a partial real property tax exemption to the demolition or replacement of an existing structure when such structure is a registered Virginia landmark or is determined by the Department of Historic Resources to contribute to the significance of a registered historic district.  

Passed by for the day per patron.  

The House Finance Subcommittee #2 meets weekly during the session on Tuesday, 4:30 p.m., House North Subcommittee Room -200, General Assembly Building. A link to the Live Stream video and recordings of all previously held committee meetings and floor sessions of the House can be viewed by clicking here. 

Sofhia Pineda

VSBA Government Relations Specialist