Arlington’s five-member legislative delegation heads into the General Assembly’s home stretch with a large number of its bills still alive.
Among the most successful was Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3), who got 21 pieces of legislation through the House of Delegates before crossover, the period when bills move to the opposite house for consideration.
“These bills range from protecting working Virginians from wage theft to mitigating pollutants in our soil and water,” Lopez said in a statement.
“They all work towards creating a healthier, safer and more affordable commonwealth for all Virginians,” he said.
Del. Patrick Hope (D-1), meanwhile, successfully advanced bills allowing the Arlington County Board to appoint an independent policing auditor in support of the county’s civilian oversight body. Currently, the post of policing auditor, held by Mummi Ibrahim, operates under the county manager.
One of the measures sponsored by Del. Adele McClure (D-2) would provide localities like Arlington more leeway in establishing tourism improvement districts. The bill would also permit Arlington to add another 1% to the existing transient occupancy tax in support of tourism initiatives.
A measure from Sen. Barbara Favola (D-40) would allow the Arlington government to enact more affordable-housing requirements on new development and create an advisory body to advise county officials on appropriate levels of contributions to the Affordable Housing Investment Fund.
Several provisions of Favola’s bill would not become effective unless reenacted by the legislature in 2027.
Additionally, several bills from Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-39) — who left the General Assembly mid-session to take a position in the Spanberger administration — continue moving forward. They include legislation increasing the weekly maximum unemployment payment and a companion bill to McClure’s on rules for local tourism districts.
Succeeding Ebbin after a special election is Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, who had been serving in a House of Delegates seat from Alexandria.
The 2026 General Assembly session runs through March 14. Spanberger will then have time to sign, veto or amend the hundreds of bills expected to land on her desk.
Legislators are expected to reconvene in Richmond on April 22 to address Spanberger’s actions.
