Numerous pieces of legislation from Arlington lawmakers are officially set to become law following final approval from Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D).
Among the approximately 1,200 bills passed out of the 2026 session, legislation on elections, eviction prevention, tourism improvement districts and the minimum wage all came by way of state senators and delegates representing Arlington. Most signed bills will take effect on July 1, 2026, unless otherwise specified.
The final deadline for Spanberger to act on bills is Monday, April 13.
Del. Patrick Hope’s bill to allow the Arlington County Board to appoint an independent police auditor will become effective in July. The county already has an independent police auditor — Mummi Ibrahim — appointed by County Manager Mark Schwartz.
Other signed bills from Hope (D-1) will eliminate tobacco surcharges on health insurance, streamline paternity recognition for child support purposes, allow local funding of public defender positions, set safety and sanitation requirements for public swimming pools and create a task force to evaluate the Marcus Alert system for crisis responses.
Del. Alfonso Lopez’s bill to provide personal property tax extensions to furloughed employees during federal government shutdowns was signed by the governor.
Another bill will allow localities to require specified service employers to keep service employees during a contract transition period.
A bill from Lopez (D-3) to prohibit state and local law enforcement from entering agreements with federal immigration enforcement awaits the governor’s action. Spanberger has already banned state law enforcement from 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement through executive order. Lopez’s other bills to restrict immigration enforcement in schools, hospitals and polling places were incorporated into a separate bill that awaits the governor’s signature.
Another Lopez bill to amend training requirements for a concealed handgun permit will not take effect unless the 2027 General Assembly approves it again.
State Sen. Barbara Favola (D-40) and Del. Adele McClure (D-2)’s SB 58 and HB 82, which will extend elections offices’ deadlines for receiving and counting absentee ballots, will become law on Jan. 1, 2027. The bills will move the deadline for voters casting a provisional ballot to provide their proof of identification for their ballot to be counted from noon to 5 p.m. on the third day after an election. However, the bills would not change the deadline for voters to turn in absentee ballots or have them postmarked by Election Day.
Favola previously told ARLnow the legislation responds to delays in the U.S. Postal Service’s mail delivery, but the new 5 p.m. deadline wouldn’t impose any additional burdens on election officers or delay the counting of ballots.
Spanberger, when approving new minimum wage increases, also approved McClure’s bill to apply the minimum wage to farm workers.
Other notable signed bills from Favola include expanding the permitted uses of at-risk student funding in public schools and limiting when voting rights can be taken from people deemed incapacitated in a guardianship or conservatorship.
McClure also introduced bills to create a state eviction reduction program and provide information on eviction diversion programs to tenants in eviction proceedings. McClure’s bill to require notice for a landlord to force out a tenant after a fire or casualty incident will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
Several bills from former state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-39) — who left the General Assembly mid-session to take a position in the Spanberger administration — were also approved. Ebbin and McClure‘s companion bills will allow Arlington County to adopt a tourism improvement district model and charge an additional 1% transient occupancy tax.
Another Ebbin bill will expand the restriction on publicly disclosing Virginia Lottery winners to all lottery winners, unless they consent to it. The current restriction only applies to lottery prizes exceeding $1 million.
The governor also approved a bill requiring public bodies to not take action on items added to an agenda during a meeting unless it is time sensitive or a closed meeting subject.
Legislators are expected to reconvene in Richmond on April 22 to address Spanberger’s actions, and the following day for a special session on the state budget.
