WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, applauds today’s Senate passage of the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act, the most comprehensive legislative housing package in decades. This landmark legislation will build more homes, bring down home purchasing and renting costs, preserve affordable housing in rural areas, help reduce homelessness, and address the rising share of housing owned by large corporate investors. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives.
“The housing affordability crisis is real and prevalent throughout the country,” said Sen. Warner. “This landmark legislation will boost the housing supply, bring down costs, and protect renters, veterans, and rural Virginians. I encourage my colleagues in the House to quickly pass this bipartisan housing package and deliver some real relief to Americans across the country.”
RICHMOND, VA — In response to the historic drought conditions creating challenges for communities and farmers across Virginia, Governor Spanberger today — in coordination with the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force — encouraged Virginians to take voluntary, commonsense steps to conserve water use. Despite much of the state receiving recent beneficial rain, a significant lack of precipitation has resulted in Virginia recording its driest period since 1941. Precipitation totals are approximately eight inches below average across much of the Commonwealth.
“All Virginians can play a role in protecting our water supply during this historic dry period,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “As communities across the Commonwealth — particularly in Southside and Central Virginia — continue to be impacted by these conditions, it is important that we take commonsense steps to meet this challenge. I’m grateful to Virginians for doing their part, and my office will continue to remain in close coordination with the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force as we focus on safeguarding our water supply.”
FAIRFAX, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today signed landmark legislation to protect reproductive freedoms, reaffirm the right to access contraception in Virginia, and make sure more women can access critical reproductive healthcare.
At the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial — marking where suffragists were held during the Silent Sentinels demonstrations, Governor Spanberger signed the Right to Contraception Act — Senate Bill 596 and House Bill 6 — into law to guarantee the right of Virginia women to access and use birth control. The Governor also signed the Contraception Equity Act — Senate Bill 361 and House Bill 1182 — to make sure health insurance plans cover contraception, including over-the-counter medication.
The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance Applauds Policy Leaders for Strengthening Survivor Safety Across Commonwealth
With New Laws, Virginia Joins the Majority of States in Keeping Firearms Away from Domestic Abusers
RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger yesterday signed bipartisan legislation creating Virginia’s first State Internship Coordinator — a new role within her Administration focused on strengthening state internship programs and expanding internship opportunities in government agencies to more Virginia students in every corner of the Commonwealth.
In Richmond, the Governor was joined by student interns from across state agencies and the 2026 Governor’s Fellows to sign Senate Bill 286 and House Bill 54 — patroned by Senator Lashrecse Aird and Delegate Rip Sullivan — and highlight her continued focus on making sure every Virginian entering the workforce has the opportunity to find a stable, successful career.
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, and Commonwealth Attorney for Fairfax, Virginia Steve Descano challenging their unconstitutional attempt to regulate federal law enforcement officers by criminally prohibiting federal officers from wearing masks, requiring individual identifiers, and functionally banning cooperative 287(g) agreements with numerous local law enforcement agencies dedicated to helping enforce this nation’s laws. Virginia Code, §§ 19.2-83.6:1, 15.2-1726.1.
Not only is the law an illegal attempt to regulate the federal government, but, as alleged in the complaint, the law threatens the safety of federal officers who have faced an unprecedent wave of harassment, doxing, and even violence. Threatening officers with prosecution for simply protecting their identities and their families also chills the enforcement of federal law and compromises sensitive law enforcement operations.
June 9, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Representative Don Beyer (VA-08) introduced a three-bill legislative package to prepare America’s rail system for the next generation of passenger and freight transportation by supporting the deployment of clean technologies, identifying electrification opportunities, and strengthening rail network planning.
“Rail remains one of the most efficient ways to move people and goods, and new technologies are creating opportunities to improve efficiency and reliability,” said Congressman Beyer. “We should be evaluating where it makes sense to implement these technologies, what barriers stand in the way, and how we can further support innovation to strengthen our transportation systems and improve operational flexibility. I am particularly invested in eliminating barriers between our Southeastern U.S. rail corridors and the Northeast Corridor to create a seamless connection, which my Rail Motive Power Source Integration Act and Southeastern Rail Technologies Mapping Act would both address. This slate of bills will help provide the data and assessments needed to guide those decisions and to make smarter investments in our rail corridors across the country.”
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today joined U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jim Justice (R-WV), John Fetterman (D-PA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Chris Coons (D-DE), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Dave McCormick (R-PA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in sponsoring the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act, legislation allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants to purchase hot rotisserie chicken with their benefits.
“For families trying to stretch every dollar, it doesn’t make much sense that SNAP recipients can buy a rotisserie chicken once it’s cooled down, but not while it’s still hot,” said Sen. Warner. “This bipartisan legislation is a commonsense fix to an outdated rule that will make it easier for working families, seniors, and other SNAP recipients to put an affordable, nutritious meal on the table.”
Washington, D.C. — The Reservoir Center for Water Solutions, alongside Anacostia Riverkeeper, Anacostia Watershed Society, and Potomac Riverkeeper Network, today launched the Water Quality Monitoring Program — a groundbreaking, publicly accessible dashboard delivering real-time water quality data for the Anacostia, Potomac, and Shenandoah Rivers.
Operating like a weather app for local rivers, the next-generation monitoring tool pulls data from nine sensor sites to put real-time environmental information directly in the hands of the public. Now, everyone from weekend paddlers checking conditions before hitting the water to researchers tracking long-term river health, can access user-friendly data instantly.
RICHMOND, VA — In a letter sent to Senator L. Louise Lucas and Delegate Luke Torian — Chairs of the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee and House Appropriations Committee, Governor Abigail Spanberger today shared the updated revenue forecast she directed state officials to conduct.
The updated revenue forecast projects a $1.5 billion increase in General Fund revenues for Fiscal Years 2026-2028. The reforecast projects that Fiscal Year 2026 revenues will exceed the official forecast by $585.5 million. For Fiscal Years 2027 and 2028, the revised outlook projects an additional $922.6 million in General Fund revenues, of which $582.4 million is identified for Fiscal Year 2027 and $340.2 million for Fiscal Year 2028.
RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced that April revenues grew 6.9 percent compared to the previous April. On a fiscal year-to-date basis through the first ten months of Fiscal Year 2026, collections have grown 7.3 percent. Growth has been driven by strong individual income tax and strong sales tax receipts, while corporate income taxes have lagged. Compared to the official forecast assumed in the amended budget, revenues are ahead of expectations by 3.3 percent.
“Revenues for Fiscal Year 2026 are ahead of expectations entering the final months of the year, though continued national uncertainty warrants caution,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “I am concerned by both the sudden spike in inflation caused by the war in Iran and the job losses Virginia has seen since the start of the fiscal year — particularly in the wake of federal workforce cuts. With these developments putting additional strain on Virginians and contributing to significant uncertainty for the Commonwealth, I will continue to focus on doing everything in my power to provide stability for businesses, families, and investors.”
ARLINGTON, Va., May 8, 2026 — The U.S. Small Business Administration Washington Metropolitan Area District Office (WMADO) will recognize Good Company Doughnuts & Café as the 2026 National Small Business Week Small Business Person of the Year for Northern Virginia during a special event Friday morning in Arlington, Virginia.
The recognition honors the extraordinary growth and community impact of siblings and co founders Charles Kachadoorian and Kate Murphy, whose company has expanded from a single Arlington café in 2019 into a rapidly growing regional business serving customers throughout the Washington metropolitan area.
