Virginia’s latest legislative session has closed. And that means state lawmakers are sending a slew of bills to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk in the hopes he will sign them into law. Here are a few of the bills that are headed to the governor — and a few that didn’t make it that far.
Awaiting Signature
Minimum Wage
HB1928 would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour incrementally. If signed, the bill would raise minimum wage from $12.41 to $13.50 by January 1, 2026. Then raise it to $15 by January 1, 2027.
Food Dye in School Lunches
HB1910 would prohibit any public elementary or secondary school from offering food that contains seven food dyes. The dyes listed in the bill are Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6. If signed, it would go into effect on July 1, 2027.
Pedestrian Crossing Monitoring
SB1233 would allow law enforcement to implement new monitoring systems for stop sign violations and pedestrian crossing violations in school zones, highway work zones, and “high-risk intersection segments.”
Involuntary Manslaughter for Fentanyl Overdoses
HB2657 would allow prosecutors to charge drug dealers with involuntary manslaughter if they knowingly distribute any substances laced with fentanyl and unintentionally cause an overdose death.
Limiting Social Media for Minors
SB854 seeks to limit “addictive” social media exposure to children younger than 18 years old. The bill states that social media platforms would have to implement a time limit of one hour per day for users under 18 unless given parental consent to increase or decrease that limit.
Failed in Session
Tysons Casino Referendum
The bill that would make Fairfax County eligible to host a casino has failed again. This legislation would permit the board of supervisors to vote to approve a ballot referendum, which would then determine whether or not a casino is allowed. This is the third year in a row the legislation has failed — though this was the first year it made it to the House of Delegates.
Create Historic Oak Hill State Park
A bill that would establish President James Monroe’s former estate as a state park failed in the state senate. It failed despite the fact that Loudoun County had already approved funding to purchase the land. Advocates are now pushing for Youngkin to create a budget amendment to keep the plan alive.
SOLs in Different Languages
SB753 would have allowed children to take the Standards of Learning test in Spanish if that was their native language. Schools would have gotten the final decision about whether it would be appropriate for each student to take the test in their native language rather than English.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
