Session Never Changes, Except When It Does

As the calendar marches double-time towards the constitutionally prescribed beginning of the Virginia General Assembly Session, the second Wednesday of January, I couldn’t help by think of a slogan made famous from the Fallout series (Season 2 is currently airing on Amazon Prime. Hopefully, the check is in the mail.) “War never changes” or as Yogi Berra said “It’s deja vu all over again.” On January 14, 2026, Virginia’s elected representatives will gather to gavel in the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere. Legislation and budget amendments will be filed. Subcommittees will lay bills on the proverbial table.  Full committees will re-refer legislation to a certain doom before the money committees. The time-honored tradition of three examples having been fulfill, let’s move on.

Is it all just deja vu? Certainly, not. Idioms have a way of talking across each other. Gathering in Richmond to debate competing visions of the Commonwealth’s future is a tale as old as time. The only thing more constant is that things are always changing. This Session will be no different. The fraternity of General Assembly members will welcome twenty new members to their ranks. Several of which will be determined less than twenty-four hours prior to the Session via Special Election. Additionally, the Commonwealth will be led for the first time by a woman, with the inauguration of former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger. Future articles will examine major issues before the General Assembly. For now, let us take a look at some of the items that remain constant and those that have changed.

The Old

Calendar: Below are key dates for the Virginia General Assembly.

• January 6: Special election for House District 77 and Senate District 15.
• January 13: Special elections in House Districts 11 and 23.
• January 14: 2026 General Assembly begins.
• January 16: Deadline for members to submit budget amendments.
• January 17: The Governor’s Inauguration.
• January 20: Special election for House District 17.
• February 17: Last day for each body to complete work on legislation that originated in their chamber. This does not include work on the budget, which has its own timeline.
• March 14: Scheduled date for the General Assembly to adjourn Sine Die.
• April 22: The General Assembly will reconvene on this date to address vetoes and amendments made by the Governor.
• July 1: Unless otherwise stated, all new laws take effect.

Leadership: All caucuses will have the same leadership teams from the previous election cycle. One small change from last Session will see Delegate Terry Kilgore lead the House Minority caucus as leader following the retirement of former Speaker C. Todd Gilbert.

Issues: There are several pots from which members are likely to draw inspiration for legislation. An obvious one is the 157 bills vetoed by Governor Youngkin last Session. The vast majority of these will be reintroduced. Additionally, the evergreen issues of healthcare and housing will be a major focus of this Session.

The New

Governor: Abigail Spanberger will be sworn in on January 17, 2026, as the seventy-fifth Governor of the Commonwealth. The 2025 elections were guaranteed to provide Virginia with its first female Governor as Governor-elect Spanberger was seeking the position opposite the current Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle Sears. For those unfamiliar with Virginia’s unique constitutional limitations. The Governor is prevented from running for a second consecutive term.

Lieutenant Governor: State Senator Ghazala Hashmi will ascend to lead the Senate as its President. The first time this position will transfer from one woman to another.

Attorney General: Former Delegate Jay Jones defeated Attorney General Jason Miyares in his bid to seek re-election. Jay Jones served in a Norfolk-based district from 2018 until his resignation in 2022.

Members: Below is a list of the new members and the areas they represent

• House District 11: Gretchen Bulova will seek to replace her husband as he moves into the Spanberger Administration as Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources. She will be running against Adam Wise who ran for the seat against her husband this past November.
• House District 17: Garrett McGuire is seeking to replace Delegate Mark Sickles as he has been tapped to serve as the new Secretary of Finance.
• House District 23: Delegate Mundon-King will become the next Secretary of the Commonwealth. Prince William Supervisor Margaret A. Franklin is seeking to replace the Delegate against Republican Verdell C. Robinson.
• House District 30: John Chilton McAuliff will replace Geary Higgins in representing parts of Loudoun and Fauquier County.
• House District 33: Justin Pence will replace in retired Delegate and former Speaker C. Todd Gilbert. This district comprised of Shenandoah County, Page County, and parts of Rockingham and Warren County.  
• House District 41: Lily Franklin replaces Chris Obenshain in a district that is part of Montgomery and Roanoke County.
• House District 46: Micthell Cornett will fill the seat of retiring Delegate Jed Arnold. Wythe County, Smyth County, Grayson, part of Pulaski County make up this District.
• House District 49: Madison Whittle will represent Danville City, parts of Halifax, and parts of Pittsylvania County as he replaces the retiring Delegate Danny Marshall.
• House District 57: May Nivar will replace David Owens in the House to represent parts of Henrico and Goochland County.
• House District 62: Delegate Nick Freita retired, and the district will be served by Karen Hamilton. The district is made up of portions of Culpeper and Orange County. As well as all of Greene and Madison County.
• House District 64: Stacey Annie Carroll will serve the 64th after winning the election of Paul Milde. The district is housed in Stafford County.
• House District 66: One of the longest tenured members of the General Assembly, Bobby Orrock will not be returning to office; replaced by Nicole Cole. The district is made of parts of Spotsylvania and Caroline County.
• House District 69: Dr. Mark Downey will serve the Peninsula-based district that is comprised of portions of York County, James City County, Gloucester County, and the City of Newport News. He defeated Delegate Chad Green.
• House District 71: Former House Republican Caucus Chair Amanda Batten was defeated by Jessica Anderson in the election. The incoming delegate will represent the City of Williamsburg, and parts of James City and New Kent County.
• House District 73: This district covers portions of Chesterfield County and will be represented by Leslie Mehta following her electoral victory over Mark Earley Jr.
• House District 75: This district will be represented by Lindsey Dougherty. The seat was previously held by Carrie Coyner. The 75th includes Hopewell City and parts of Chesterfield and Prince George County.
• House District 77: With Delegate Mike Jones seeking election for the State Senate. The 77th is open. Charles Schmidt is looking to win and serve parts of Chesterfield County and parts of Richmond City.  
• House District 82: Kimberly Pope Adams won against Kim Taylor. The seat represents Petersburg City, Surry County, and parts of Dinwiddie and Prince George County.
• House District 86: Virgil Thornton Sr. will be the new delegate for 86th. He defeated A.C. Cordoza in a district that is made up of the City of Poquoson and portions of Hampton City and York County.
• House District 89: Karen Carnegie won an open seat held by retiring member Baxter Ennis. The district includes parts of Chesapeake and Suffolk City.
• Senate District 15: Delegate Mike Jones is seeking to replace incoming Lt. Governor Hashmi in a Special Election on January 13. Delegate Jones will be running against Mr. John Thomas.

Issues: A topic that will cut across numerous policy areas is how the General Assembly and the Spanberger Administration will address actions by President Trump. There are major decisions to be made on the budget, federal workforce, Dominion’s offshore wind project, and a battle between states and the federal government over who has jurisdiction over A.I. policy.