Ye Olde English wedding rhyme featured in the title above gives, surprisingly, great insight into what to expect from the 2026 Virginia General Assembly Session. The Victorian era tradition was meant to ward off curses and bring good fortune. During this hectic time of year for Government Affairs professionals, we could all use a sixpence in our shoes.
Something Old
A large swath of bills introduced this Session will likely be repeats from the previous Session. In 2025, Governor Youngkin vetoed 157 bills. The second most for any General Assembly Session. The only time that number was surpassed was in 2024 when Governor Youngkin vetoed 201 bills. In fact, the Youngkin Administration vetoed a record 399 bills during his tenure. Alas, he will be denied the opportunity to assuage the concerns of those with obsessive-compulsive tendencies by making it an even 400. A full list of legislation vetoed in the previous Session can be found here. Several have already been filed and there will be more to come leading into January 14, 2026.
Something New
As noted in a previous article, there are a tremendous number of new decision-makers in Virginia. This includes changes to all three executive positions and 20 new members to the General Assembly. One implication of this immense turnover is that committee membership changes significantly. An article examining these changes will be provided following the updated assignments.
Something Borrowed
States often look to the other forty-nine laboratories of democracy for legislative inspiration. This is especially true for border states like North Carolina and Maryland. Below are a few examples of legislation from states that aren’t the Mother of Presidents, which likely are to be discussed in and around Capitol Square.
From the Beehive State comes an idea that originated in Germany, balcony solar. This technology would allow homeowners and renters to easily plug in a solar panel to help offset the energy use of small appliances. Virginia’s Commission on Electric Utility Regulation recently reviewed the concept. Legislation will be introduced to exempt these panels from the interconnection process. There are some outstanding questions about how the technology works with older buildings and the role multifamily housing providers play in permitting the panels on their properties.
Three States (Texas, Arizona, and New Hampshire) passed legislation to create a state-level Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Additionally, the federal government has created a similar reserve via executive order. The main idea is to use forfeited digital assets to diversify state reserve resources.
Numerous states have reviewed and passed legislation on the appropriate level of regulation to protect consumers from potential scammers when interacting with a virtual currency kiosk. Each state has mixed and matched several concepts in tackling this issue. What lesson will Virginia take from the experience of other states? Will Virginia create its own unique solution?
Maryland passed the Protect Our Federal Workers Act, which looks to provide financial assistance to laid-off federal workers. The Virginia House of Delegates held several meetings through the Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions to examine the best path forward for the Commonwealth. This issue will be a discussion point for the Session and one that would have budgetary ramifications.
Something Blue
Following the 2025 Virginia elections, there will be significantly more blue on Capitol Square. Virginians elected Democrats to all three executive positions. Additionally, Democrats will gavel in the 2026 Session with their largest majority, 64 caucus members, in the House of Delegates since 1988. The same year Private Detective Eddie Valiant stopped Cloverleaf Industries from building a highway through Toontown and George Michael dominated the Billboard charts. A major question for this upcoming Session is just how BLUE will Virginia become?
Several states, including California, North Carolina, and Texas, chose to conduct a mid-decade redrawing of congressional districts. Concerned that this would water down the Democratic ability to counterbalance the Trump Administration, Virginia Democratic leaders called a Special Session shortly before the 2025 elections. This was to begin the process of amending Virginia’s Constitution to give authority to the General Assembly, for a limited time period, to redraw congressional districts. The resolution passed, predictably on a party-line vote. The next step is for the 2026 General Assembly to pass the same resolution, which has been filed by Delegate Willett as HJ4. Should it pass, a Special Election will need to be called early in the year, and if Virginia voters support the Constitutional change at the ballot box the General Assembly will redraw its 11 congressional districts. As to how BLUE the map will be, it is unclear at this time, but Democratic leaders have not been shy in stating a 10-1 map is on the table. The current congressional representation is 6 Democrats and 5 Republicans. Expect the redistricting resolution to be one of the first items on the agenda this year.
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