Members of City Council traveled to Richmond yesterday (Thursday) to advocate for more authority to expand housing options and increase state funding for school construction, among other goals.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins, Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, Councilmembers John Taylor Chapman, R. Kirk McPike, Abdel Elnoubi and Canek Aguirre visited the state Capitol for a lobby day to advocate for their legislative priorities, which were set in December. They met with several lawmakers and members of Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration.
Priorities this session include bills to address the impacts of federal workforce and funding reductions, housing affordability and expansion and aging school infrastructure.
“Our legislative priorities are shaped by residents and our boards and commissions, and include everything from gun violence prevention to public safety to affordable housing,” Gaskins told ALXnow. “Today was an opportunity to meet with many new members of the General Assembly and the administration to share our perspectives, our priorities and our ideas for solutions that help to make our community more affordable, more sustainable and more prosperous.”
Bagley testified in support of gun safety legislation that would require safe storage and address transfers of guns from people convicted of domestic violence crimes. She noted the bills advanced from the House Firearms Subcommittee.
Elnoubi said in a social media post that councilmembers also advocated on issues like health care access, workforce development and more funding for education and transportation.
Aside from visiting Richmond, officials can testify virtually on bills. Gaskins and several other Northern Virginia leaders are expected to testify Monday to the Senate Local Government Committee in support of bills that would provide more local authority to expand housing.
The General Assembly is in the process of deciding on which bills will make it to the floor. The crossover deadline to send bills to the opposite house is Feb. 18. The general assembly meets for 60 days from Jan. 14 to March 14.
Because 2026 is an even-numbered year, a new two-year state budget will be passed this year. Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin had proposed the budget in December, but it is expected to receive changes under Spanberger and the Democratic-led General Assembly.
The House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations committees will present their budget proposals on Feb. 22, and both chambers will make decisions on budget and revenue bills by early March.
The General Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on April 22 after Spanberger acts on legislation and budget items.
The city’s full legislative package is available to view online.
