Dear Friends,
As the session winds down and the General Assembly begins wrapping up its business, I want to reflect on this session so far. It’s a humbling and deeply gratifying experience to speak with so many Virginians passionate about our Commonwealth and the most important issues it faces. While this is a short session, we have been able to transact the people’s business and continue working to make Virginia an even better place to live and work. Read on to learn more about our penultimate week in Richmond!
The House Passes Senate Cognates of the Three Constitutional Amendments
On February 13, 2025, the House passed the Senate versions of three pressing constitutional amendments dealing with voting rights, marriage equality, and reproductive freedom (the Senate versions are identical to the House versions we passed earlier in the Session). The United States has historically been a standard-bearer for freedom worldwide, but as we lose federal protections, Virginia’s legislature has become the final protector of fundamental rights. Click below to see the House Democratic Caucus’ statement on the passage of these amendments.
Thank You to the GAB’s Staff
Delegates and Senators may be the most well-known occupants of the General Assembly Building, but hundreds of staff members assist our legislative process every day. They maintain the infrastructure of our legislative body, keep our building clean, help visitors get around Richmond to see their government in action, and so much more! Their contributions to the General Assembly are often overlooked, so I want to take a moment and thank them for their service to the Commonwealth!
The Virginia Page Program
The Page Program brings students from across Virginia to experience the legislative process firsthand. Pages assist visitors, deliver documents, and support floor sessions while gaining civics education, leadership skills, and hands-on experience in state government. Thank you to the 2025 Pages for your dedication, hard work, and commitment to serving the Commonwealth—you are an invaluable part of the General Assembly!
Do you know any 13-14 year-olds interested in Virginia’s government and politics? Keep an eye out for next year’s Page Program application, we would love to have some young superstars from HD27 get to be a part of Virginia history! Click the button below to learn more about the Page Program:
University of Virginia School of Law’s State and Local Government Policy Clinic
UVA law students in this clinic work in teams that assist a vast array of clients, including legislators from both sides of the aisle, government officials, and advocacy groups. These students research pressing policy issues, lobby legislators for their approval, and provide testimony during committee meetings. There are two clinic students that I want to give special attention to: Roland Eberhard and Madhavi Subramaniam.
Roland and Madhavi have “worked” (an inside term for all the steps you have to take to get support for legislation) House Bills 2055 and 2679, which deal with critical guidance for parents of students who are at risk of harming themselves or others. This communication includes information on the safe storage of firearms and medications. We gathered broad bipartisan support for these measures, and I am hopeful the Governor will support this legislation.
If you are interested in learning more about the clinic, click here:
Week Six Legislative Update
Here is the current status of bills introduced during this legislative session:
1256 still pending before the General Assembly
1186 bills have passed the House
938 bills have passed the Senate
700 bills have passed the General Assembly
1340 bills have failed
Here is the current status of my legislation:
3 bills have passed the General Assembly
7 bills are being heard before the Senate
3 bills are currently in the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee
If you are interested in looking at the legislative history and bill text of my proposals, you can view them on the Virginia Legislative Information System (LIS).
Supporting our Veterans
House Bill 2736: This bill extends the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) program to military spouses. This bill passed out of committee on a 15-0 vote and is in the Senate Finance.
Healthcare
House Bill 1945: Allows telehealth visits at schools that choose the option to offer it. A bipartisan recommendation of the Joint Commission on Healthcare, it improves access and reduces missed class time for families who may not have adequate broadband technology at home or nearby health providers. This bill reported 15-0 out of committee and is headed to the Senate floor!
Affordable Housing
House Bill 2054: Our seniors need affordable assisted living, and this bill empowers localities to negotiate for it. This bill has passed out of the General Assembly on a 35-3 vote in the Senate!
Gun Violence Prevention
House Bill 2055 and 2679: These bills direct schools to provide information to parents of a student found at-risk for harming themselves or harming others, respectively, on the existing safe storage of firearms laws, as well as material on safe storage of medications. HB 2055 passed out of committee on a 14-0, and HB 2679 passed out of committee on a 11-3 vote. These bills are headed to the Senate floor!
Education
House Bill 1915: Clarifies that tenured teachers must give notice of non-continuation before the school year ends while maintaining the school division’s authority over dismissal of tenured teachers. This bill passed out of committee on a 15-0 vote and is headed to the Senate floor!
House Bill 1936: Directs the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to create an index of each teacher training to allow us to better understand the subject, frequency, and total hours we expect our educators to spend training. This bill passed out of committee on a 15-0 and is headed to the Senate floor!
House Bill 2032: This bill directs the VDOE to collect data on English language learners to ensure our students have the support they need to excel, and to direct adequate state funds, thereby lessening the tax burden on local residents. This bill passed out of committee on a 9-6 vote and is headed to the Senate Finance.
House Bill 2053: Empowers the VDOE to develop a rubric for each institution of higher education to utilize in conducting a self-assessment to make sure their teacher preparation programs are in line with the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA). This bill passed out of committee on a 8-5-1 vote and is headed to the Senate floor!
Good Governance
House Bill 1912: Increases dollar amounts relating to wills, estates, trusts, fiduciaries, guardianships of minors, and guardianships of those who are incapacitated to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index. This bill has passed out of the General Assembly on a 38-0 vote in the Senate!
House Bill 1913: Stipulates that a clerk of court will only assess one fee for recording a document, such as a mortgage. This bill passed out of committee on a 14-1 vote and is in the Senate Finance.
House Bill 2056: Gives localities the option to expand early voting days and times, within the parameters already set by the General Assembly. This bill has passed out of the General Assembly on a 21-14 vote in the Senate!
House Bill 2553: This legislation amends the Code of Virginia to allow the advisory Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation to advise on the regulation and potential deregulation of professions and occupations overseen by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). This bill passed out of committee on a 14-0 vote and is headed to the Senate floor!
Photos from Session
Bills before the State Senate
Winter in Richmond
Virginians safe and roads open!
HB 2056: Affordable Assisted Living
Furry Friends at the GAB!
General Assembly Friends
ICYMI
Resources to take part in the Legislative Session
Are you interested in watching the hearing for a bill you are particularly passionate about? Are you looking for a way to give testimony for bills that support or oppose? Are you wondering what’s in the state’s budget? The General Assembly has these services and more to allow you to participate and view the entire General Assembly Session!
Virginia Legislative Information System (LIS)
The Virginia Legislative Information System tracks bills from their introduction to their passage! You are able to create lists of bills that interest you through the lobbyist in a box feature, look through the calendar to find when important bills are being heard, and see the overall stats of this session.
Virginia General Assembly Website
The General Assembly website streams every floor session, committee, and subcommittee meeting, gives a detailed explanation on how a bill becomes a law in Virginia, and showcases the history of the General Assembly and the Capitol Building. If you are interested in watching meetings of the General Assembly or learning more about our legislative process, you can find it on the link below.
How My Office Can Help You
Navigating state agencies can be confusing and difficult at times. As your delegate, I can help you communicate with state agencies such as the Virginia Employment Commission, Departments of Taxation, Social Services, Transportation, and more! I can also submit inquiries with those agencies on your behalf and help you engage with the state agency you need. There are limits to what I can do, however. For example, I am unable to expedite cases or force state agencies to favor your inquiry, provide legal advice or recommend a specific attorney, intervene with judicial issues, overturn decisions, or be involved with matters involving private businesses.
Whether you want to bring an issue to my attention, need my office’s assistance, or want to invite me to a community event, please reach out! If there is any way I can assist you, please let me know here: https://atoosareaser.com/help/
Yours in Service,
Atoosa Reaser (she/her)
Virginia House of Delegates
District 27 (Eastern Loudoun)
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