Good Bills BLOCKED by Democrats

This week, Democrats stopped several common-sense bills that would have helped small businesses, strengthened public safety, improved election integrity, and lowered costs for Virginians.

SB 11 (Sen. DeSteph): Repeals the styrofoam ban, saving small businesses hundreds in inventory costs.
Bill link: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB11
SB 12 (Sen. DeSteph): Addresses marijuana odor in traffic stops, giving law enforcement more tools in DUI/DWI cases.
Bill link: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB12
SB 46 (Sen. Craig): Limits early voting to 15 days, saving taxpayers and local registrars thousands in operating costs.
Bill link: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB46
SB 78 (Sen. Diggs): Increases mandatory minimums for certain repeat firearm offenses to keep criminals off the streets.
Bill link: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB78
SB 397 (Sen. Diggs): Shifts courthouse construction costs to repeat violent offenders instead of law-abiding taxpayers.
Bill link: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB397
SB 544 (Sen. Cifers): Requires photo identification at polling locations.
Bill link: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB544
SB 552 (Sen. Sturtevant): Increases oversight of data center placement and requires public hearings for zoning input.
Bill link: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB552
SB 572 (Sen. Reeves): Creates a retail sales and use tax exemption for contractors working on public improvement projects with the Commonwealth.
Bill link: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB572
SB 696 (Sen. Jordan): Reduces the corporate income tax rate from 6% to 2.25% over three years.
Bill link: https://prod.lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB696
SB 799 (Sen. Durant): Repeals the car (personal property) tax, saving Virginians roughly $2 billion annually and the average working family over $1,000 a year.
Bill link: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB799

Redistricting Update

This week, Republicans secured a major court victory in McDougle v. Nardo, challenging Democrats’ attempt to push the redistricting constitutional amendment (HJR 6007) through the 2024 Special Session. The court ruled the General Assembly violated its own Special Session rules and failed to satisfy constitutional and statutory requirements, meaning everything tied to HJR 6007 in that Special Session is void ab initio.

The court also found the required “intervening House election” has not occurred because early voting for the 2025 election began before HJR 6007 passed—so the next eligible election cannot be until 2027—and that Virginia’s public notice requirements in Va. Code § 30-13 were not followed, making any claimed “second vote” in 2026 ineffective.

The fight is not over, and the Democrats have filed an appeal in Virginia’s Court of Appeals. We will keep you updated on our fight to stop this blatant partisan gerrymander.

Winter Storm: Reliability Matters

The winter storm over the weekend resulted in minimal loss of power for Virginians. The lights stayed on because Virginia relied on dependable energy sources like natural gas and nuclear.

Senator McDougle has introduced legislation to require the SCC to direct public utilities to invest in the most reliable and affordable generation options. Meanwhile, Democrats and the Governor continue investing time and energy into solar and wind, and this weekend proved how ineffective lower-generation options can be when Virginians need power most.

Virginia Senate Republicans remain committed to saving Virginians thousands on their power bills by repealing VCEA, rejecting the regional gas tax initiative, and requiring our utilities to invest in the most reliable and affordable resource scenario.

Thursday Press Conference: Tax Hikes and Soft-on-Crime Policies

On Thursday morning, the Caucus held a press conference where Republican Leader McDougle and Caucus Chair Obenshain highlighted the destructive taxes being pushed by Senate Democrats, along with soft-on-crime policies that put more criminals back into our neighborhoods.

Democrats’ proposed tax hikes include:
• New local sales tax in all Virginia counties and cities
• New income tax brackets
• Delivery tax (Amazon, Uber Eats, FedEx, UPS orders in Northern Virginia)
• Rideshare tax (Uber/Lyft)
• Storage unit tax
• Gym membership tax
• Dog walking tax
• Dog grooming tax
• Counseling tax
• Kindle tax
• Vehicle repair tax
• Home repair tax
• Dry cleaning tax

In addition, House Democrats have introduced HB 863 to eliminate mandatory minimums for a wide range of serious offenses, including violent felonies and crimes involving firearms, drugs, and child exploitation.

Here is a list of some of the violent crimes that would have their mandatory minimums stripped:

Rape
Forcible Sodomy
Violation of a Protective Order
Malicious bodily injury of a Law-Enforcement Officer or Fire Fighter
2^nd Conviction of certain felony sexual assaults
Carnal Knowledge of a child between 13-15 years old.
Sexual Intercourse with one’s own child or grandchild
Manufacturing, selling, or distributing methamphetamine
2^nd DUI conviction
Possession of a firearm by convicted felons
Possession, reproduction, or financing of child pornography

Bill link: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB863

I know it looks bleak right now. Don’t tune out - stay engaged and hold every elected official accountable for the laws they pass. I will keep fighting these reckless Democrat policies and keep you informed as this battle continues.