The Torian Report: General Assembly Session Update Week 5

This week marked an important milestone in the 2025 Legislative Session as the House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia reached the crossover deadline. The General Assembly completed all bills introduced by their respective chambers and began reviewing legislation passed by the other chamber.

Significant progress was also made on the state budget, with both the House and Senate finalizing and passing their respective versions this past Thursday. As we approach the final two weeks of the legislative session, we have plenty of work ahead before we adjourn.

State Budget Progress

On Sunday, February 2nd, the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee each presented and approved their amendments to the budget bill.

To view the committee-approved budget amendments, please click HERE.

• Authorizes a tax rebate of $200 for individuals and $400 for joint filers to be issued by October 15, 2025 ($978 million one-time cost).
• Increases the refundable portion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to 20% of the federal credit, providing ongoing tax relief to lower-income citizens ($35 million annual cost starting FY 2026).
• We invested $15.0 million to start a new grant program that provides first-time homebuyers with resources of up to $10,000 to offset the cost of home purchases.
• Our package of investments and policy changes fully eliminates the waitlist for childcare subsidy slots, which currently sits at more than 8,700 children across our Commonwealth.
• To recognize our hardworking teachers we provided a $1,000 bonus in addition to the two 3% increases included in the budget approved last year.
• This budget adds $12.3 million to fund the “Momnibus” initiatives geared towards improving maternal & child health outcomes in Virginia.

The House Appropriations Committee briefed the House of Delegates on the budget, and then on Thursday, the House voted on my budget bill, HB 1600, which passed with strong bipartisan support by a 79-Y 18-N vote. 

Legislative Progress

Now that the General Assembly has passed crossover, my bills, HB2358 and HB2359 have successfully passed the Senate. On February 5th, both bills received unanimous support from the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. Then, on February 7th, the bills unanimously passed on the Senate floor and are now on their way to Governor Youngkin’s desk for his consideration. 

My Legislation

HB2358 – Establishes the Current and Mature Semiconductor Technology Grant Fund. If passed, this legislation will allow Micron to expand its semiconductor manufacturing facility in Manassas. It will create many jobs and substantially impact Prince William County and the City of Manassas. 

HB2359 – Authorizes issuance of bonds in an amount up to $206,085,243 for revenue-producing capital projects at James Madison University and The College of William and Mary.

Additionally, Delegate Patrick Hope’s bill HB 2729,  which incorporates my bill HB2361, was unanimously passed by the House of Delegates on February 4th. It has been referred to the Senate Committee on Courts of Justice, and we now await their recommendation. This legislation adds 11 additional judgeships to address Circuit and General District Courts workloads and wait times. 

Conversations and Collaboration

This week, the House Committee on General Laws and its subcommittee on ABC and Gaming convened, and we continued our final review of House bills introduced in this legislative session.

As the General Assembly moved closer to crossover, both floor sessions and committee meetings grew longer. However, it was still a pleasure to engage in meaningful discussions this week, including a visit from Former First Lady Pam Northam and Former Delegate Jay Jones.

Constituent Corner

Every year, it is my honor to host the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (N.C.B.W.) at the Capitol for their annual legislative day. This week, I was pleased to introduce the N.C.B.W. on the House floor and have them witness the legislative process in action firsthand.

Chapters from Prince William County, Richmond, and Northern Virginia came to Richmond to engage with members of the General Assembly and representatives from the Governor’s Cabinet regarding critical issues affecting black women and girls.

In every session, I can offer commending resolutions to honor residents for their outstanding contributions to our community. If you would like to recommend someone, please send your nominations to delltorian@house.virginia.gov. Your submission must include the nominee’s full name and a description of their contributions. 

If you have any questions or comments about the General Assembly Session or would like to contact my office directly with input or feedback on legislation, please find my office information below.