Virginia Viewpoint: A Historic Inauguration Opens the 2026 Session

A Historic Inauguration Opens the 2026 Session

The 2026 Virginia General Assembly officially convened on Wednesday, launching a 60-day legislative sprint. Over the next two months, legislators will move at a rapid pace to consider thousands of bills, negotiate major policy issues, and adopt a new biennial state budget.

The opening week culminated in historic change in Virginia’s statewide offices. The Commonwealth inaugurated Abigail Spanberger as Governor — the Commonwealth’s first female governor — as well as Ghazala Hashmi as Lieutenant Governor, the first South Asian American and Muslim woman to hold statewide office in Virginia, and Jay Jones as Attorney General. Earlier in the week, the expanded Democratic majority and new Republican members in the House of Delegates were officially sworn in.

Together, these developments signal a clear shift in leadership and priorities as the General Assembly begins its work.

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New Legislators, New Administration, New Resources

To help navigate this transition, we are pleased to share two reference documents linked below:

• New Legislator Profiles– An overview of newly elected members of the General Assembly, including background information, policy interests, and district profile information.
• Spanberger Administration Appointments– A snapshot of announced cabinet secretaries and senior administration appointments as the new administration takes shape.

Speaker Scott Reelected; Committee Assignments Reflect Expanded House Majority

Speaker Don Scott was unanimously reelected as Speaker of the House, marking the first time that a Speaker has served consecutive terms since Speaker Howell in 2018.

Consistent with long-standing rules on proportional representation for House committees, Speaker Scott updated committee assignments to reflect the chamber’s expanded Democratic majority. Last year, committee ratios mirrored the House’s former razor-thin 51-49 split. With Democrats now holding 64 seats, the updated assignments translate to roughly three additional Democratic seats on each House committee. Full committee assignments can be viewed here.

Day One Executive Orders

Governor Spanberger moved quickly after being sworn in, signing a series of executive orders on her first day in office that advance key priorities of her administration while rolling back several actions taken by her predecessor.

Below is a summary of each of the Executive Orders signed on January 17:

1. Statewide Affordability Directive– Orders the Governor’s secretaries and all executive branch agencies to identify actionable changes to reduce costs for Virginians in areas like housing, healthcare, energy, education, childcare, and daily living expenses.
2. Interagency Health Financing Task Force– Establishes a task force to develop unified financing strategies to maximize federal funding, reduce duplicative spending, and strengthen Virginia’s long-term healthcare infrastructure.
3. Housing Development Regulation Review– Directs a comprehensive review of regulations and permitting practices that affect housing development, with the goal of increasing housing supply and reducing costs.
4. High-Quality Public Education Directive– Commits the Commonwealth to academic excellence by directing efforts to strengthen core instructional systems and improve educational support and outcomes.
5. Federal Impacts Assessment– Establishes the Economic Resiliency Task Force to coordinate statewide responses to federal workforce reductions, funding cuts, tariff impacts, and related economic headwinds.
6. Board of Visitors Appointment Process Review – Directs a review and evaluation of how members are appointed to governing boards of public higher education institutions, with a report back on potential legislative or policy recommendations.
7. State of Emergency Authority – Establishes standby authority for the Chief of Staff, and if necessary designated officials, to declare a state of emergency and activate the Virginia National Guard if the Governor is unreachable or incapacitated.
8. Chief of Staff Authority and Responsibility– Delegates significant planning, budgetary, personnel, and administrative authority to the Governor’s Chief of Staff while reserving final decision-making power to the Governor.
9. Equal Opportunity Policy– Establishes a comprehensive nondiscrimination policy across state government and affirmative recruitment measures to promote inclusive opportunities in employment, appointments, procurement, and public services.
10. Law Enforcement– Rescinds the prior administration’s Executive Order 47, which encouraged state and local law enforcement to assist in federal civil immigration enforcement, reaffirming that law enforcement should focus on community priorities and core policing responsibilities.

Constitutional Amendments Advance to Voters

One of the first items of legislative business this session was the advancement of four proposed constitutional amendments, clearing the way for consideration via voter referendum this November.

The amendments include:

• HJ 1– Reproductive Freedom: Enshrines reproductive freedom protections in the Virginia Constitution.
• HJ 2– Voting Rights Restoration: Provides for automatic restoration of voting rights upon release from incarceration.
• HJ 3– Marriage Equality: Repeals Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban and affirmatively protects marriage rights.
• HJ 4– Congressional Redistricting Authority: Explicitly authorizes the Virginia General Assembly to modify congressional districts outside the normal 10-year redistricting cycle.

Key Issues to Watch This Session

With session now fully underway, several policy areas are expected to dominate debate over the next two months, including:

• Affordability, including housing costs, utility rates, and broader cost-of-living concerns.
• Adult-use cannabis retail legislation will return to the forefront, following efforts passed in prior sessions but vetoed by former Governor Youngkin. This year’s legislation is expected to reach the finish line under a new administration.
• Data centers and energy infrastructure will draw significant attention, particularly around siting decisions, affordability, grid reliability, and impacts on local communities.
• Budget negotiations will intensify as lawmakers debate funding priorities across education, healthcare, transportation, and economic development.

Looking Ahead

Committees will take on more legislative business this week. We will continue to monitor developments throughout session and provide timely updates on legislative activity, budget negotiations, and executive action.

Spanberger sworn in as Virginia’s first woman governor, moves swiftly to set agenda

By Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury

Virginia Senate passes 4 constitutional amendments for voter referendum

By Clare Gehlich, ABC8 News

Spanberger rescinds Youngkin immigration enforcement order, issues orders on affordability

By Elizabeth Beyer, Cardinal News

Don Scott re-elected as Speaker of Virginia House of Delegates

By Julia Broberg, ABC8 News

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