Serving the people of
Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth,
Suffolk & Virginia Beach, VA

Bill Tracking

Virginia General Assembly

Tracking Bills in the 2026 Virginia General Assembly  

By Carolyn Caywood

Democracy is a conversation that doesn’t end with an election.  Legislators need to hear from constituents. They do value input, and the more effort, the greater the effect.  A personal letter stamped and mailed or a personal office visit has the most impact.  Signing an online petition or form letter mainly shows the strength of the organization that set it up, and may set you up for a barrage of organization emails & texts.  Legislators will ask for bill numbers. 

  • Be ready to say what you want your legislator to do – support, oppose, amend, co-patron. 
  • All bills are assigned to a committee, so you need to know who is on that committee, and which subcommittee. 
  • These resources can help you find those answers and more.  

The General Assembly

  • Take time to explore  https://virginiageneralassembly.gov/ 
  • A new General Assembly website is in development. https://vga.virginia.gov/ puts the most frequently used pages up front.
  • Old: quick access pull-down menu: who’s my legislator? schedules, videos, bills.
  • Budget can be reached here or through LIS*. (Gov’s draft posted 12/17/2025)

Members listings: legislators’ pictures, committees, link to House virtual testimony: https://hodspeak.house.virginia.gov/  House Rules Committee: calendar, session rules (parliamentary, Virginia’s legislature predates Robert’s Rules of Order).

Legislative Branch: Agencies e.g. DLAS, JLARC; link to Studies & Commissions   https://studies.virginiageneralassembly.gov/ and you can subscribe for meeting announcements. 

Menu Learn: Capitol Classroom, how the legislature works – student to adult levels, Legislative Essentials (glossary), Budget process. 

Menu Engage:  Participation & Public Comment – Citizen Involvement

X Twitter for committees that meet after floor session adjourns for the day: House of Delegates & Senate of Virginia.  House Committees and Subcommittees have accounts. 

HOD Navigation of new General Assembly Building https://hodnav.house.virginia.gov/  

Division of Legislative Services (DLS) turns legislator’s idea into a properly constructed bill. DLS has a calendar page https://dls.virginia.gov/pubs_calendar.html 

Division of Legislative Automated Systems (DLAS) operates LIS, offers December training.

Legislative Information System (*LIS)  https://lis.virginia.gov/   

LIS User Guides http://lis.virginia.gov/SiteInformation/LISUserguides.html  

Lobbyist-in-a-Box: track 5 bills for free.

Training https://dlas.virginia.gov/support/training.asp  and  https://help.lis.virginia.gov/liab/training.asp  Two classes left!

Budget is not on Lobbyist-in-a-Box.  Budget Amendments are considered only by Appropriations Committees, no public meetings, no testimony.  Amendments deadline Jan. 16th. https://hac.virginia.gov/ 

Access bills by bill number, legislator, subject, keyword, status, committee, subcommittee (where you testify). Try synonyms, e. g. “weapons,” not guns or firearms.  Bill’s fiscal impact (FIS). Racial & Ethnic Impact Statement (REIS) only on Criminal Justice bills. PDF for line numbers, Introduced to “highlight” changes.

Find your legislator’s committees, meeting schedule, bills, votes. Watch speeches live or archived.  For today’s events, see LIS meeting schedule.  Floor minutes – video.

Governor’s recommendations & veto explanations.

Sessions 1994 – 2024 on old LIS.  Cumulative Index has more ways to search. Reports to the General Assembly from Studies & Commissions often lead to bills.

Once a bill becomes a law, it is up to the executive branch to implement it.  The Virginia Regulatory Town Hall provides opportunities for the public to monitor, attend meetings, and comment on regulations and other actions of the agencies of state government.   

NONGOVERNMENTAL RESOURCES

League Day will be Feb. 11th  with a reception on the 10th.  https://my.lwv.org/virginia/league-day-day-advocacy-2026 

12/20/2025 Caywood