It’s Friday, and the Virginia General Assembly is wrapping up the first full week of the 2026 Legislative Session. It’s been an action-packed few days here in Richmond – so far, we’ve seen more than 150 housing-related bills introduced. Be sure to check out our State Legislative Tracker to keep an eye on those!
Things move quickly in the General Assembly, but there are ways for constituents and stakeholders to weigh in and share their opinions and experiences. This post will provide an overview of some of the tools that Virginians can use to get involved in the legislative process.
The General Assembly offers a free legislator lookup tool that Virginians can use to identify who their representatives are. The website also includes contact information for each lawmaker. Reaching out to your Delegate or Senator is an important step, as many legislators appreciate hearing from their constituents directly about the issues that matter to them.
VHA is monitoring a variety of housing bills that have been introduced this year. Our free, public State Legislative Tracker provides a quick overview of each bill, and you can click on the bill numbers within the tracker to view additional information, such as its committee assignment and patron(s). To learn more about VHA’s policy priorities, visit our State Policy Initiatives webpage. Our 2026 State Legislative Agenda is available there, along with materials and talking points to help you engage in advocacy around these issues.
Another important resource is Virginia’s Legislative Information System (LIS) website. Entering a bill number in the search bar will bring you to that bill’s homepage, which has links to the full text of the bill, any amendments or proposed changes, and the committee that the bill is assigned to. Clicking on the committee links will allow you to view the members of that committee – you can also reach out to those legislators to voice your support or opposition for any proposals. Be sure to check back often for updates, as committee hearings for bills often come up with limited notice (e.g., a hearing for a bill may be announced less than 24 hours in advance).
In Virginia, you also have the option to weigh in on proposed laws directly via public comment or written testimony. This webpage from the General Assembly includes instructions and tips for giving public comment or submitting written comments. There are separate processes for both the House of Delegates and for the Senate.
The General Assembly offers a bill tracking service called Lobbyist in a Box. Anyone can use their email address to sign up for a free account, which allows the user to track up to five bills of interest to them. You can use this service to sign up for alerts on the bills that are most important to you.
Finally, the Virginia Housing Alliance sends out weekly updates to VHA members around our policy priorities during the legislative session. VHA members also have access to additional trainings and resources, such as our Advocacy Toolkit. To learn more about VHA membership, please contact Carrie Hamilton at chamilton@vahousingalliance.org. In addition, anyone can sign up for action alerts from VHA (for free) to be notified of opportunities to engage with legislators around important housing issues. These action alerts provide constituents with a contact form that includes some sample language that can be used for advocacy with your representatives.