Week of 02/22/2026
Dear Virginian,
The 2026 Virginia legislative session reached its high-stakes Crossover deadline on Tuesday night, February 17. This is the procedural “halfway point” where bills must have passed their house of origin to remain alive.
Facing fierce resistance in Richmond from the House, Senate, and Governor, we’ve been fighting with our backs to the wall. But thankfully, our dogged persistence and the stalwart courage of Virginian patriots paid off. Several key conservative and moderate efforts have resulted in cause for celebration this week.
Fortunately, several high-priority proposals that would have significantly reshaped Virginia’s economy and legal landscape did not advance, including:
Repeal of “Right-to-Work” (HB151): In a massive win for the business community and labor freedom, the effort to repeal Virginia’s decades-old “Right-to-Work” law failed to advance. This preserves the right of workers to choose whether or not to join a union.
New “Upper-Income” Tax Brackets (HB1074 & HB979): Two bills designed to create higher tax brackets for wealthy Virginians were merged and then “continued to 2027.” For now, the push for a costlier tax structure is dead.
Private School Over-Regulation (HB359): This bill would have forced private and religious schools to adopt state SOL testing and identity-politics mandates if they accepted scholarship students. By stopping this bill in the Appropriations Committee, Republicans and moderates protected the independence of private education.
Despite these exciting victories, critical pieces of tyrannical legislation are still alive and making their way towards the Governor’s desk at an alarming speed. These are now the primary targets for conservative and moderate opposition in the second half of the session:
Major Gun Control (HB 217): The “Assault Weapon” ban passed the House on a party-line vote. It now moves to the Senate, where Republicans hope a single moderate vote could kill the bill.
Forced Paid Sick Leave (HB 5): This mandatory payroll requirement passed the House (63–35) despite warnings from Republicans that it acts as a “hidden tax” on small businesses.
Obstruction of Justice in Public Schools (HB 836): The bill prohibiting schools from cooperating with immigration authorities passed the House (61–34) on February 17. The bill’s requirements could force school personnel into conflict with Virginia Code § 18.2-460, which criminalizes the obstruction of justice.
Clearly, there has never been a greater need than now for patriotic Virginians to step up and make their voices heard!
Here’s how you can help:
Please login to your FORGE account this week and engage on these bills! FORGE helps patriots like you make their voices heard. FORGE allows you to track critical bills, draft and write letters to Virginia delegates using state-of-the-art AI technology, and become a greater force for good in the Commonwealth!
You can also visit https://virginiansforfairelections.org/ and share the site with friends and family, to help us get it up the search rankings! This will help our organization combat the push for unfair redistricting in Virginia. Elections should be fair and free for all Virginians, not exclusively favorable for one political faction alone.
Please reach out to your legislators NOW and share your position!
Login to FORGE today!
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Below are the critical bills that need your attention this week.
SUCCESS ALERT: HB151, HB1074, HB979, and HB359
The repeal of HB 151 would have ended Virginia’s “Right-to-Work” status, depressing the Gross State Product by up to $36 billion. Small business owners would have faced some of the highest tax burdens in the nation under HB 1074 and HB 979. HB 359 would have essentially “publicized” private education, by stripping religious and independent schools of their autonomy and forcing them to submit to state SOL testing, curriculum mandates, and government-controlled disciplinary policies.
Thanks to your efforts, these dangerous bills have been defeated!
ACTION ALERT: OPPOSE SB763, HB217, and SB749
SB763 seeks to impose a new 11% tax on all firearm and ammunition sales in the Commonwealth. HB217 and SB749 seek to ban the sale, importation, or possession of any assault weapons including assault rifles like the AR-15 and even certain types of handguns used for self-defense. These bills would make it a Class 1 Misdemeanor to own, sell, or import one of these weapons in Virginia. Neither of these bills include a grandfather clause, and also seek to ban magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
ACTION ALERT: OPPOSE HB5
HB5 would force nearly every private employer to provide paid sick leave for employees, and would impose a “hidden payroll tax” of approximately 3.7%. Simply put, HB5 would abandon Virginia’s pro-growth reputation and support of small businesses in favor of a heavy-handed, government-controlled labor model that prioritizes bureaucracy over economic common sense.
ACTION ALERT: OPPOSE HB836
HB 836 would create sanctuary schools in Virginia by prohibiting school employees from disclosing the immigration status of students or their parents to law enforcement and barring federal agents from entering school property without specific, high-threshold judicial warrants. The bill’s requirements could force school personnel into direct conflict with Virginia Code § 18.2-460, which criminalizes the obstruction of justice.
