The first week of the 2026 Virginia General Assembly Legislative Session is in the books, and Governor Glenn Youngkin gave his final State of the Commonwealth address Jan. 14. Thanks to his leadership, Virginia has enjoyed record budget surpluses and has earned top rankings as the best state in which to do business in the United States. Republicans have also established unprecedented tax relief for Virginia residents, as well as a strong focus on investing in our K-12 education system through teacher pay-raises and policies that ensure our students are prepared for the future workforce. It will be incumbent upon incoming Democrat Governor Abigail Spanberger to continue this forward momentum and act as a check against some of the most far-left legislation that will no doubt be coming from the House of Delegates – legislation that may very well jeopardize the gains we have made under Governor Youngkin.
As mentioned in past columns, affordability was a major theme for Democrats in the 2025 elections. Imagine the surprise of many Virginians when, just 72 hours before the legislative session began, scores of bills that would create tax hikes, increase mandates, and otherwise do nothing to lower costs were submitted by Democrats. This includes policies that would increase income taxes, create new taxes on businesses, and spend billions of dollars on new battery storage for electricity. The battery storage component would certainly come with a rate-hike, and while power plants can operate for 40 years or more, batteries storage is typically only effective for 15 years or so. House Democrats will be forcing ratepayers to pay for upgrades that are not even as efficient as traditional generation methods, and any savings that are suggested are theoretical and long-term. If affordability is truly the goal, the answer is not adding new mandates to the Clean Economy Act – it is flexibility, faster approvals, and using what we already have. You lower costs by shaving years off projects, not by adding mandates.
Instead of affordability, House Democrats focused on ramming several proposed changes to Virginia’s constitution on the first day of the legislative session. One of the amendments that I have heard the most about from my constituents is HJ 1, a constitutional amendment that would remove almost all restrictions on abortion. If approved by voters, this law would make abortion legal up to the moment of birth, and it would likely strip protections for minors to ensure parents are informed. Another proposed amendment would sidestep the highly popular, non-partisan redistricting process that Virginia voters approved only five years ago. It would attempt to gerrymander congressional districts to decrease democratically elected, Republican representation in Congress. This is just an initial taste of what Democrats have in store for Virginians this year.
As the Delegate representing the 42nd House District in the Virginia General Assembly, your concerns are my greatest priority. If ever I may be of assistance to you and your family, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at DelJBallard@House.Virginia.Gov. You can also follow me on Twitter @JasonBallardVA or like my Facebook page, Jason Ballard for Delegate, to keep up to date with what I am doing in Richmond and in our community on your behalf.
