2025 VA Legislative Scorecard

HB2769 aimed to prohibit life and health-insurance companies from discriminating against individuals solely because they use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication that significantly reduces the risk of HIV infection. The bill sought to ensure that insurers could not deny coverage, limit benefits, or charge higher premiums based on PrEP usage.

The Virginia State Senate passed HB2769 on February 19, 2025 by a vote of 24 to 15. We have assigned pluses to the nays because no insurer should be forced to cover services that conflict with its principles, particularly contraceptives that may violate deeply held moral or religious beliefs. Mandating such coverage is a clear overreach of government power and undermines both religious liberty and free-market principles. Decisions about insurance coverage should be left to the voluntary agreements between providers and consumers, not dictated by the state.

SB1307 proposed allowing all counties and cities in the state to impose an additional local sales-and-use tax of up to 1%, contingent upon voter approval through a local referendum. The revenue generated from this tax would have been dedicated exclusively to public-school capital projects, such as constructing new school buildings, renovating existing facilities, and upgrading infrastructure. The bill aimed to expand this taxing authority beyond the nine localities that previously had it.

The Virginia State Senate passed SB1307 on February 17, 2025 by a vote of 27 to 12. We have assigned pluses to the nays because sales taxes violate property rights, and allowing taxation by direct democracy—through voter referendum—represents a form of majority tyranny. This undermines the republican form of government the Constitution guarantees. Furthermore, taxpayers should not be compelled to fund public education. Education is not a legitimate function of government, but a personal responsibility and a fundamental parental right. Forcing citizens to subsidize a compulsory, failing, government-run K–12 system infringes on their individual liberties protected by the Bill of Rights. We strongly encourage parents to withdraw their children from government schools and pursue superior alternatives—such as homeschooling or private, patriotic institutions like FreedomProject Academy—which operate independently of government influence and funding.

SB851 prohibits local governments from mandating that owners of Tier 4 rainwater harvesting systems connect to municipal water supplies. This law ensures that individuals using advanced rainwater collection systems can remain independent of public water utilities, even in areas where local ordinances might otherwise require such connections. It also prevents localities from penalizing or condemning properties solely because they rely on these self-sufficient water systems.

The Virginia State Senate passed SB851 on January 31, 2025 by a vote of 40 to 0. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because this bill protects homeowners from being forced to connect to government-controlled water systems. SB851 reinforces the fundamental principle that individuals have the right to control and use their private property without undue interference. This aligns with the Fourth Amendment, which guards against unreasonable government intrusion; the Fifth Amendment, which prohibits the government from depriving individuals of property without due process or just compensation; and the 14th Amendment, which extends those protections to actions by state and local governments.

HJR1 proposed a constitutional amendment to establish a fundamental "right to reproductive freedom" in Virginia. The amendment aimed to ensure that every individual has the right to make and effectuate decisions about all matters related to pregnancy without interference from the state. It also sought to prohibit the state from penalizing or prosecuting individuals for exercising this "right" or for aiding others in doing so.

The Virginia State Senate passed HJR1 on January 31, 2025 by a vote of 21 to 18. We have assigned pluses to the nays because the care of human life—not its destruction—is the greatest responsibility of government. Virginia ought to forbid all methods of abortion and other grotesque methods of population control entirely and uphold the sanctity of life for every person, especially preborn children. The right to life is the most fundamental, God-given, and unalienable right asserted in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the Fifth and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

SB995 sought to enhance the training requirements for real estate appraisers by mandating a course on fair-housing laws and appraisal bias as part of the educational prerequisites for licensure. This initiative sought to address and mitigate discriminatory practices in property valuation.

The Virginia State Senate passed SB995 on January 29, 2025 by a vote of 35 to 2. We have assigned pluses to the nays because the government should not interfere with private entities or the free market. This bill imposes unnecessary regulations on appraisers, potentially leading to artificially adjusted property valuations that do not accurately reflect market conditions. In turn, this will increase taxes on the property. By mandating anti-bias training and restricting the factors appraisers can consider, SB995 subjects professionals to government oversight that could pressure them into valuations based on political considerations rather than economic realities. Such interference undermines property rights, distorts fair-market pricing, and sets a dangerous precedent for further state control over private industry, particularly private-property evaluations.