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We have arrived at “Crossover,” the halfway point of the 2026 General Assembly session. Bills that passed in the House and Senate will now be sent to the opposite chamber to be heard and voted on.

Here are updates on LAJC’s 2026 legislative priorities at Crossover, with more information on our policy page:

  • Heat Stress Protection for Workers: HB 1091 passed in the House and SB 288 passed the Senate with an amendment removing enforcement mechanisms. There is no such thing as a right without a remedy, so we will continue fighting to get the enforcement mechanism back in the bill.  
  • Farmworker Minimum Wage: HB 20, the bill establishing a minimum wage for farmworkers and temporary workers, passed the House with a 62–35 vote. The Senate bill, SB 121, passed with an amendment exempting guest workers in the H2-A and H2-B program from receiving minimum wage. These are the workers in Virginia’s agricultural, construction, and tourism industries—often doing back-breaking work that is vital to Virginia’s economy.  It is very important to include these workers in the minimum wage, and we will continue fighting for this protection. 
  • Young Immigrant Protections: HB 667, expanding access to Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status for vulnerable young people under 21, passed the House. 
  • ICE Collaborations in Virginia: HB 1438 was rolled into HB 1441 and passed out of the House. The bill limits how local law enforcement can engage with federal immigration authorities, including putting conditions on when 287g contracts that deputize local law enforcement as ICE. If the conditions cannot be met, existing contracts will be void.  SB 783 in the Senate passed and is very similar.
    • What is a 287g contract? Read our web resource on 287g contracts in Virginia.
  • School Protections: SB 491 passed in the Senate and HB 491 passed in the House to strengthen privacy protections, prevent immigration-based discrimination for students and families, and create a required process for police arrests at public schools. 
  • Language Justice: SB 685 passed in the Senate and HB 1278 passed in the House codifying federal guidance to ensure translation of vital documents and equal access to academic processes are available to students and parents. 
  • Counsel at First Appearance: HB 127 passed in the House, guaranteeing representation for defendants before initial court hearings, passed out of the House. The Senate version, SB 412, unfortunately died in the Senate. 
  • Failure To Appear: SB 283 passed in the Senate and HB 933 passed in the House. The bills define intentional evasion of court and stops the practice of stacking a felony failure-to-appear charge on top of an underlying felony charge.  
  • Court Debt Reform:  
    • SB 185 passed in the Senate and HB 17 passed in the House. Both bills move the timeline for when a person can be sent to collections for court debt from 90 to 180 days. 
    • HB 16 passed in the House and requires that the hours that individuals work while they incarcerated be used to offset their court debt.
    • HB 852 passed the House and creates a workgroup to study Virginia’s criminal fines and fees, including the practice of passing the fees for court-appointed counsel and jury trials on to indigent defendants.  
  • Public Assistance Privacy: HB 879 strengthens privacy protections in public assistance programs by requiring public notice when agencies receive large-scale requests for personal data of applicants and recipients of public benefits. HB 879 passed the House.  
  • Housing: SB 355 and HB 278, enabling localities to put provisions in to stop abusive rent increases, were both referred to the Virginia Housing Commission to be studied. 
    • Read a statement on this decision from the Legal Aid Justice Center, Allies for Housing Action, and New Virginia Majority here.  
  • Youth Justice: LAJC has been supporting these bills, following the lead of RISE for Youth:  
    • SB 18 passed in the Senate and sets 11 as the minimum age for charging children in court. 
    • SB 21 passed the Senate and HB 1293 did not pass the House. Both bills move juvenile justice oversight from public safety to Health and Human Services. 
    • SB 60 passed the Senate and HB 318 passed the House. Both bills create more parole access for youth by expanding fair and meaningful parole opportunities for youth in the legal system.
    • SB 64 (a priority bill of VCOY) passed in the Senate and requires court approval for keeping youth beyond standard limits.   
    • SB 70 passed the Senate and HB 438 passed the House. Both bills expand diversion opportunities to divert youth from formal court processes.

Watch our Facebook Live discussions of where LAJC’s priority bills stand at Crossover in English and Spanish below:

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