2025 General Assembly Week Seven Newsletter!
Sine Die!
The 2025 General Assembly Session adjourned sine die at 5:38pm Saturday, following several days of intense negotiations on remaining legislation and the state budget.
Procedurally, each of the 836 bills that made it through both chambers are now awaiting action from the Governor. The Governor has until Monday, March 24 to either sign, veto or amend each bill. The General Assembly will then come back together on Wednesday, April 2 for “Reconvene Session” to vote on any Governor amendments or vetoes.
In the meantime, this will be my final weekly update from the 2025 session. Moving forward, our newsletters will resume their regular monthly cadence (barring special announcements or alerts).
Legislative Update
With the 2025 General Assembly Session now adjourned, I am proud to report that ten of my bills have made it through both chambers and are now awaiting action from the Governor:
HB 2083: Establishing pregnancy as a qualifying life event for the purpose of purchasing health insurance.
HB 2084: Directing the SCC to review existing customer classes and determine whether a new class is necessary to protect residential ratepayers given the energy demand of Virginia’s booming data center industry.
HB 2085: Requiring health insurance companies to disclose hidden fees in transactions with medical providers.
HB 2087: Expediting the construction of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the Commonwealth.
HB 2088: Expanding access to care for sexual assault survivors through teleforensic services.
HB 2090: Expanding access to shared community solar projects.
HB 2341: Ensuring that all students have access to mental health support that is culturally responsive and language-appropriate.
HB 2742: Expanding testing to include fentanyl for patients presenting with overdose symptoms.
HB 2743: Ensuring that workers on key underground infrastructure projects are paid a prevailing wage.
HB 2779 Expanding the membership of the Office of New Americans Advisory Board and lifting the cap on annual meetings.
I was also excited to celebrate some great community organizations and lift up the wonderful work being done across Virginia’s 8th House district and beyond!
HJ 735: Commending Aslin Beer Company in honor of their 10th anniversary.
HJ 736: Commending Northern Virginia Veterinary Medical Association in honor of their 50th anniversary.
HJ 737: Commending Fox Mill Woods Swim and Tennis Club in honor of their 50th anniversary.
HJ 738: Commending Sterner's Tae Kwon Do Academy in honor of their 20th anniversary.
HJ 739: Commending the Herndon Village Network in honor of their 10th anniversary.
HJ 759: Commending Dr. Heisung Lee in honor of her retirement.
HR 825: Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the National Liberation Day of Korea.
For a full summary of the legislation I carried this session, please visit the Legislative Information System website.
In the midst of the frenzy to wrap up our legislative work on time, I was thrilled to welcome students of the Korean American Next Generation Council to the Capitol on Monday! These young leaders came to learn about the legislative process and discuss policies on language access and civil rights as well as the importance of civic engagement.
One of my favorite traditions in the General Assembly is the annual House Page Debate! After Wednesday’s floor session, we swapped places with House Pages as they took over the chamber, presenting their own bills in spirited debate. Always a great reminder of the bright future ahead!
Supporting our Federal Workers
Many folks have reached out in recent weeks to share their deep concerns regarding the impact of recent executive actions on our federal workforce. Over 140,000 federal civilian employees live and work in Virginia. Some estimates indicate that upwards of another 200,000 Virginians commute into Washington, DC or Maryland for federal jobs. These are dedicated workers who provide vital services that 8.7 million Virginians and 335 million Americans rely on every single day.
Earlier this month, Speaker Don Scott established the House Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions. The stated purpose of the Committee, which formally held its inaugural meeting on Saturday morning, is to:
Collect and analyze data on the potential scope of workforce and funding cuts;
Assess the likely economic and budgetary impacts on Virginia;
Engage with stakeholders including state agencies, businesses and non profits to understand their concerns and gather mitigation strategies; and
Provide policy recommendations for the General Assembly to address the challenges posed by federal reductions.
The first meeting featured presentations from policy experts and state and local government officials addressing the anticipated impact of reductions in federal workforce on Virginia workers, the degree of preparedness of the Virginia Employment Commission, and the scope and scale of federal spending in Virginia at both the state and local level. Footage from the first meeting is available here.
For more information about the Committee, including membership and upcoming meetings, there is a special website linked here.
Prior to adjourning sine die, the General Assembly took a procedural action which will enable us to return to Richmond for a special session if necessary to take up legislation and budget items addressing the impacts upon the Commonwealth, its budget, and its services due to layoffs, firings, or reductions in force by the federal government, changes to federal government programs, actions of the Department of Government Efficiency, and other actions affecting the Commonwealth relating to the federal budget.
In the meantime, Fairfax County has compiled some helpful resources for impacted individuals and families here. The Virginia Employment Commission has launched a site for former federal employees and other impacted workers here. My team and I are available to assist you as you navigate state agencies and programs and will do our best to help answer any questions you may have about state and local resources.
No matter the time of year, my staff and I are available to assist you!
Please call my office at 804-698-1008 or email delishin@house.virginia.gov anytime to schedule a visit to my office in the General Assembly Building, #1115. My door is always open. My entire team - Chief of Staff Kristina, Administrative Assistant Becky, Legislative Aide Noor, and Legislative Interns Deston and Nick are ready to assist you however we can. We are grateful for the honor of serving you and our district.
You can follow me on X, Facebook, and Instagram for updates from the Capitol. I remain grateful to the voters of the 8th District and for their trust in me, and can’t wait to keep delivering for the people of our great Commonwealth.