House approves dozens of Senate bills on third reading; measures on cannabis, housing, health and guns advance

The Virginia House of Delegates on Feb. 14 voted to pass a broad package of Senate bills on third reading, carrying measures on cannabis regulation, housing and landlord-tenant rules, health and human services, transportation financing and multiple proposals related to firearms and public-safety policy.

The votes came as the body worked through the daily printed calendar during the morning session. Several bills passed with recorded roll calls and were accompanied by brief sponsor remarks or committee substitutes; others were carried in uncontested blocks. The session also included routine introductions, ceremonial resolutions and personal-privilege remarks.

Votes at a glance (selected bills passed and key details):

- SB 970 (retail cannabis market): Establishes a regulatory retail cannabis market for adults 21 and older. Passed (Ayes 53, Noes 44).

- SB 812 (Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act — eviction timeline): Increases the period renters have to pay past-due rent before eviction proceedings begin from 5 to 14 days. Passed (Ayes 50, Noes 47).

- SB 1020 (SNAP restaurant-meals program reporting — Dept. of Social Services): Directs the Department of Social Services to report on the restaurant meals program, including participating restaurants and barriers; report due Dec. 1, 2025. Passed (Ayes 81, Noes 16).

- SB 700 / SB 780 (health insurance contraceptive coverage; committee amendment adopted): Removes copays for contraceptives to increase access. Passed (Ayes 67, Noes 30).

- SB 801 (Children’s Services Act — state pool of funds): Makes changes to the state pool funding for services for troubled youth. Passed (Ayes 97, Noes 0).

- SB 850 (water/wastewater infrastructure cost recovery): Creates a regulatory environment for utilities to attract capital for infrastructure. Passed (Ayes 87, Noes 10).

- SB 853 (prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for public projects): Requires prevailing wages for certain public projects. Passed (Ayes 50, Noes 47).

- SB 897 (overtime for domestic service workers): Adds domestic workers to overtime provisions. Passed (Ayes 50, Noes 46).

- SB 995 (real estate appraisers — fair housing and appraisal-bias education): Requires two hours of fair housing/appraisal-bias education for licensure applicants. Passed (Ayes 54, Noes 43).

- SB 996 (unclaimed property; 'Cash Now' provisions; emergency clause): Authorizes automatic payments of unclaimed property. Passed (Ayes 97, Noes 0).

- SB 1110 (technical advisory group on deed fraud): Directs Virginia Housing Development Authority to convene a group addressing deed fraud and recommendations. Passed (Ayes 95, Noes 2).

- SB 813 (voter registration; periodic removal timing): Requires the Department of Elections to finish programs removing ineligible voters no later than 90 days before a primary or general election. Passed (Ayes 51, Noes 46).

- Firearms-related measures: Multiple bills addressing purchase age, carrying prohibitions, storage, waiting periods and bans on unserialized or untraceable “ghost” firearms were carried and passed in this session (examples below). Several were adopted as amended or with floor substitutes; recorded tallies for many passed bills were: Ayes 50, Noes 47 (typical narrow margins on several public-safety measures).

- SB 848 (assault firearms purchase age/penalties): Passed (Ayes 50, Noes 47). - SB 880 (carrying certain semiautomatic firearms in public places): Passed (Ayes 50, Noes 47). - SB 881 (manufacture/import/sale of ghost guns/unserialized receivers): Passed (Ayes 49, Noes 47). - SB 891 (five-day waiting period for firearm purchase): Passed (Ayes 50, Noes 47). - SB 1134 / SB 113? (safe-storage/other gun measures): Floor substitutes and committee amendments were used on some related bills during debate and passage (see full text).

- Local charters and municipal updates: Charter and local-government bills (for example, new charters or charter updates for towns and cities) passed, some requiring and receiving the two-thirds majorities charter bills demand.

Notes and process: Many bills were moved through committee substitutes or with floor amendments; sponsors generally described the bills briefly (committee cognate or intent) before the recorded roll calls. The House clerk and presiding officer read calendars and motions, and several clerks closed recorded roll calls with reported tallies shown above where the transcript recorded them. A handful of bills were temporarily passed over or taken "by for the day." The House recessed at 3 p.m. for the afternoon session.

What to watch next: Several of the passed measures are revenue or budget-adjacent and will require coordination with the Senate and, for some items, conference committees. Bills affecting state regulatory systems (for utilities, cannabis, and health programs) may require upcoming technical work by agencies and administrative rulemaking.

Votes at a glance — structured summary (selected items):

[Each entry below reflects the motion as recorded on the Feb. 14 House calendar; where the transcript recorded a roll-call tally, it is shown. If no specific tally was recorded in the transcript for that item, the field is marked "not specified."]

- SB 970 — motion: pass the bill; mover: Delegate Krezyk; outcome: approved; tally: yes 53 / no 44; notes: establishes regulatory retail cannabis market for adults 21+. - SB 812 — motion: pass the bill; mover: Delegate Price; outcome: approved; tally: yes 50 / no 47; notes: changes eviction timeline from 5 to 14 days. - SB 1020 — motion: pass the bill; mover: Delegate Sickles; outcome: approved; tally: yes 81 / no 16; notes: DSS to report on SNAP restaurant-meals pilot by Dec. 1, 2025. - SB 700 / SB 780 — motion: committee amendment adopted; pass; tally: yes 67 / no 30; notes: contraceptive coverage/co-pay removal. - SB 801 — motion: pass; mover: Delegate Sickles; outcome: approved; tally: yes 97 / no 0; notes: Children’s Services Act changes. - SB 850 — motion: committee substitute adopted; pass; tally: yes 87 / no 10; notes: utility cost-recovery framework. - SB 995 — motion: pass; mover: Delegate asking; outcome: approved; tally: yes 54 / no 43; notes: appraisal bias education requirement. - SB 996 — motion: pass; mover: Delegate Hernandez; outcome: approved; tally: yes 97 / no 0; notes: unclaimed property automatic distributions. - SB 1110 — motion: pass; mover: Delegate Simon; outcome: approved; tally: yes 95 / no 2; notes: deed-fraud technical advisory group. - SB 813 — motion: pass; mover: Delegate Henson; outcome: approved; tally: yes 51 / no 46; notes: registration removal timing (90 days before election). - SB 848 — motion: pass; mover: Delegate signed; outcome: approved; tally: yes 50 / no 47; notes: firearm purchase/age and penalties. - SB 881 — motion: pass; mover: Delegate Simon; outcome: approved; tally: yes 49 / no 47; notes: ghost-gun manufacturer/import possession prohibitions. - SB 891 — motion: pass; mover: Delegate Simon; outcome: approved; tally: yes 50 / no 47; notes: five-day firearm purchase waiting period.

(For the full set of bills acted on on Feb. 14 and the complete roll-call detail where recorded, consult the House clerk's official record or the Legislative Information System.)