Senate Finance Committee reports dozens of tax and budget bills, tables several for budget consideration

The Senate Finance Committee in Richmond considered more than 50 bills related to taxation, budget language and program changes and either reported them to the full Senate or passed them by indefinitely for consideration in the budget.

The committee reported many bills without extended debate, including tax exemptions, fee changes and regulatory conforming bills. Several bills were passed by indefinitely (PBI) or tabled for consideration in the budget; a smaller set of bills attracted recorded opposition in roll-call votes.

Why this matters: The committee’s recommendations send bills to the full Senate or remove them from active consideration this session. ‘Passed by indefinitely’ items often mean the issue will be addressed in budget negotiations rather than through stand‑alone legislation.

Votes at a glance (bill — brief description — committee action — roll tally): - HB 1600 — Substitute to adopt Senate amendments on the budget (substitute motion) — approved — Ayes 13, Noes 0. - HB 1698 — Retail sales and use tax exemption for prescription medications purchased by veterinarians — approved — Ayes 13, Noes 0. - HB 2681 — Study of net operating losses; convene work group — tabled (passed by indefinitely to be considered in the budget) — Ayes 13, Noes 0. - HB 2157 — Richard Bland College governance (conform to Senate bill) — approved — Ayes 13, Noes 0. - HB 1682 — Surplus line broker tax; exempting NVTC and PRTC — approved — Ayes 13, Noes 0. - HB 1967 — Commonwealth Aviation Fund allocation amounts — tabled — Ayes 14, Noes 0. - HB 2663 (electricity consumption tax adjustments) — approved — Ayes 14, Noes 0. - HB 1946 — Retail tobacco and hemp enforcement transition to ABC (committee substitute) — approved (with substitute) — Ayes 14, Noes 1. - HB 2531 — Paid family and medical leave insurance (identical to Senate bill that passed 21–18) — approved — Ayes 10, Noes 5. - HB 2675 — Media-related tax exemptions; extension of sunset — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1653 — Real Estate Board fee regulations — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 2264 — Virginia Free File tax program — approved — Ayes 10, Noes 5. - HB 1970 — Tax-exempt property for nonprofit institutions of learning (conform to Senate bill) — approved (conformed) — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 2696 — Voluntary tax refund contributions to Blind and Vision Impaired endowment fund — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0.

(Resource bills and additional votes listed below — majority were either reported or passed by indefinitely.) - HB 2048 — Virginia Housing Trust Fund allocation — tabled — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 2653 — Qualified equity and subordinated debt investments (tax credit) — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1701 — Housing Opportunity Tax credit — tabled — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1702 — Urban public-private partnership redevelopment fund — tabled — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1705 — VRS disability for certain emergency dispatchers — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 2217 (22-17) — Court appearance fee for persons not free on bail — tabled — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 2245 — Real property tax assessment of affordable housing — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 2549 — Income tax: currently not collectible status — tabled (with letter to Tax) — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1598 — First-time homebuyer grant program — tabled — Ayes 12, Noes 1, Abstentions 2. - HB 2239 — Public facilities sales-tax revenue sunset extension — tabled — Ayes 14, Noes 1. - HB 2397 — Virginia Growth and Opportunity Act; Go Virginia eligibility expansion — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1640 — Disposition of unclaimed property — tabled — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1606 — Claims to unclaimed property — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1979 — Wage garnishment for state tax debt — tabled (with letter to Tax) — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 2114 — Period of limitation on collection of state taxes — tabled — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 2167 — Charitable gaming and athletic event drawings — tabled — Ayes 12, Noes 3. - HB 2485 — Cannabis control and establishment of a retail market — approved — Ayes 10, Noes 5. - HB 1617 — Homeless youth: no fee for certain government documents — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1954 — Public school funding and staffing — tabled — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1742 — Pari-mutuel wagering; historic horse racing percentage — tabled — Ayes 14, Noes 1. - HB 1939 — Tangible personal property tax: electric landscaping equipment — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 2302 — Real property tax exemption for religious rebuilding — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1964 — Future and Focus program establishment — tabled — Ayes 11, Noes 4. - HB 1602 — Military leave of absence for law enforcement employees — tabled — Ayes 14, Noes 1. - HB 1572 — Cigar taxes; collection of data — tabled (with letter to Tax) — Ayes 10, Noes 5. - HB 1743 — License taxes; deduction for out-of-state receipts (substitute adopted) — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1969 — Extend expiring sales and use tax exemptions (substitute adopted) — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 2544 — Codify appropriation act provisions into code — tabled — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1896 — Real property tax exemption by classification — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0. - HB 1841 — Motor vehicle sales and use tax on abandoned vehicles not sold at auction — approved — Ayes 15, Noes 0.

Several bills were recommended to be conformed to corresponding Senate bills, and many items were recommended to be addressed in the budget process rather than by stand‑alone statute. The committee adjourned after the final roll call.

Notes: The committee used electronic designation for some votes and recorded roll call tallies for contested items.