Hampton hears 2024 General Assembly outcomes, prepares 2025 legislative priorities

Ed Reid of 2 Capitals Consulting told the Hampton City Council on Friday that several items the city has pursued at the General Assembly advanced in 2024 but will need local action to take effect. Reid said a vacant‑building registry and a city‑only law authorizing seizure and disposition of illegally operated all‑terrain vehicles both were signed by the governor and took effect July 1, but both require a local ordinance to be enforceable in Hampton.

"Last fall, we were able to work with the Virginia Housing Commission to get a recommendation…that subsequently passed the general assembly session," Reid said, noting the registry will not be active in Hampton until the council adopts an implementing ordinance. He also summarized a city‑introduced hazardous‑pay proposal that advanced in the Senate but stalled in the House Appropriations Committee; the proposal to add municipal park rangers, 911 operators and animal control officers to an enhanced hazardous‑pay list succeeded in the Senate but will need additional interim study of statewide fiscal impacts before returning to the House.

The presentation placed those results in the context of the state budget and recent special sessions. Reid reviewed the May 13 budget deal that included a 3% salary increase for Standards of Quality positions, added school‑construction appropriations and $101 million for toll relief in Hampton Roads, and earmarked $100 million for a community flood preparedness fund. He said several high‑profile proposals—an increase to the sales tax, a proposed digital tax, legalization of skill games and reentry to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative—were not included in the final enacted package.

Reid outlined timing and constraints for the 2025 session: a 45‑day short session starting Jan. 8, prefile deadline November 25, and likely bill limits combined with a reduced local delegation (he said Hampton’s delegation shrank from six members to three). "We have to be mindful and diligent," he said, recommending that staff and council prioritize items and coordinate closely with the city’s delegation.

Council members asked clarifying questions about specific bills and pushed for interim work on items that stalled, including additional study on hazardous pay for park rangers. The presentation closed with a staff plan to return in October with a draft legislative package for council feedback and to bring the package to the first November meeting for adoption before prefiling.