House passes wide slate of bills on pre‑crossover day; voters, child welfare, energy and labor measures advance

The Virginia House of Delegates convened Feb. 16 and moved a large volume of legislation in a session focused on getting bills ready before crossover. Lawmakers cleared a mix of uncontested blocks and several high‑profile, contested items, including measures on firearms liability standards, a regulated cannabis market, a paid family‑and‑medical‑leave program, energy and data‑center provisions, and child‑welfare intake reforms.

A contested bill setting industry standards for firearms manufacturers and dealers cleared the House after floor debate. “If a firearms dealer operates responsibly and within the laws of Virginia … they’re going to be safe under this bill,” Delegate Helmer said when the bill was under consideration; Patrick County Delegate Williams pressed whether a small, law‑abiding dealer could nonetheless face civil suits. The House recorded the roll call on the measure as Ayes 61, Noes 36 and passed it.

The chamber also adopted an Appropriations substitute to establish a regulated retail cannabis market administered by a new Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, advancing the bill to its third reading. Sponsors said the measure creates licensing, testing and safety rules and will require a later implementation step. The transcript records floor discussion and questions about local opt‑out and store density; the measure was engrossed and passed to third reading.

Lawmakers advanced a paid family‑and‑medical‑leave plan by engrossing an appropriations substitute that sets up a funded benefit program to provide paid leave for eligible employees. Sponsors said the plan is self‑funding via employer/employee contributions and that an initial Treasury loan (described in budget documents) would be repaid from program receipts; members asked about the program’s startup financing and projected administrative costs.

On energy and infrastructure, the House passed measures affecting data centers and utilities, including conditional rules on tax exemptions for data centers tied to emissions controls and timelines for utilities’ shareholder‑funded assistance and undergrounding programs. Separately, bills to clarify solar siting and to permit battery storage at certain approved solar sites moved forward.

Child‑welfare reform was a bipartisan focus: the House adopted a bill to create centralized intake and validity‑determination processes for reports of child abuse and neglect and required expedited responses for reports concerning children under age 3. Supporters said the measure standardizes uneven local practices and was the result of long interagency work.

The House also disposed of many uncontested calendar blocks by voice vote; clerks recorded several unanimous roll calls for those blocks.

Votes at a glance (selected measures recorded on the floor) - Firearms industry standards (committee substitute): passed, Ayes 61, Noes 36. - Domestic‑abuser firearm restriction (SB 38 / HB 93 cognate): passed, Ayes 63, Noes 35. - Inclusionary zoning option for localities (SB 74 / HB 867 cognate): passed, Ayes 65, Noes 33. - Regulated retail cannabis framework (Appropriations substitute, HB 642): engrossed and passed to third reading (roll‑call not recorded in transcript excerpt). - Paid family‑and‑medical‑leave (Appropriations substitute, HB 1207): engrossed and passed to third reading; budget includes a startup loan provision discussed on the floor. - Data center sales/use tax conditional rules (Appropriations substitute, HB 897): engrossed and passed to third reading. - Centralized child‑welfare intake and 24‑hour response for children under 3 (HB 1490 series / HB 14 90 substitute): engrossed and passed to third reading. - Speed‑camera and related traffic monitoring reforms (floor package including HB 994/HB 12 20/HB 13 30): engrossed and passed; sponsors emphasized privacy and anti‑profit safeguards.

Why it matters: The House’s action ahead of crossover narrows the set of bills that can advance to the Senate and signals policy priorities for Virginia this session — public‑safety measures (firearms and traffic enforcement), health and family supports (maternal and family leave programs, maternal mental‑health coverage), energy and climate‑adjacent rules, and child‑welfare system reform.

What’s next: Many of the bills the House advanced will go to the Senate for consideration before crossover deadlines; sponsors and committees noted implementation steps (rule‑making, SEC or DEQ guidance, appropriations provisions) that will determine how some measures take effect.

Sources: House floor transcript, Feb. 16, 2026 (motions, committee substitutes, floor debates and roll‑call announcements).