Abstract

In 2019, Democrats won a majority in the House of Delegates and the Senate, and the Commonwealth was led by a Democratic Governor. The Democrats’ majority trifecta, which they had obtained for the first time since 1992, was once again lost on November 2, 2021, when Virginians voted to renew the Republican leadership in the Office of the Governor and in the House of Delegates. Under this once again bifurcated, yet unusually polarized, assembly, legislators on either side of the political aisle faced an uphill battle getting legislation passed, with the majority of bills ending in a stalemate. As a result, the 2022 General Assembly Session is better defined by what did not happen, as opposed to what did. This article briefly surveys the most prominent bills laid to rest in this year’s “legislative graveyard,” in ten key areas of law: education, environment, criminal justice, housing, transportation, voting, taxation, healthcare, firearms, and Virginia culture and history.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2023

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