Thank You

What a November we are having here in Falls Church. We started the month out with Virginia’s U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine headlining a rally for then candidate, now Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger at our very own State Theater.

Days later we celebrated an exceptional election night, with unprecedented results, results that made international headlines as many of us predicted they would. Now, as we head into Thanksgiving, I can’t help but reflect on just how much we have to be grateful for here in the Commonwealth.

Virginia voters delivered a pretty clear verdict. They want stable leadership and a state government that does its job without a lot of unnecessary drama. That may sound simple, but it’s no small thing in the current political climate.

The results at the top of the ticket were historic. Abigail Spanberger will become the first woman ever elected Governor of Virginia. Ghazala Hashmi will serve as Lieutenant Governor, making her both the first Indian-American and the first Muslim person elected statewide here. And Jay Jones will be the first Black Attorney General in our history. However you look at it, Virginia voters were ready to break a few barriers.

The House of Delegates saw its own shake-up. Not only did Democrats hold the majority - we grew it, picking up 13 seats for a 64–36 margin. In a chamber where every vote counts, that’s a significant shift. It also means Democrats will hold a 15–7 edge on every standing committee, which is where a lot of real governing actually happens. When people ask whether election results matter, this is one of the clearest examples. Committee control determines which bills get heard, which ideas advance, and which problems get the attention they deserve. It’s the kind of majority that allows us to take meaningful action on the issues voters just told us matter most: strengthening public education, lowering costs for families, protecting reproductive freedom, improving housing affordability, and keeping our communities safe.

As we gather with friends and family later this month, that’s something worth giving thanks for: Virginians showing up, speaking out, and choosing a path of competence, decency, and progress.

None of this happened by accident. It happened because people believed their voices mattered and because they refused to sit on the sidelines. As I look toward Thanksgiving, I’m especially grateful for the thousands of Virginians who knocked doors in the cold, made calls after long workdays, contributed what they could, voted early, and encouraged neighbors and friends to do the same. Democracy isn’t something we inherit fully formed, but rather something we build together, season after season, election after election.

But even in a season of gratitude, we can’t overlook the challenges ahead. One of the most significant is redistricting. During last month’s special session, the General Assembly advanced a constitutional amendment to allow Virginia to redraw congressional lines mid-cycle, a step designed to ensure that as other states aggressively manipulate their maps for partisan advantage, Virginia doesn’t get left behind.

Some critics have called this political. I call it fair. Other states are actively redrawing the balance of power. We can’t simply stand still while the ground shifts beneath our feet. This amendment - which must pass again next session before going to the voters - will help ensure our maps remain representative, legal, and equitable.

With the results of this election, we now have the strength, stability, and clarity of purpose to move that effort forward, alongside the rest of the people’s agenda. And as we gather around Thanksgiving tables across the Commonwealth, I hope we take a quiet moment to appreciate that and to reflect on the simple but powerful truth that democracy still works when we show up for it.

This season reminds us that gratitude isn’t passive either. It’s a commitment to care for one another, to invest in our shared future, and to keep building a Commonwealth that reflects our highest values. So today, and throughout this season, I want to say thank you — sincerely. Thank you for believing in this work. Thank you for your faith in our process. Thank you for your commitment to keeping Virginia a model of progress, integrity, and good governance. Thank you for showing that when we stand together, we can overcome cynicism, division, and doubt.

Happy almost-Thanksgiving. And thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for everything you do to keep Virginia moving forward. We enter this next chapter 64 strong and just getting started.

Smart Growth - Affordable Housing

My oldest child graduated from college this year. My youngest finished his freshman year at Virginia Tech. That makes Rachel and I almost empty nesters as they still come home for summers. It has caused us to start thinking about where we want to live next. The house we raised our kids in was perfectly suited for that. We love our school pyramid, the quiet cul-de-sac, and that we back up to undeveloped parkland with a stream, trees, and trails.

Falls Church City looks like a great candidate for our next home. In addition to top-tier schools, it has vibrant neighborhoods, and a great combination of density along major corridors that step down nicely into residential neighborhoods. A walkable community with all the amenities of a big city, and a small-town feel.

I want to applaud the City Council, Planning Commission and City staff for a job well done! What higher compliment can I pay than saying, I want to join you?

What’s stopping us? What’s stopping anyone. For many people it’s cost. Fairfax County has the same problems. I’m constantly amazed at what people are willing to pay to move into neighborhoods in the 13^th District, or to pay for a house just to tear it down.

There must be things we can do to make housing more affordable and to keep it withing reach of ordinary people.

That’s why I’ve supported an “all of the above” approach to reigning in the skyrocketing cost of housing. In some cases that means incentivizing the creation of more new affordable housing options or it means working to preserve affordable housing where it already exists. It also means looking at our processes to see where redundancy and inefficiency are adding unnecessary costs and barriers to bringing new housing supply to the market.

It's easy to say we have a problem, and even to point out what some of the problems are. Over the years, I’ve also been willing to propose solutions. I’ve carried and supported legislation tailored to help Falls Church be a leader in smart growth. We’ve expanded the use of accessory dwelling units, incentivized affordable housing in mixed-use developments, and supported transition zone reform to allow gentle infill and more housing choices.

This year I sponsored a bill to bring more predictability and fairness to local land use decisions. My bill set reasonable, enforceable deadlines for local governments to act on zoning and site plan applications. It doesn’t take away local authority but rather ensures that decisions happen on a predictable timeline, so that we’re not driving up the cost of housing through bureaucratic delay.

After a project has already been approved for development, community input has been received, and the project has cleared the policy hurdles, my bill requires the local authorities to streamline the process for approving the final site plans by shortening the turnaround time and reducing the need for multiple resubmissions.

I also voted for a new law that moves final site plan approval into the hands of professional planning staff. Site plans should be judged by objective standards and not subject to shifting politics or last-minute opposition. Public engagement is critical in this process and there are plenty of opportunities for it during planning, rezoning, and design. However, the site plan stage is where we should be moving things forward, once building officials deem that the application is complete and follows regulations.

Fairfax County has already begun adjusting its internal processes to take full advantage of the new law. County leaders have recognized that delays cost money and those costs get passed on to renters, first-time homebuyers, and families already stretched thin.

Fairfax’s planning staff now work on clear, accelerated review timelines, with performance metrics and coordinated feedback. They’ve incorporated meaningful community input where it matters most while ensuring that once the rules are set, projects that follow them get a fair and timely review.

As I said at the outset, I think the Falls Church City Council and Planning Commission have done an amazing job reshaping The Little City. So much so that I expect to become a resident myself in the not-too-distant future. Frankly, this legislation probably won’t have that big an impact here in Falls Church because the city already does things very well, and infill projects approved at any speed probably can’t provide enough supply to meaningfully change the forces of supply and demand driving prices higher.

That’s led some to wonder why the City should be subject to these new requirements at all. Legislation that makes the City move a little faster, and gives housing providers a little more certainty, though, won’t break the system. I believe it will make a great process even better.

New Virginia Laws

With Democrats controlling both the House of Delegates and the State Senate, and a Republican Governor, you’d be forgiven if you expected this year’s General Assembly session to be gridlocked. After all, here in Falls Church we live in the shadow of the Nation’s Capital and watching nothing happen in Congress is our unofficial spectator sport. 

While the partisan split did prevent us from making major progress on preventing gun violence, shoring up protections for reproductive freedom, and continuing to move Virginia up the chart of easy-to-vote states (we’re currently stuck at 11, though up from 49th), we did get a lot done in sharp contrast with our federal counterparts. 

Personally, this year’s legislative session was by far my most productive. At the end of our 46-day short session, the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) ranked me the most effective legislator in the General Assembly — with 14 of the 16 bills I introduced successfully passing both chambers. 

In 2024, I proudly held the record for the most vetoes by an individual Delegate. This year, only two of those bills were vetoed, with 12 becoming law on July 1. 

That change in outcome reflected a shift in approach. During the 2024 Session, I focused on drawing a contrast between the Governor’s vision for Virginia and the vision of a freer, fairer, more vibrant Commonwealth that lifts all families and unleashes our full potential. Having made that point, I decided to focus on bills that solve problems for constituents or at least move the ball forward on issues where everyone agreed something needed to be done, even if we disagreed on the details. 

Affordable Housing & Real Estate 

As a real estate attorney and Chairman of the Housing and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, I leaned into the issue of housing affordability — both by empowering localities to require more of it, and by helping them act more efficiently to reduce the cost of increasing supply. 

At the request of the City of Falls Church, beginning July 1, the Little City will have the same authority as other Northern Virginia jurisdictions to establish and enforce an affordable dwelling unit (ADU) program. Another new law imposes tighter timelines on local planning commissions and staff to review and approve plats and plans for new projects. 

As the owner of a real estate title company, I work with a lot of local Realtors — one of whom reached out to me about an annoying practice by Homeowners and Condo Associations. They required the name of the buyer before issuing resale certificates, forcing agents to either guess or wait until a property was under contract to get the ball rolling. 

Beginning July 1, they’ll no longer be allowed to require a buyer’s name before initiating resale inspections or issuing resale certificates, giving buyers and sellers more time to know what, if anything, must be done to comply with HOA rules before closing. 

Consumer Protection 

Straddling the consumer protection and real estate categories is a new law establishing a work group to tackle the rising issue of deed fraud — a new variety of identity theft where scammers impersonate the owners of vacant property and try to trick real estate professionals and court clerks into helping them sell property they don’t own. Bringing together those in a position to detect and prevent this type of fraud should help establish minimum standards and best practices, sending the message that Virginia is not an easy target. 

I also passed a bill that will help tenants renting property better understand the most important terms of their lease. Beginning July 1, the first page of every lease must itemize the fees landlords may charge, either upfront or monthly. 

Also prompted by a constituent request: Virginia’s current anti-SLAPP laws will now be expanded to include immunity for statements made in connection with Title IX complaints. That means people who participate in Title IX proceedings will be protected from defamation lawsuits which is a crucial safeguard for survivors, students, and others engaging in good faith in these important processes. 

Starting July 1, ear piercing will be safer and better regulated. When I learned there were gaps in how Virginia oversaw these services, I worked with the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) to give them authority to establish rules and safety standards for businesses specializing in ear piercing, ensuring public safety and consistency for these increasingly common services. 

Campaign Finance Reform 

And finally, after many years, we achieved a big victory in campaign finance. Campaign funds can no longer be used for personal expenses. This may seem small, but Virginia was one of the last states to make this a law — and it matters. 

The End of the 2025 Session

This is the very last week of the 2025 General Assembly Session! With a short, 46-day session, it is always a challenge to make sure that we have enough time to review all the legislation that is introduced. I know it’s hard to focus on anything other than the chaos and constant stream of bad news coming from across the river in Washington, D.C, but I’m hoping that you’ll take a moment to look at what we’ve been able to accomplish so far down in Richmond.

Here in the State Capitol, the legislative branch still values the separation of powers and takes seriously its responsibility to provide a constitutional check on executive overreach. With the Governor also able to veto any bills we send to his desk and likely have them sustained, we’ve been forced to focus on items that don’t require his signature or items that are non-partisan. We’ve also been able to stop ill-advised ideas from advancing.  Here’s the round-up.  

Constitutional Amendments

One thing we can do without the Governor’s signature is propose amendments to Virginia’s constitution, enshrining personal freedom at the state level. Three constitutional amendments have passed the House and the Senate – the right to vote, the right to reproductive freedom, and the right to marriage equality. 

So, what’s next? Well, if we can keep the House majority after the election this November, then we’ll be able to pass these exact same amendments again during the 2026 Session. At that point, the last hurdle will be the 2026 ballot when voters will decide if these three constitutional amendments will become a part of Virginia’s Constitution. This means we’ve got a lot of work to do between now and then to ensure that happens! 

Northern Virginia Casino Bill Dies in Subcommittee

The bill to authorize a casino in Northern Virginia has officially died for this year. The only disappointment for me? It happened in a subcommittee I wasn’t on, so I didn’t get the chance to vote NO myself.

Regardless of where you stand on whether Northern Virginia should have a casino or whether we need the good union jobs a casino and entertainment district might provide, this bill was deeply flawed. Fairfax County never asked for the authority to put a casino referendum on the ballot. The bill’s restrictive language made it clear it was crafted to benefit a single landowner. Most importantly, I heard from thousands of constituents and neighbors opposed to it. I’m glad this bill won’t be moving forward this year. It would take a much different bill and much different circumstances to get me to a yes on a casino bill. It’s hard to imagine what those circumstances might be, but this iteration didn’t come close. 

Campaign Finance Reform

Some items take more than a session, or two, or even three to become law. For all 12 of my sessions, I was Chief Patron or Chief Co-Patron of bills to clean up what I thought was an obvious loophole in Virginia’s campaign finance laws – prohibiting the use of campaign funds for personal use. We are one of the last few states not to have laws to specifically regulate this.

This year, I worked with Delegate Josh Cole, who introduced the bill. It has passed the House and will have passed the Senate by the time you read this column. Next step is the Governor’s desk!

My Legislation

I’ve been fortunate that 13 of the 15 bills I introduced this year have passed both chambers, most with broad bi-partisan support making them unlikely to be vetoed. My resolution to study the effect of recent changes to Virginia law making it easier to challenge books in public school libraries will pass as well. 

Whether we like it or not, the level of government that may have the greatest ability to protect our personal freedom and our democratic way of life may be the state level for the next few years. I want you to know you have a strong and effective advocate in the General Assembly.

Community Meetings

As this is the last week of session, I’ll soon be heading back to Northern Virginia, my regular day job, and get to see my family. I’m looking forward to being back in the district and attending community events. If you have an HOA, community association, youth group, or local organization that would like me to give an in-person session update, please reach out to my office.

New Laws in 2024 Part 2

Ideas for legislation come from so many sources – constituent casework, conversations with a colleague, a community meeting, or even an NPR segment. While not all bill ideas are created equal, the general idea is to improve the lives of all Virginians whether we’re tweaking an existing law to avoid unintended consequences or creating a whole new Code Section to address a larger issue.   

Building on my article at the beginning of the month, here are some additional laws that went into effect on July 1st. Chances are, one or more of them will affect you or someone you know.  

Reducing Costs for Virginians  

Housing affordability and helping families avoid eviction has become a hot topic these last several years. To that end, we extended Virginia’s Eviction Diversion Pilot Program, giving the Virginia Housing Commission more time to assess its effectiveness, and perhaps recommend extending it further.   

If the Governor issues a state of emergency, electric, gas, water, and wastewater utility companies are prohibited from disconnecting service to a residential customer for nonpayment of bills or fees during said emergency. The suspension will last for 30 days after such declaration of the state of emergency.   

To reduce predatory towing, towing operators for a multifamily dwelling unit parking lot must post a written notice on a vehicle, providing at least 48 hours' notice to a resident prior to removing a resident's vehicle. This is specifically for vehicles with an expired registration or expired vehicle inspection sticker. The landlord must also receive a copy of such notice.  

Telephone companies that operate within local correctional facilities must now reinvest their net profits into each facility for educational, recreational, or medical purposes for the benefit of incarcerated individuals. This can include programs related to behavioral health, substance abuse, reentry, and rehabilitative services. This will reduce price gouging in these facilities while helping inmates get their lives back on track.  

Empowering Localities  

Local governments can now adopt an ordinance to support the planting and replacement of trees during the land development process by allowing a tree canopy fund, on both public and private property. The law also makes it easier to collect tree canopy funds while expanding the canopy credit.  

Another tool to curb predatory towing, localities have the authority to create a permitting system for all towing companies to better track them and hold them accountable.  

Counties that that do not maintain their own roads are now allowed to reduce speed limits to less than 25 miles per hour in business or residential districts. Localities can also restore a speed limit that was previously reduced. 

Making Virginia More Welcoming and Inclusive  

Reinforcing our non-discrimination laws, no one who is authorized to issue a marriage license can refuse to fulfill their obligation based on a couple’s sex, gender, or race. The law also requires that these marriages be recognized by the Commonwealth.  

Families that receive assistance through Medicaid or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children are also automatically eligible to receive assistance through the Child Care Subsidy Program.  

We amended the financial eligibility standards for those receiving the Family and Individual Support Waiver, Community Living Waiver, and Building Independence Waiver (the DD Waivers). This increases the number of people eligible to receive DD Waivers and requires a report on how many Virginians could benefit from changes to the eligibility standards.  

To ensure our most Virginians living with disabilities get the support and resources they need, a new law requires state agencies to seek federal authority to update Home and Community Based Services Waivers to remove burdensome regulations on parental caregivers.   

Protecting the Vulnerable  

Emergency services providers must now provide a behavioral health assessment, as well as further examination and treatment, when treating a patient. This will help ensure that a patient’s mental health doesn’t deteriorate while receiving emergency treatment.  

Elderly and vulnerable adults can submit and update a list of trusted persons that financial institutions can contact in the case of suspected financial exploitation. The law also permits financial institutions to train staff on how to identify and report suspected cases of financial exploitation. New training guidelines will be published on January 1, 2026.   

Local school boards are required to develop policies that ensure high school students learn to prevent and reverse an opioid overdose. The policy encourages students to complete this program before graduating.  

If you have questions about one of these new laws, please don’t hesitate to contact my office. Or if you’ve got a bill idea you’d like to share, I’m all ears! Although we’re limited in the number of bills we can introduce (15!) during the 2025 Session, hearing from constituents is always helpful in putting together my legislative agenda.  

2024 Session | January 19th Update

The 2024 legislative session kicked off on January 10th with the House of Delegates unanimously electing Don Scott of Portsmouth the first African American Speaker in the 405-year history of the body.  

Scott’s ascension to the Speaker’s dais was the result of Democrats winning 51 of the 100 seats up for grabs in November’s election, putting the party back in the majority in the House by the slimmest of margins. 

Along with the ability to elect the Speaker, majority status means Democrats will be in charge of the Committees and Subcommittees in the House where the real work of legislating happens.  

As the 26th most senior member of the House and one of the most senior members of the Democratic Caucus, I’ll have a lot of leadership responsibilities this session.  

I’m honored to have been appointed Chairman of the House Public Safety Committee by Speaker Scott, as well as Vice Chair of the Courts of Justice Committee. I’m looking forward to once again serving on the General Laws and Rules Committees as well. For subcommittees, I’m chairing the Civil Law Subcommittee of Courts of Justice and the Housing and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of General Laws this session. 

As Chairman of Public Safety, I’ll be charged with shepherding through a number of caucus priorities in the area of gun violence prevention, including HB2 our assault weapons ban, my bill to ban unserialized, untraceable, ghost guns, and a number of bills to required safe storage of firearms.  

The Courts of Justice Committee is among the busiest in the General Assembly, hearing hundreds of bills in the short 60-day session.  As Vice Chair of the full committee and Chair of Civil subcommittee, I’ll be working on legislation to improve access to justice by making Virgnia the 49th of the 50 states to allow class actions. I’ll be working on leveling the playing field between landlords and tenants when they find themselves in court and working on fine tuning of family law and civil procedures. 

On the General Laws Committee, I’ll reprise my role as the Chairman of the Housing and Consumer Protection Subcommittee where bills regulating real estate transactions, landlord tenant law, fair housing and other important subjects are addressed.  

If those assignments weren’t enough to keep me occupied, I’m also patroning roughly 20 bill myself, including my perennial effort to make it illegal for candidates to convert the funds in their campaign accounts to personal use. I also have a bill to establish a public financing option for candidates that choose to rely on small donations to fund their campaigns.  

On behalf of the City of Falls Church, I’ve reintroduced legislation to allow the city to change their charter to allow residents who aren't citizens to participate in local boards and commissions. 

My bill, HB 81, will finally abolish the common- law crime of suicide. An outdated provision that needs to be removed from the Code of Virginia. 

As I mentioned previously, I’ve reintroduced my bill to prohibit the manufacturing, importing, or selling of ghost guns.  

To further my gun violence prevention agenda, HB 175 prohibits individuals from carrying assault weapons in public areas and HB 183 requires firearms to be properly stored in a locked container when minors are present.  

Related to the election process, HB 185 requires that challenges to a candidate’s ballot qualifications be made at least 60 days before the election date. This will hopefully prevent deceptive challenges from being submitted for political purposes.  

I’ve also got a bill that will enhance consumer protection in Virginia, which allows for class action lawsuits in Virginia's circuit courts. 

Working with the Legal Aid Justice Center and Justice Forward, I’ve got two bills that will further improve the criminal justice process by allowing defendants to have more flexibility in jury sentencing as well as protect them from being charged with “failure to appear” when the circumstances are beyond their control.  

I’ve got a full legislative agenda, to say the least, and I’m looking forward to working on the issues that my constituents care about the most. In that vein, you can contact my office in Richmond any time, sharing your concerns about a bill or if you have questions about what’s happening - (804) 698-1013 or delmsimon@house.virginia.gov.