Home“The Virginia Bar Association is the independent voice of the Virginia lawyer, advancing the highest ideals of the profession through advocacy and volunteer service.”
When you read the VBA Mission above, you see that advocacy and service are our very purpose. For nearly 150 years, the VBA has has been a careful steward of its reputation for unbiased advocacy, seeking always to clarify and improve the laws of the Commonwealth for all parties, to remove sources of possible uncertainty or bias.
You can be part of this important work. Please keep these important dates in mind as you read more about how our advocacy process will go forward as we work toward the 2027 Virginia General Assembly session:
- June 23, 2026: Preparing Legislation for the 2027 General Assembly, for section chairs and their legislative teams, with VBA legislative counsel Eric Link. Virtual. Registration is open now!
- July 18, 2026: Annual Legislative Breakfast for section chairs and their legislative teams at the VBA's 136th Summer Meeting.
- Aug. 14, 2026: Deadline for VBA sections to submit their Legislative Proposal forms.
- Sept. 22, 2026: VBA Legislative Day, a virtual board meeting, by invitation only, where sections present their proposals and the VBA Board of Governors selects the association's 2027 slate of bills.
How we work
Every year, the VBA endorses a robust slate of bills that our legislative counsel then lobbies in the General Assembly. Most of the bills arise from the legislative committees in our 19 sections. Others arise from affiliated groups such as the Boyd-Graves Conference and the Virginia Family Law Coalition.
The annual slate and its progress through the General Assembly are the culmination of a year-round advocacy process. In June and July, leaders of interested sections meet with legislative counsel for advice on best practices and the legislative outlook for the coming session. Proposal forms and draft bills are due at the end of August, and the VBA Board of Governors vets the proposals and approves a slate of bills in September. Throughout the fall, counsel works with VBA groups to refine their bills, gather additional information and support, identify potential sponsors and strategize for success when the session opens in January.
What happens next
Throughout the session, legislative counsel promotes the VBA agenda and keeps our members informed with weekly updates on the VBA agenda’s progress in both chambers and their various committees. Bill proponents for VBA groups may be called into committee to testify on behalf of their bills. And the frequent updates continue until bills have circulated through both chambers, to the Governor’s desk and back again.
Wrapping up
After the session, usually in May, the VBA provides one of our most valuable member benefits. Section members receive members-only access to the VBA’s annual Legislative Summaries, describing all the year’s changes to Virginia law influencing that section’s practice area (whether sponsored by the VBA or not). By this time, our members are already considering proposals for the next year, and the process begins anew.
We are honored to have the Hunton Andrews Kurth legislative team ably supporting the VBA’s legislative program since 2023. The team is led by VBA member Eric Link, Hunton’s director of government affairs.
2026 Outcomes
Jump to the 2026 VBA Legislative Agenda
Legislative Update: March 2, 2026
Message from Eric Link, Legislative Counsel
Legislative Update: Feb. 25, 2026
Legislative Update: Feb. 11, 2026
Message from Eric Link, Legislative Counsel
2026 Legislative Agenda of The Virginia Bar Association
VBA Bills:
Update of the Nonstock Corporation Act (Business Law Section) — This bill will make a number of needed updates to the Virginia Nonstock Corporation Act, which has not had a comprehensive update in decades. It incorporates relevant updates that have already been made to the Virginia Stock Corporation Act and the Model Nonprofit Corporation Act. (House Bill 439) (Senate Bill 246)
Update of the Stock Corporation Act (Business Law Section) — This bill will make a number of technical and clarifying updates to the Virginia Stock Corporation Act. Most notably, it will conform certain provisions to the Delaware General Corporation Law to ensure Virginia remains competitive and attractive for business formation. (HB316) (SB479)
Standardizing Recording Fees for Commercial Filings (Real Estate Law Section) — This bill will provide uniformity across jurisdictions in the way that certain commercial documents are recorded and associated fees are calculated. (SB 715)
Streamlining of Easements by Common Owner (Real Estate Law Section) — This bill will create more durable easements and reduce unnecessary complications created when the owner of a dominant estate purchases a subservient estate where an access easement had previously existed. This bill passed the General Assembly in 2025 but was vetoed. (HB 344)
Creating a State “Innocent Spouse Relief” Program (Taxation Section) — This bill will create a state-level version of the “innocent spouse” program that exists at the federal level to protect spouses from tax misrepresentations or crimes committed by a spouse without their knowledge. (HB 716)
Adjusting Deadlines for Allowance and Exempt Property Claims (Wills, Trusts & Estates Section) — This bill will adjust the one-year deadline for filing family, exempt property, or homestead allowances to begin upon the filing of a will or appointment of a personal representative rather than date of death. (HB 306)
Streamlined Notice to Creditors (Wills, Trusts & Estates Section) — This bill will create an optional, more streamlined and cost effective “Notice to Creditors” process. (HB 307)
Adjustments to Self-Settled Spendthrift Trusts Statute (Wills, Trusts & Estates Section) — This bill makes needed adjustments to the powers of the settlor of a self-settled spendthrift trust, creates flexibility in filling vacancies in trusteeship of these trusts, and allows a trustee to recover funds for tax liability they incur while considered an owner of the trust. (HB 1513)
Preventing Abuse and Promoting Disclosure through the Uniform Power of Attorney Act (Wills, Trusts & Estates Section) — This bill will prevent elder abuse or theft by ensuring that an agent is required to make disclosures to a principal’s successors unless the principal expressly relieves the agent of that duty of disclosure. (HB 510)
Boyd-Graves Conference Bills:
Allowing Interested Parties to Challenge Appointment of a Personal Administrator — This bill will allow “any person interested” to challenge the appointment of a personal administrator, rather than the narrow parties that are currently allowed. (HB 1510)
Allowing Appointment of an Administrator to Handle Property Damage Claims — This bill adds property damage to the very limited category of claims that can be pursued by a personal administrator of a decedent’s estate, along with personal injury and wrongful death. (HB 1516)
Approval of Wrongful Death Settlements Without a Hearing — This bill makes the process of settling a wrongful death claim easier, faster, and more economical for the parties and the courts by waiving the requirement for a hearing when all parties are in agreement. (HB 528)
Circuit Court Procedures for Review of Decisions by a Board of Zoning Appeals — This bill will bring uniformity and predictability to the technical procedures that govern the appeal of a decision by a Board of Zoning Appeals to a circuit court. It will establish clear timelines, requirements for service, and standards for participation that protect the rights of citizens, applicants, and local governments. (HB 198)
Expedited Appeals of Court Closure and Record Sealing — This bill will establish an expedited method for appealing the closure of a court proceeding or sealing of a record. It will also help prevent surprise motions to close or seal. (HB 185)
Electronic Service — This is a very simple technical bill that adds bar number, email address, mailing address, and telephone number to the required information included in a pleading, motion, or paper. (HB 555)
Family Law Coalition Bills:
Timelier Divorce Proceedings — This bill will make divorce proceedings timelier, more efficient, and less acrimonious by allowing for divorcing couples to begin separating their lives while the one-year separation period runs. It will eliminate the requirement for cruelty, fear of bodily hurt, or willful desertion and allow these “bed and board” divorces to commence without assignment of fault. (HB 303)
Sealing of Divorce Records — This bill will create uniform statutory standards for sealing divorce records “for good cause shown.” (HB 1517)
Clear Authorization for Judges to Order Custody Evaluations — This bill will clarify judges’ authority to order a full custody evaluation when adjudicating custody or visitation matters. (HB 768)
Publications
