May 5, 2026
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NVM Urges Governor Spanberger to Sign General Assembly Bills Backed by Virginia Constituents
Last week the General Assembly rejected Governor Spanberger’s amendments on approximately 180 bills and sent them back to the governor’s office in their original form, where she can either veto the bills, sign them into law, or do neither and allow the bills to become law after 30 days.
NVM strongly urges the governor to sign the bills that were sent back to the governor’s desk in their original form. Virginians have been waiting for far too long for legislation that will positively impact their day to day lives, and bills that would protect immigrants, provide criminal justice reform, and collective bargaining would immediately address issues that directly impact Black and brown communities.
First, we urge the governor to sign a bill to ensure civil immigration arrests without a warrant cannot take place in courthouses, schools, and hospitals; the governor’s amended bill removed penalties while adding legal protections for officers who break the law. Additionally,
the face mask bill requires officers to show their face and use visible identification while on duty, and comes with criminal penalties for not following the law; yet, Spanberger removed the penalties and would allow each law enforcement agency to write their own rules.
Next, the marijuana marketplace bill created a framework for a legal retail marijuana market–with racial equity components built in to address years of harm done to communities of color. Spanberger removed all of the racial equity provisions while adding new criminal penalties for marijuana, taking the bill from repair to repercussions.
Finally, a bill that will allow teachers, transit workers, and city employees to unionize and collectively bargain. The governor’s version would delay this until 2030, remove guaranteed protections from the law, and give the decision making process to a regulatory process that is under her administration.
Each of these bills are the result of years of negotiations and engaging with directly impacted Virginians and stakeholders, and the passage of these bills is an opportunity for real progress in making lives better and more affordable for the most vulnerable of working families across the state. Governor Spanberger: Virginians voted for you to enact real and tangible change and now is the moment to make that a reality.
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New Virginia Majority builds power in working-class communities of color, in immigrant communities, among LGBTQ people, women, youth, and progressives across the Commonwealth. We organize for racial and economic justice through large-scale political education, mobilization and advocacy around dozens of issues. We fight for a Virginia that is just, democratic and environmentally sustainable. For more information, visit our website.