Dear Friend,
Despite the winter weather, the work of the General Assembly continues. Committees are meeting and dissecting bills while the House as a whole passes bills–some good, some bad.
In this week’s update, I am highlighting both redistricting and taxes. I am also including a copy of my session survey results. I hope you continue to find these updates helpful and informative.
Redistricting Update
This week, a circuit court judge in Tazewell County ruled the General Assembly violated its own rules in the passing of the redistricting amendment. The ruling delves into some rather technical points including whether the proposed amendment was properly before the body last fall for its first fall. The judge also highlighted the fact that, due to the rushed nature of the process, the text of the resolution was not posted on courthouse doors for the appropriate amount of time as required by state law.
At the same time, Democrats in the General Assembly passed legislation to hold a special referendum on April 21st to consider the redistricting amendment. The bill was adopted on a party line vote and will head to the Governor’s desk for consideration next week.
So what does this mean going forward? That’s to be decided. One appeal has already been filed in court. There is some expectation that that matter will be decided by either the state or federal supreme court. I will continue to keep you updated on the status of this referendum and the court cases.
I will end this portion by noting that no proposed map exists. Democrats had previously stated one would be available by the end of January, but that deadline was not met.
Tax Increases, Decreases (??)
A number of eye popping tax increases have been introduced in the House of Delegates this year. Proposals include a wide range new taxes for concert admissions, landscaping equipment, gym memberships, and more. Our state’s finances are doing well at this time, with revenues continuing to exceed estimates. In my opinion, additional tax increases are not necessary to fund state government at current levels. Tax increases would only be needed in order to fund significant increases in state spending, something that I oppose.
At the same time, Democrats in the House passed legislation to study the repeal of the car tax. I voted against this study bill as it is just kicking the can further down the road. Those in charge of writing the state budget have the ability to begin phasing out the car tax this year. Unfortunately, this study bill makes it clear that the car tax will remain for at least another year.
Survey Results
Thank you to everyone who took time to complete my 2026 legislative survey. I always appreciate the feedback I receive from this project as it allows me to better represent our district at the State Capitol.
To view a PDF copy of the results, please click here.
Over 1,500 bills have been introduced in the House, and another 800 in the Senate! Not every policy issue up for debate was included in the survey. If you have an issue important to you that was not addressed in the survey, please let me know by emailing me at DelMCherry@house.virginia.gov.
I hope you found this week’s update informative. As always, it remains an honor to represent Colonial Heights and Chesterfield in the House of Delegates.
Sincerely,
Mike Cherry