Wrapping up the 2025 Virginia General Assembly Session

In partnership with Virginia Bicycling Federation

The 2025 Virginia General Assembly session is officially adjourned, but we’re not quite done yet. Three road safety-focused bills (detailed below) passed both chambers and now head to Governor Youngkin to sign, amend, or veto by March 24th. We’ve got TWO final actions for you to take (plus a third bonus action).

Final Actions

Please thank your Senator and Delegate if they voted for SB1416, SB1233, and/or HB2096. Final voting tallies are linked below. Please especially thank and congratulate our local bill patrons Senator Ebbin, Delegate Hope, and Delegate Seibold for their commitment to street safety. If you are unsure who your legislators are, enter your address here.
Please also send a short note to Governor Youngkin asking that he sign SB1416, SB1233, and HB2096 into law – emphasize that these are incremental, bipartisan measures that support safer streets for ALL Virginians.

Bonus Action! Share your input and feedback regarding state legislative and regulatory initiatives to improve safety for people who bike and to fund bicycling infrastructure. This year was always going to be a challenging environment in which to push for major changes – it being a short session ahead of major elections – but WABA and our statewide partners at the Virginia Bicycling Federation remain undaunted. We’re already beginning to regroup and strategize for next year. Please contact us at advocacy@waba.org or vbfadvocacycommittee@gmail.com.

Legislation in Detail

The three bills that made it through this year’s brief and chaotic General Assembly session include:

Senator Adam Ebbin’s SB1416 – This bill, if signed by the Governor, would update the Code of Virginia to be more effective at prosecuting drivers who strike and kill or seriously injure a vulnerable road user who is lawfully within a crosswalk. Under current law, failure to stop for a person crossing in a crosswalk is a minor traffic infraction with a maximum penalty of $250, even if the driver struck and killed the person. SB1416 increases the maximum penalty for a driver who strikes and kills or seriously injures a person lawfully within a crosswalk to $2,500 and the possibility of jail time. The Washington Post highlighted how few drivers have faced consequences for striking people because of gaps in state law. The General Assembly passed SB1416 with bipartisan support: 40-Y 0-N in the Senate and 75-Y 20-N in the House.
Senator Angela Williams Graves’ SB1233 (amended in conference to include speed safety camera provisions from Delegate Holly Siebold’s HB2041) – This bill, if signed by the Governor, will allow jurisdictions to use crosswalk and stop sign violation monitoring systems in school zones, highway work zones and high-risk speed corridors within 1,000 feet of school property; i.e., the same locations where jurisdictions are already authorized to use speed safety cameras. SB1233 includes new guardrails and reporting requirements, including daily accuracy checks of speed cameras, and allows localities to use fines collected for operation of the monitoring systems and for traffic-safety projects. The General Assembly supported a conference committee substitute for SB1233 with bipartisan votes of 25-Y 15-N in the Senate and 54-Y 40-N in the House.
Delegate Patrick Hope’s HB2096 – This bill, if signed by the Governor, would establish an Intelligent Speed Assistance Program in Virginia (only the second in the country after DC). Under the program, repeat reckless drivers could have a speed governing device (i.e. a speed limiter) installed in their vehicle as an alternative to license suspension. Research shows that roughly 75% of drivers with suspended licenses still drive (because that’s often their only travel option in car-centric America!); ISA would enable them to still access jobs and family while ensuring public safety, and has been championed by the Families for Safe Streets movement. The General Assembly passed HB2096 with huge bipartisan support: 81-Y 16-N in the House and 40-Y 0-N in the Senate.

For more information on this year’s General Assembly session, check out our prior blog posts here and here.

More about Virginia Legislation

Virginia's legislative sessions are brief and hectic. Over the course of the year, WABA works with a variety of partners including the Virginia Bicycling Federation to build support for bike-friendly legislation, as well as funding for trails and street safety improvements.

Past victories include law requiring drivers to pass bicyclists with at least three feet of space, allowing bicycles on VRE Trains, and funding for the Long Bridge bike and pedestrian crossing over the Potomac River. Current priorities include legalizing the Bicycle Stop-as-Yield, an e-bike purchase incentive program, and allowing bicyclists to proceed on the Leading Pedestrian Interval at stop lights.

More about Laws & Policy

WABA works with grassroots advocates at the local, county and state level to support laws and policies that make it easier and safer to walk, bike, and take transit. And we work to changes ones that make biking less safe, make it harder to build bike infrastructure, or that deprioritize the safety and convenience of people walking, biking, or taking transit.

In practice that means advocating for robust and transformative Vision Zero programs, enforceable Complete Streets policies, and funding for new infrastructure that supports biking, walking and transit.

Other regional legislative priorities include:

Reforming Contributory Negligence (passed in DC, in the works in Maryland and Virginia).
Getting rid of the Level of Service engineering standards in transportation decision-making.
Funding E-bike purchase rebates.

More about Advocacy

WABA fights for a region where biking, walking and transit are the best ways to get around.

We educate policymakers and organize grassroots advocates for to speak up for safer places to bike and walk; and for laws and policies that protect people who are walking and biking, reduce dangerous driving, and facilitate changes to the built environment.