State lawmakers passed more than 500 bills in regular and special sessions earlier this year, implementing changes such abolishing the death penalty and legalizing marijuana, which were spurred in part by racial equity initiatives. Other bills passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Ralph Northam include a requirement that employers provide paid sick leave to home health care workers and a long-awaited increase to the minimum wage that raises it to $9.50 per hour and puts it on track to reach $15 in 2026.
Despite the political energy directed toward some progressive initiatives, the General Assembly failed to pass measures such as ending qualified immunity, which would have enabled Virginians to sue police officers on misconduct claims.
Here’s a crash course on three state laws that take effect on July 1:
Legal Marijuana
Virginia becomes the first Southern state to allow marijuana for recreational use this month. People ages 21 years and older can carry up to 1 ounce of marijuana for personal use, though you can’t legally buy weed in the state — yet. Legal sales won’t begin until 2024 as state agencies prepare to regulate the commercial cannabis market. Until then, the only legal way to have weed is to grow your own — up to four plants are allowed — or to receive it as a gift from someone who does.
Although marijuana usage is now permitted, some restrictions will stay in place: smoking in public, on school grounds or by anyone under the age of 21 is still illegal, as is driving while under the influence. Smoking in public or carrying more than an ounce of marijuana will net you a $25 civil fine, while anyone caught smoking on school grounds will be charged with a Class 2 misdemeanor.
The law also seals and expunges criminal records tied to marijuana convictions, with Democratic lawmakers citing Virginia’s racist history of marijuana enforcement. Black Virginians were arrested for marijuana possession at 3.5 times the rate of white Virginians between 2010 and 2019, despite both groups using the drug at comparable rates.
“Reforming our marijuana laws is one way to ensure that Virginia is a more just state that works better for everyone,” Northam said during his State of the Commonwealth address in January.
Free Community College
Beginning this month, low- to middle-income state residents can earn degrees in certain high-demand fields at Virginia’s community colleges for free. The $36 million “Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back,” or G3 program, covers tuition, textbooks and other charges for students who enter health care, information technology, skilled trades, early childhood education or public safety programs.
On average, students in these high-demand fields can increase their wages by 60% after completing these programs, according to a Northam administration news release.
To be enrolled in the G3 program, students must qualify for in-state tuition, complete the FAFSA and report a total household income that is no more than 400% of the federal poverty level — approximately $51,500 for an individual or $106,000 for a family of four. The program is open to new and returning students and applies to full degree and shorter certification programs. G3 funds will be available to students as early as this fall.
Administrators at Reynolds and John Tyler community colleges say they’ve spent much of the spring gearing up for the program by training advisors and other staff members to guide students through the process and by promoting the G3 program to students and community partners.
“This is a game changer,” says Reynolds community colleges VP of Academic Affairs Dr. Lori Dwyer. “Broadly, students come into the community college with very full lives and full of responsibility … and one of those significant barriers is tuition. … This provides a window to socioeconomic mobility for all members of our community.”
Skill Games Ban
So-called “skill games” — the slot machine-like terminals that have proliferated at Virginia restaurants, convenience stores and truck stops in recent years — are now banned across the state, putting a stop to an industry that has generated tens of millions in local and state tax revenues since lawmakers agreed to delay the ban by one year in 2020. The gambling machines were taxed at $1,200 per machine each month, and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney in a Richmond Times-Dispatch column in January wrote that the terminals generated approximately $68 million in tax revenues over six months.
Northam Press Secretary Alena Yarmosky in a statement noted that while the governor originally proposed a centralized oversight system for the machines that would have taxed the games at 35%, lawmakers instead opted to ban the games outright. Following the law’s passage, any person who operates, manages or owns the gambling machines going forward will be subject to a civil penalty of up to $25,000.
“The governor is grateful that the GA agreed to delay the ban by one year to allow the convenience stores, truck stops, restaurants and other establishments a year to prepare for their phaseout,” Yarmosky said. “Governor Northam is also proud that Virginia’s revenue outlook is far better today than it was one year ago.”
