As the national debate over affordable housing continues, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a package of housing bills Monday aimed at expanding access to affordable housing options and strengthening protections for residents of manufactured homes.

Four bills aimed at regulating data centers are now on the governor’s desk as proposals for new facilities fuel debate across Southwest Virginia.

Lots of bills are on Governor Abigail Spanberger’s desk — including one dealing with marijuana. The proposal would create an adult-use cannabis retail market by January 2027. In the bill, lawmakers adopted a flat tax rate of 6% and are allowing localities to adopt a tax rate between 1 and 3.5 percent. 40 percent of that revenue goes towards early childhood and education.

Virginia lawmakers left Richmond without passing the state’s budget because lawmakers are at a standstill over whether data centers should receive tax breaks.

A state bill under consideration could change Roanoke’s ordinance that currently makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor for homeless individuals to camp on sidewalks in downtown Roanoke.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it is challenging Virginia laws that it says provide in-state tuition and financial assistance to migrants.

A number of new Virginia laws went into effect at the beginning of July! Here are a few of the most notable ones, many of which were highlighted by Gov. Glenn Youngkin:

A number of new Virginia laws go into effect on Tuesday!

When Keen was 30 years old, she was diagnosed with BRCA2 mutation. She said her risk of breast cancer was 83%. So, she chose to do a preventative mastectomy. She has to get a breast MRI but they can range anywhere from $1000 to $1800 preventing her from getting them every year.

Virginia legislators have passed the state budget and with it comes more money for flood recovery and grants for first time home buyers.

Lawmakers are back in Richmond on Monday, and they are eager to tackle issues from education, taxes and electric rates.

Hundreds of new laws will be going into effect on July 1st.

Virginia lawmakers are now halfway through the General Assembly session.

Over 180 House bills and almost 80 Senate bills have been filed ahead of the 2024 General Assembly session.

Several new laws go into effect with the start of the new year. We're breaking down the ones you should keep in mind.

The General Assembly will convene in a special session Sept. 6 to approve amendments to the current two-year budget.

The Justice Department is sending out more than $200 million to help states and the District of Columbia administer “red-flag laws” and other crisis-intervention programs.

With the Smith Mountain Lake Pirate Days event coming on July 16, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is reminding Virginia citizens of the new regulation that went into effect on July 1, which bans citizens from intentionally releasing or discarding any non-biodegradable or non-photodegradable balloons outdoors in the Commonwealth.

Most of the legislation passed earlier this year by the divided Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin will take effect Friday.

BEDFORD COUNTY, VA. – Virginia’s new hands-free driving law began Friday. It’s a new day for Bedford County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. “Outside of someone specifically saying, ‘yes, I was texting and driving,’ the law was almost unenforceable. Hands-free driving started Friday and now, driving with a phone in your hand for any reason is illegal. We saw one woman talking on her phone driving Interstate 81 with out-of-state tags.

The next time you are pulled over in Virginia, an officer will have to write down your race because of a new law called the Community Policing Act. The bill, introduced by a delegate in northern Virginia a year ago, went into effect on July 1. According to the law, Virginia State Police will be in charge of collecting the data from law enforcement agencies in the commonwealth. Virginia State Police will take all the reported data collected annually and hand it over to the Department of Criminal Justice Services. Amherst County told 10 News theyll be sending reports to Virginia State Police every month.

ROANOKE, Va. – President Donald Trump is expected to sign the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act into law on Monday. PACT is a bipartisan bill that criminalizes acts of animal cruelty, including crushing, burning, drowning and impaling animals, among other things. The president is expected to sign the bill at 4:30 p.m., according to his schedule. These crimes will now be considered federal felonies, allowing authorities to prosecute animal abusers who cross state lines. The bill also bans animal cruelty recorded on video.