Rip's Session Report - Week Six
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With crossover behind us, we are officially in the second half of the General Assembly session.
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Earlier this week I ran into her excellency, Governor Spanberger, at Speaker Don Scott's Gala.
A rather chaotic week ensued, as both the House and Senate hustled to meet the crossover deadline, with over thirteen-hundred bills passing through the two chambers.
Twenty-one of my bills passed the House of Delegates and have advanced to the Senate for further consideration.
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Speaker Don Scott's Gala with Governor Spanberger
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What's next? Over the next three weeks my House colleagues and I will be working to review the Senate's bills and finish the work of this General Assembly session.
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As always, my team and I are here to support you. Do not hesitate to reach out to us by using the link below.
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I had the opportunity to show 6th District students around Virginia's Capitol and introduce them in the House Gallery.
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841 bills from the House are advancing to the Senate; 496 bills from the Senate are moving to the House.
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HB 1472 grants compensation and relief for Messiah Johnson, who was wrongfully incarcerated for twenty years.
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SB 756 has been referred to the General Laws Committee in the House of Delegates, but has not been scheduled to be presented (yet)
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6th District Constituents in Richmond!
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It was a lighter week for constituent visits, but my team appreciated the group of Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) 6th District volunteers coming by the office.
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CCAN Langley Student Volunteers
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Please feel free to stop by Team Sullivan Headquarters in Room 908 of the General Assembly Building.
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Talented High School Students Visit Richmond
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Students From Mclean and Thomas Jefferson High School
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This year we had the opportunity to display artwork around my office made by students from the 6th District.
Arts Fairfax helped to introduce us to these talented young artists and we are honored to show off their artwork representing the District and the Commonwealth.
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They also are interested in journalism, so the students also had the unique opportunity to speak with and ask questions of me and members of the press pool covering the General Assembly session.
And finally, they visited a true Richmond staple– the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA)
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Check out these masterpieces!
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Crossover: The Important Half-Way Point of the General Assembly
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Crossover marks the halfway point of the General Assembly by which legislation must pass out of its body-of-origin (either the House of Delegates or State Senate) so it can be considered by the other body.
If a bill does not pass its body-of-origin by crossover, it is effectively dead.
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The Senate passed 496 bills that are now docketed in the House of Delegates. The House passed 841 bills that will advance to the Senate for further consideration.
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HB 1472: Messiah Johnson's Compensation for Wrongful Incarceration
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As many of you may know, during the course of my General Assembly career I have passed numerous bills helping Virginians who have been wrongfully incarcerated for crimes they did not in fact commit.
I have great confidence in our courts, judges, and juries. Still, not often – but too often – mistakes are made.
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We have a system in place in the General Assembly enabling Virginians who have proved their innocence to receive compensation from the state for their wrongful incarceration.
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While we can never truly right the wrong, I am proud to have worked with over a dozen people who were wrongfully incarcerated, to help them receive compensation for the time they spent in prison when they should have been spending time with their families and living their lives.
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Meeting Messiah Johnson before we presented HB 1472
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Mr. Johnson was wrongfully convicted in 1998 of an armed robbery at a beauty salon in Norfolk Virginia, and sentenced to 132 years in prison.
He was and is innocent, yet spent twenty years in prison. Johnson's record was expunged in December of 2025, after fighting his case for almost thirty years. Mr. Johnson is now an entrepreneur based out of Newport News and a father to two children.
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Mr. Johnson's Testimony During The Presentation of HB 1472
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Wrongful Conviction Podcast highlighting Mr. Johnson's story
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Tysons Casino Update: SB 756 Referred to House General Laws Committee
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Now that the legislation is being considered by the House of Delegates, the latest update is that SB 756 has been referred to the General Laws committee.
Things can go through unusual paths and be re-referred to different committees, but if it stays in General Laws, the normal path for legislation is to be assigned a sub-committee and be heard there in the coming weeks. It would likely go to the ABC/Gaming subcommittee of General Laws. That subcommittee assignment has not happened yet.
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As I have stated repeatedly, I am firmly opposed to SB 756. I am actively working with my colleagues in the House of Delegates to have this bill defeated.
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My team and I are monitoring SB 756 and will continue to provide weekly updates.
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In The News: Headlines You Should See
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Another great week of news articles highlighting the work we are doing here in Richmond related to my legislation.
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Family of Claudia Hantman Arko
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Please feel free to check out my newsletters from previous weeks!
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That's all for our Week Six Newsletter. Be sure to tune in as my team and I will continue to send weekly newsletters to keep you informed of everything going on in Richmond.
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As always, please let me know if there is anything my office or I can do to support you. Please feel free to email us or stop by our office in Richmond!
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I’ll see you around the neighborhood.
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Office of Delegate Rip Sullivan
PO Box 994
McLean, VA 22101
United States
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