Gas Tax Increase and New Laws Take Effect Today!

While we are all still celebrating the historic Supreme Court decisions overturning Roe v. Wade and upholding religious freedom, it’s important to remind you that today (July 1) many of the bills that were passed by the 2022 General Assembly will go into effect.

The law that could have the most immediate impact on the most Virginians is SB 890, sponsored by Senator Dick Saslaw (D-Fairfax), which ensures Virginia's gas tax will go up (another) 7% because it requires the gas tax to increase whenever the Consumer Price Index goes up (Inflation), but remains the same rate if the CPI goes down.  Incredibly, at a time when gas prices are rapidly rising and placing greater financial strain on families, the Senate Democrat majority is content with allowing the gas tax to INCREASE!  Come July 1, the new gasoline tax will be 28 cents retail, 8.2 cents wholesale plus another 0.6 cents per gallon to fund a special program, for a combined tax of 36.8 cents per gallon.

During the General Assembly regular and special sessions, several Republican legislators introduced bills, and Governor Glenn Youngkin advanced budget language, to halt the coming inflation adjustment which would’ve capped the increase at 2%, well below the current levels of inflation.  Yet, the Senate Democrat majority voted against the legislation and budget language that would’ve given Virginians much needed relief.  

While gas tax relief was not achieved, it’s still important to acknowledge that many of the bipartisan laws taking effect tomorrow are only possible because of pro-family leadership in the House of Delegates and the Governor.  Below are summaries of several of the changes that will go into effect on July 1.

Limits on Emergency Executive Orders

SB 4 (R-Suetterlein) and HB 158 (R-Byron) provides that any emergency executive order issued by the Governor pursuant to his powers under the Emergency Services and Disaster Law is only valid up to 45 days, unless the General Assembly takes further action.

SB 46 (D-Petersen) provides that, in any case in which the Governor has issued an emergency order that includes any measure that closes schools or businesses or restricts the movement of healthy persons within the area to which the order applies, all of the rights, protections, and procedures applicable in the case of an order of quarantine issued by the State Health Commissioner shall apply.

Religious Freedom

HB 1063 (D-Shin) helpfully defines “religion” that is protected to include “any outward expression of religious faith, including adherence to religious dressing and grooming practices and the carrying or display of religious items or symbols.”

Reporting Crimes at Schools to Law Enforcement and Parents

SB 36 (R-Norment) and HB 4 (R-Wyatt) requires that school principals report to law enforcement certain enumerated acts that may constitute a misdemeanor offense and report to the parents of any minor student who is the specific object of such an act that the incident has been reported to law enforcement.  This was an attempt to correct what occurred in Loudoun County Public schools.

Car Tax Relief 

SB 12 (R-Suetterlein) and HB 267 (R-McNamara) grants localities the authority to return any surplus personal property tax revenues to taxpayers. 

Safe Haven Protections for Newborns Delivered to Hospitals

SB 63 (R-Ruff) allows a parent to safely deliver a child within the first 30 days of the child's life to a newborn safety device located at a hospital without criminal prosecution.

Invalidating Surrogacy Contracts that Require Abortion

SB 163 (R-Peake) prohibits a surrogacy contract from allowing the paying party to force the carrying mother to have an abortion.

Ensuring Parental Notification of Any Explicit Instructional Material

SB 656 (R-Dunnavant) requires the Department of Education to develop model policies for each local school board to adopt no later than January 1, 2023, for ensuring parental notification of any instructional material that includes sexually explicit content, and to include information and procedures for offering alternative, nonexplicit instructional material.

Gambling Education 

HB 1108 (D-Rasoul) requires instruction concerning gambling and its addictive characteristics to be discussed along with the safety hazards of alcohol and drug use at public schools.

You can review the various other tax provisions that were adopted through the budget HERE.  
For a more extensive list of laws going into effect today, click HERE.