Governor Youngkin called a Special Session that was held yesterday, Wednesday, September 6th for the General Assembly to vote on the 2023 budget deal. This deal was reached after many months of negotiations between House Appropriations Conferees and Senate Finance and Appropriations Conferees. Both chambers gaveled into Session at 10am on the 6th, and there was little debate as both the House and Senate versions of the budget moved through the process. Ultimately, the bills passed the House 86-Y 4-N and the Senate 38-Y 0-N 1-A. Many of the “No” votes or abstentions centered around their opposition to the process. The Budget will now be communicated to Governor Youngkin and will be before him for signature. The budget amendment that impacts the retail industry is the reinstatement of the Sales Tax Holiday, which lapsed this summer. The holiday will take place the weekend of October 20th this year and will revert back to the traditional weekend for 2024. The exact language of the amendment in Section 4-14 is: 24. That, notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, the retail sales and use tax exemption holidays authorized in subdivision 18 of § 58.1-609.1, § 58.1-611.2 and § 58.1-611.3 of the…

   Virginians all around the Commonwealth went to the polls on Tuesday, June 20 to vote in a number of competitive primary races. All 40 seats of the Senate and 100 seats of the House of Delegates are up for election/reelection this year. Since these campaigns are occurring in newly drawn legislative districts, there will be a great deal of turnover and a significant number of new members joining the General Assembly in 2024. 

Below are important updates from Virginia ABC Licensing, including the new laws that will go into effect on July 1. There are also important updates for training opportunities that help protect your business.    Information on Crossover Products In this year’s session of the Virginia General Assembly, two bills were passed (HB 1979 and SB 809) that regulate a family of alcoholic beverages that we refer to as crossover products. There is the obvious potential for consumer confusion when products that contain alcohol are merchandised on shelves/displays that are adjacent to (or intermingled with) products that appeal primarily to an audience that is not of legal drinking age. The potential for confusion is compounded by the fact that many popular soft drink brands have made the jump into this crossover category and by leveraging the equity and recognizability of their brands have blurred the ability of a consumer to easily tell which products contain alcohol and which do not.Please keep in touch with your Special Agent with regard to how to stay compliant with the rules set forth by this legislation in effect July 1.  Find Your Local Regional Office here   DMV Announces New ID Design Virginia’s newly designed driver’s licenses and identification (ID)…

On Wednesday, April 12th, the General Assembly returned to Richmond for the one-day “Reconvened” Session. This is where the House and Senate review the Governor’s amendments and vetoes to legislation communicated to him following the regular legislative session. Procedurally, when the Governor amends a bill, the chamber in which the bill originated considers the Governor’s amendments first. If that chamber agrees to the amendments, the bill crosses over to the other chamber. The amendments are then either agreed to or voted down.  If the amendment is voted down, the original bill is communicated back to the Governor for his signature or veto. If the amendment is agreed to, that is the version that will become law on July 1st. In total, 819 pieces of legislation were communicated to Governor Youngkin following the 2023 General Assembly Session. Of those, Governor Youngkin signed 738, sent amendments back for 78, and vetoed 3 bills. All 3 vetoes were upheld. While many amendments were agreed to, there were serval that were not agreed to by the Legislature. This means the bill is back to the Governor for either signature as is, or a veto. While there was a great deal of legislative action, the…