Virginia 2021 Regular Session Status: Passed House Of Delegates

HB 7 — Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices.

Last action — Left in General Laws and Technology

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House of Delegates
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2021 Regular Session. It reached “Passed House of Delegates” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there are no live odds of enactment. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices. Prohibits any locality, its employees, or its appointed commissions from discriminating (i) in the application of local land use ordinances or guidelines, or in the permitting of housing developments, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, elderliness, familial status, or handicap or (ii) in the permitting of housing developments because the housing development contains or is expected to contain affordable housing units occupied or intended for occupancy by families or individuals with incomes at or below 80 percent of the median income of the area where the housing development is located or is proposed to be located, unless at the time of the municipal decision, a proposed development will be located in a census tract wherein more than 50 percent of the units serve families or individuals at or below 80 percent of the median income of the area. The bill also requires the Fair Housing Board, after determining the existence of an unlawful discriminatory housing practice and after consultation with the Attorney General, to immediately refer the matter to the Attorney General for civil action.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

31 added · 27 removed

Plain-language change summary

The recent amendment to HB 7 expands the protections under the Virginia Fair Housing Law by adding categories such as sexual orientation, gender identity, and elderliness to the list of factors that cannot be used to deny someone housing. This change strengthens the law by ensuring more individuals are protected from discrimination when seeking housing. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of accommodating renters' needs and promoting fair access to housing, which is vital for fostering inclusive communities.

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SESSION history | hilite | pdf | print version 20106656D HOUSE BILL NO.
SESSION history | hilite | pdf | print version 20107506D HOUSE BILL NO.
7 AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE (Proposed by the House Committee on General Laws on January 28, 2020) (Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Bourne) A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 36-96.3 and 36-96.17 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the Virginia Fair Housing Law;
7 FLOOR AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE (Proposed by Delegate Bourne on February 3, 2020) (Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Bourne) A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 36-96.3 and 36-96.17 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the Virginia Fair Housing Law;
It shall be an unlawful discriminatory housing practice for any political jurisdiction or its employees or appointed commissions to discriminate in the application of local land use ordinances or guidelines, or in the permitting of housing developments, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, elderliness, familial status, or handicap or because the housing development contains or is expected to contain affordable housing units occupied or intended for occupancy by families or individuals with incomes at or below 80 percent of the median income of the area where the housing development is located or is proposed to be located.
It shall be an unlawful discriminatory housing practice for any political jurisdiction or its employees or appointed commissions to discriminate in the application of local land use ordinances or guidelines, or in the permitting of housing developments, (i) on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, elderliness, familial status, or handicap or (ii) because the housing development contains or is expected to contain affordable housing units occupied or intended for occupancy by families or individuals with incomes at or below 80 percent of the median income of the area where the housing development is located or is proposed to be located, unless at the time of the municipal decision, a proposed development will be located in a census tract wherein more than 50 percent of the units serve families or individuals at or below 80 percent of the median income of the area.
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Action History

  1. Left in General Laws and Technology

  2. Continued to 2021 in General Laws and Technology (15-Y 0-N)

  3. Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology

  4. Constitutional reading dispensed

  5. Impact statement from DPB (HB7H2)

  6. VOTE: Passage (71-Y 28-N)

  7. Read third time and passed House (71-Y 28-N)

  8. Engrossed by House - floor substitute HB7H2

  9. Substitute by Delegate Bourne agreed to 20107506D-H2

  10. Floor substitute printed 20107506D-H2 (Bourne)

  11. Committee substitute rejected 20106656D-H1

  12. Read second time

  13. Passed by for the day

  14. Read first time

  15. Impact statement from DPB (HB7H1)

  16. Reported from General Laws with substitute (18-Y 4-N)

  17. Committee substitute printed 20106656D-H1

  18. Impact statement from DPB (HB7)

  19. Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 1-N)

  20. Assigned GL sub: Housing/Consumer Protection

  21. Referred to Committee on General Laws

  22. Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20100179D

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 13 co-sponsors · 134 not signed on · 12 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (13)

Not signed on (134)

134 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 134 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Continued to 2021 in General Laws and Technology (15-Y 0-N)

Passed 15 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 15000
Total 15000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (15)
Member Party Vote
Barker, George L. — Yea
Ruff, Frank M., Jr. — Yea
Vogel, Jill Holtzman — Yea
Dunnavant, Siobhan S. — Yea
Mason, T. Montgomery "Monty" — Yea
Bell, John J. — Yea
Kiggans, Jennifer A. — Yea
Adam P. Ebbin — Yea
Bryce E. Reeves — Yea
Ghazala F. Hashmi — Yea
Jennifer B. Boysko — Yea
Jeremy S. McPike — Yea
Mamie E. Locke — Yea
Richard H. Stuart — Yea
Todd E. Pillion — Yea

Official roll call →

VOTE: Passage (71-Y 28-N)

Passed 67 Yea · 28 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 672801
Total 672801
% of votes cast 70%29%0%1%
How each member voted (96)
Member Party Vote
Avoli, G. "John" — Nay
Ayala, Hala S. — Yea
Batten, Amanda E. — Nay
Bell, Robert B. — Nay
Bourne, Jeffrey M. — Yea
Brewer, Emily M. — Nay
Byron, Kathy J. — Nay
Campbell, Jeffrey L. — Yea
Campbell, Ronnie R. — Nay
Carter, Lee J. — Yea
Cole, Mark L. — Nay
Cox, M. Kirkland — Nay
Coyner, Carrie E. — Yea
Edmunds, James E., II — Yea
Fariss, C. Matthew — Nay
Freitas, Nicholas J. — Nay
Gilbert, C. Todd — Nay
Gooditis, Wendy W. — Yea
Guy, Nancy D. — Yea
Heretick, Steve E. — Yea
Hudson, Sally L. — Yea
Hurst, Chris L. — Yea
Jenkins, Clinton L. — Yea
Jones, Jerrauld C. "Jay" — Yea
Keam, Mark L. — Yea
Kory, Kaye — Yea
LaRock, Dave A. — Nay
Levine, Mark H. — Yea
Marshall, Daniel W., III — Yea
Miyares, Jason S. — Nay
Mugler, Martha M. — Yea
Mullin, Michael P. — Yea
Murphy, Kathleen — Yea
Orrock, Robert D., Sr. — Yea
Plum, Kenneth R. — Yea
Poindexter, Charles D. — Nay
Ransone, Margaret B. — Nay
Robinson, Roxann L. — Yea
Rush, Nick — Yea
Samirah, Ibraheem S. — Yea
Subramanyam, Suhas — Yea
Tyler, Roslyn C. — Yea
Wampler, William C., III — Yea
Alex Q. Askew — Yea
Alfonso H. Lopez — Yea
Barry D. Knight — Yea
Betsy B. Carr — Yea
C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr. — Yea
Charniele L. Herring — Yea
Chris S. Runion — Nay
Christopher T. Head — Nay
Dan I. Helmer — Yea
Danica A. Roem — Yea
David A. Reid — Yea
David L. Bulova — Yea
Delores L. McQuinn — Yea
Don Scott — Yea
Elizabeth R. Guzman — Yea
Garrett McGuire — Nay
Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr. — Yea
Israel D. O'Quinn — Yea
James A. "Jay" Leftwich — Nay
James W. Morefield — Nay
Jeion A. Ward — Yea
Joseph P. McNamara — Nay
Joshua G. Cole — Yea
Karrie K. Delaney — Yea
Kathy K.L. Tran — Yea
Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler — Yea
Kimberly Pope Adams — Yea
Kimberly Pope Adams — Nay
Lamont Bagby — Yea
Lashrecse D. Aird — Yea
Luke E. Torian — Yea
M. Keith Hodges — Nay
Marcia S. "Cia" Price — Yea
Marcus B. Simon — Yea
Mark D. Sickles — Yea
Michael J. Webert — Nay
Patrick A. Hope — Yea
Paul E. Krizek — Yea
R. Lee Ware — Nay
Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. — Yea
Robert S. Bloxom, Jr. — Yea
Rodney T. Willett — Yea
Sam Rasoul — Yea
Schuyler T. VanValkenburg — Yea
Scott A. Wyatt — Nay
Shelly A. Simonds — Yea
Terry G. Kilgore — Not Voting
Terry L. Austin — Yea
Thomas C. Wright, Jr. — Nay
Tony O. Wilt — Yea
Vivian E. Watts — Yea
Wendell S. Walker — Nay
Will Davis — Yea

Official roll call →

Reported from General Laws with substitute (18-Y 4-N)

Passed 18 Yea · 4 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 18400
Total 18400
% of votes cast 82%18%0%0%
How each member voted (22)
Member Party Vote
Cole, Mark L. — Nay
Murphy, Kathleen — Yea
Hurst, Chris L. — Yea
Miyares, Jason S. — Nay
Brewer, Emily M. — Yea
Wampler, William C., III — Yea
Barry D. Knight — Yea
Betsy B. Carr — Yea
David L. Bulova — Yea
Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr. — Yea
James A. "Jay" Leftwich — Yea
James W. Morefield — Nay
Kathy K.L. Tran — Yea
Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler — Yea
Kimberly Pope Adams — Yea
Lashrecse D. Aird — Yea
Luke E. Torian — Yea
Marcia S. "Cia" Price — Yea
Marcus B. Simon — Yea
Paul E. Krizek — Yea
Schuyler T. VanValkenburg — Yea
Thomas C. Wright, Jr. — Nay

Official roll call →

Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 1-N)

Passed 7 Yea · 1 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 7101
Total 7101
% of votes cast 78%11%0%11%
How each member voted (9)
Member Party Vote
Brewer, Emily M. — Not Voting
Wampler, William C., III — Yea
Betsy B. Carr — Yea
David L. Bulova — Yea
Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler — Yea
Lashrecse D. Aird — Yea
Marcia S. "Cia" Price — Yea
Marcus B. Simon — Yea
Thomas C. Wright, Jr. — Nay

Official roll call →

Subjects

housing civil-rights
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Frequently asked questions

What does HB 7 do?
Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices. Prohibits any locality, its employees, or its appointed commissions from discriminating (i) in the application of local land use ordinances or guidelines, or in the permitting of housing developments, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, elderliness, familial status, or handicap or (ii) in the permitting of housing developments because the housing development contains or is expected to contain affordable housing units occupied or intended for occupancy by families or individuals with incomes at or below 80 percent of the median income of the area where the housing development is located or is proposed to be located, unless at the time of the municipal decision, a proposed development will be located in a census tract wherein more than 50 percent of the units serve families or individuals at or below 80 percent of the median income of the area. The bill also requires the Fair Housing Board, after determining the existence of an unlawful discriminatory housing practice and after consultation with the Attorney General, to immediately refer the matter to the Attorney General for civil action.
Who sponsors HB 7?
HB 7 is sponsored by Lamont Bagby, Joshua G. Cole, Alfonso H. Lopez, Delores L. McQuinn, Marcia S. "Cia" Price, Sam Rasoul, Jeion A. Ward, Jennifer L. McClellan, Alex Q. Askew, Kimberly Pope Adams, Keam, Mark L., Jenkins, Clinton L., Ayala, Hala S., and Bourne, Jeffrey M..
What is the current status of HB 7?
This bill died with 2021 Regular Session. It reached “Passed House of Delegates” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HB 7?
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