Which bills could improve transportation in Virgina? Here are a few we’re following.

In the first legislative session of the new decade, Virginia’s delegates and senators have submitted over one thousand more bills than they did last year. With so many proposals in the General Assembly’s pipeline, which possible future laws would improve transportation in the state? Here are the top bills we’ll be watching.

Two of the more transformative bills before legislators may be HB1414 in the House and SB890 in the Senate, both of which encompass the Governor’s big plans to revolutionize mobility across the Commonwealth.

This means more WMATA funding, scrapping state vehicle inspections, a much-needed gas tax hike, a huge VRE expansion, further seat belt requirements, and the creation of a brand new Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. With House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn and Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw as the patrons, both bills stand a good chance of passing even if they face some amendments.

Two bills that symbolize a possible shift in the state’s domineering car culture towards greater safety measures for drivers and other road users alike are HB874 and SB160 patroned by Delegate Jeff Bourne and Senator Scott Surovell, respectively. These bills would implement the long-awaited Hands-Free Law which bans drivers from using their phones while operating a vehicle. After Republicans killed this proposal last year, activists and the families of those killed will be especially cheered to see its passage this session.

Identical resolutions in the House and Senate—HJ55 and SJ50—bode well for Virginia’s mooted Commonwealth Corridor which would create an East-West rail connection from Virginia Beach to Roanoke in the state’s Southwest. Sponsored by Delegate Sam Rasoul and Senator Jennifer McClellan, these studies represent the first step towards making this ambitious idea from Virginians for High Speed Rail and the Southern Environmental Law Center a reality.

Lastly in the transportation sector comes the highly flawed HB1541 establishing dedicated regional transportation funding for Metro Richmond. As the new chair of the House Transportation Committee, Delegate Delores McQuinn deserves kudos for even getting the City of Richmond and the Counties of Henrico and Chesterfield to the negotiating table. Overcoming the region’s messy, racially-tinged history of underfunding transit to limit the mobility of minority communities is a herculean task, even for a long-serving legislator and respected committee chair.

The bills’ problems include too little money explicitly for transit, conflicting language mandating the new Central Virginia Transportation Authority to use its regional funding only on new road construction, and no guarantee that localities will maintain 100% of their current transportation funding to ensure our region actually grows its investments.

With amendments, this bill could become a vital vehicle to raise Central Virginia’s per capita transit spending from nearly last in the nation to something more respectable. If lawmakers, lobbyists, and the public fail to make changes to strengthen this bill’s support for much needed public transportation, then HB1541 could add fuel to the fire of our region’s already atrocious sprawl and congestion.

No matter what becomes the law of the land in two months’ time, the long list of legislative wishes for our state’s transportation policy represents an exciting shift in the conversation around the Capitol towards a greater emphasis on mobility. If the right suite of policies pass this session, they could pave the way for Virginia to become a regional model of sound transportation legislation.