WABA's General Assembly update (2/13)

[Kevin O'Brien]

Hi BAC friends,

Figured I'd share the Virginia General Assembly update included in WABA's weekly newsletter, in case you missed it.

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Bike Safety Omnibus. As we previewed last week, Del. Willett’s omnibus bicyclist safety bill (HB661) that we’ve been championing alongside the Virginia Bicycling Federation faced a full House vote this week…where it passed unanimously (98Y-0N)! Those margins will hopefully buoy the bill’s chances as it heads to the Senate Transportation Committee, where we’ve run into hurdles before. We’ve got a new ‘explainer’ available here with answers to frequently asked questions; what we need now is YOU to spread the word about the benefits.

MAIN ASK: Contact your state Senator and encourage them to support HB661. We’re going to keep encouraging folks like you to reach out because your experiences and stories carry real weight. Short and sweet is great (you can mention that bipartisan support). Find your Senator’s contact info here. 

• The immediate priority is those Senators who sit on the Transportation Committee, especially our local Senators David Marsden and Stella Pekarsky.

BONUS ASK (if you live in Fairfax County): Contact your local Supervisor and encourage them to support HB661, too. Same deal, we need to ensure our local leaders are hearing messages of support. Change makes them nervous so highlight the benefits of these tweaks.

• We anticipate Supervisors Jimenez,Lusk, and Chairman McKay to be the swing votes most in need of your stories. 

As always, additional details on what’s happening in the General Assembly (including where things stand with e-bike regulations, bike signal faces, and automated camera enforcement) can be found on our 2026 General Assembly coverage blog.

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Kevin O'Brien | Virginia Organizer

Washington Area Bicyclist Association

2599 Ontario Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009

202-964-5419

kevin....@waba.org

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