State Del. Alfonso H. Lopez has introduced a bill intended to clarify the membership structure and formalize the rules around committee participation and evaluation processes for the Board of Housing and Community Development, the Virginia State House reported.
The measure, filed as HB951 on Jan. 14, 2026, during this year’s regular session, is officially titled: “Housing and Community Development, Board of; ad hoc committees.”
Our summary below is based directly on the bill’s text and includes clarifying details on its provisions when necessary.
This legislation proposes updates to the Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development’s membership and how it uses ad hoc committees. While maintaining its 14-member structure, it states that the executive director of the Virginia Housing Development Authority is an ex officio voting member, and the regulatory compliance director from the Virginia Building and Code Officials Association must sit on the Codes and Standards Committee but cannot serve as chair of either the committee or the full board. The bill also sets a requirement that all ad hoc committee proposals, regardless of consensus, must be reviewed and voted on by the full board during a regular meeting.
Del. Alfonso H. Lopez (Democrat-3rd District) remains the only sponsor.
Since the current session began, Lopez has introduced 21 additional bills.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Vassar College in 1992 and completed his JD at Tulane University in 1995.
Lopez, a Democrat, was elected as the 3rd House District representative to the Virginia State House in 2024, succeeding Will Morefield.
In Virginia, the legislative process opens when a bill is formally introduced in either legislative chamber, then moves into one or more committees for consideration and possible amendment. If it clears committee scrutiny, it proceeds to the floors of both chambers for full debate and a vote. Passage in both sends the measure to the governor, who may sign, veto, or allow it to become law without taking action. The General Assembly meets annually at the start of the second January Monday. Lawmakers consider hundreds of bills in every session, though not all are enacted.
| Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfonso H. Lopez | HB951 | 01/14/2026 | Housing and Community Development, Board of; ad hoc committees. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez and Virgil Thornton | HB237 | 01/14/2026 | Va. Coastal Resilience Master Plan; identifying areas where marshes may migrate in face of sea rise. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez, Adele Y. McClure, Betsy B. Carr, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Irene Shin, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Kathy K.L. Tran, Kimberly Pope Adams, Leslie Chambers Mehta, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Phil M. Hernandez, Rae Cousins, and Rozia A. Henson, Jr. | HB238 | 01/14/2026 | Minimum wage and overtime wages; payment, definitions, misclassification of workers, civil actions. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez, Kathy K.L. Tran, Rae Cousins, and Virgil Thornton | HB338 | 01/14/2026 | Building Service employees; authority of local governments, definition. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez, Adele Y. McClure, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Irene Shin, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Kathy K.L. Tran, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Phil M. Hernandez, and Rae Cousins | HB339 | 01/14/2026 | Employee protections; wage and hour, health and safety, and mining safety provisions. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez | HB902 | 01/14/2026 | Financial institutions; out-of-state credit unions. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez | HB905 | 01/14/2026 | Persons other than ministers who may perform rites of marriage; clerk may issue order. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez | HB908 | 01/14/2026 | Towing advisory boards; changes membership. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez, Atoosa R. Reaser, Irene Shin, Kannan Srinivasan, Kathy K.L. Tran, Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler, Rae Cousins, and Saddam Azlan Salim | HB911 | 01/14/2026 | Limited-duration licenses, driver privilege cards, and permits; validity periods for documents. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez, Alex Q. Askew, and Betsy B. Carr | HB913 | 01/14/2026 | Public Instruction, Superintendent of; reverse certain recent actions, etc. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez | HB914 | 01/14/2026 | Local Environmental Impact Fund; created. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Bonita G. Anthony, and Michelle Lopes Maldonado | HB915 | 01/14/2026 | Local taxation; tax extension for federal government shutdown. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez, Jackie H. Glass, Nadarius E. Clark, and Dan I. Helmer | HB916 | 01/14/2026 | Concealed handgun permit; demonstrated competence, effective clause. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez | HB919 | 01/14/2026 | Retail Sales and Use Tax; impose firearm and ammunition tax. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez and Barbara A. Favola | HB921 | 01/14/2026 | Electric utilities; licensed retail suppliers, renewable portfolio standard requirements. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez | HB922 | 01/14/2026 | County manager plan of government; affordable dwelling unit ordinance. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez | HB925 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Human Rights Act; unlawful discriminatory practices, civil actions, statute of limitations. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez | HB926 | 01/14/2026 | Outdoor shooting of firearm on property without reasonable care; prohibition, penalty. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez | HB935 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Clean Energy and Battery Storage Promotion Program; established, report. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez | HB949 | 01/14/2026 | Covenants not to compete; exceptions, civil penalty. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez | HB950 | 01/14/2026 | Unmanned aircraft systems; use by public bodies, search warrant required, exceptions. |
| Alfonso H. Lopez and Chris S. Runion | HB952 | 01/14/2026 | Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Credit Exchange Program; certain industrial stormwater permittees. |
