House Finance Committee: roll call on multiple bills including wage-garnishment limits and local tax measures

The Virginia House Finance Committee completed a series of subcommittee and full-committee actions, reporting multiple bills to next steps and carrying at least one bill to the 2027 session.

Subcommittee No. 1 (Chairman Hernandez) presented three bills: HB 137 (Delegate Fagan) — a substitute indexing the $40,000 military benefit subtraction to inflation — was initially reported and referred (a revote later recorded the final referral to Appropriations by a 15-0 roll). HB 488 (wage-garnishment reform) was reported with a substitute that caps garnishment for delinquent state tax collection at the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount exceeding 40 times the federal or Virginia minimum wage; the committee reported the substitute by recorded vote, 18-0. HB 716 (innocent spouse relief, Delegate Carnegie) was reported unanimously, 19-0.

Subcommittee No. 2 (Chairman Anthony) reported several items. HB 68, a local real-property taxation bill tied to inflation, was carried over to the 2027 session by voice vote. HB 474 (Delegate Rasul) was amended in committee to reduce a $150,000 cap to $125,000 for a special commissioner assessment threshold; the committee reported the bill as amended (reported tally recorded in the transcript as 20-0). HB 550 (Delegate Anderson) would allow James City County to levy an admissions tax dedicated to tourism promotion where a locality imposes a qualifying sales-and-use tax; the committee reported the bill by 12 yes to 8 no. HB 854 (property tax classification substitute) clarifies that localities may by ordinance exempt certain nonprofit-controlled properties used for public purposes from property taxes, and the committee reported that substitute (reported vote 19-0). HB 960 (tangible personal property valuation amendments) was reported as amended (16-0 reported in the transcript).

Committee clerks conducted multiple roll calls and a handful of revotes to correct recorded board entries during the meeting. After final votes and a revote on HB 137, the committee adjourned.

Actions taken at the meeting will move several bills to Appropriations or to the next legislative steps; one bill was explicitly carried over to the 2027 session.