Committee tables bill to add "citizen impact statements" after cost concerns

Senate Bill 646, presented by Senator Seifers, would add a so-called "citizen impact statement" for legislation likely to affect household budgets, considering items such as taxes, utility costs and insurance premiums. The sponsor said the proposal mirrors fiscal impact statements used for state-budget effects but would apply to likely household-level effects.

Senator Seifers said the measure aims to help the legislature understand how legislation could affect average Virginia families and asked the committee to pass the bill. Committee members raised concerns about workload and cost. Senator Seifers said he had received the fiscal impact statement only that morning and described preliminary estimates; he later reported that the department estimated adding between "5 and 8 staff" to handle the additional analyses, and noted a placeholder budget amendment (which the sponsor said would need reconciliation with actual figures).

After discussion the committee moved and seconded to pass SB 646 by indefinitely; the motion carried by recorded vote (Ayes 11, No 3), effectively tabling the bill in the Rules Committee. Questions about the final fiscal cost and reconciliation with the placeholder budget amendment remain outstanding.