@pwcdanica
Senator: VA-30 (Elected 2023) Former Delegate: VA-13 (Elected 2017, ‘19, ‘21) Executive Director: Emerge Virginia Author: "Burn the Page" Class of '06: St. Bonaventure University Manassas Park | Manassas | Western PWC #virginia #valeg 🇺🇸 🏳️⚧️🤘🌱🫏
This @vpm.org headline/subhead = A+
“Data center tax break takes center stage in Virginia budget plans / The Senate proposal funds a tax rebate by ending a $1.6B sales tax exemption.”
My budget amendment if enacted by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor would put money in your pocket.
Chief Patron: Roem Data Center Sales and Use Tax Exemption Expiration (language only) Item 0 #14s Revenues Revenues Language Page 1, strike line 28 and insert: "Official Revenue Estimate $34,195,418,516 $35,359,076,043 $69,554,494,559" Explanation (This amendment increases general fund revenue by $1.0 billion GF the first year and $1.1 billion GF the second year to accompany an amendment in Part 3, which removes the data center sales and use tax exemption beginning on or after July 1, 2026. These amounts include the unrestricted general fund and dedicated K-12 general fund revenue and are based on the January 2026 report from the Department of Taxation.)
Any legislator in the Virginia General Assembly who’s been around for 9+ sessions like me knows one of the most difficult tasks we face is to get our budget amendments actually included in a chamber’s proposed budget.
Not all of my amendments make it but when they do like this did today… boom. 💥
Congratulations to the Battlefield HS gymnastics team for bringing the Class 6 VHSL state title to Haymarket! Way to go, Bobcats!
www.insidenova.com/headlines/br...
It’s a dark day in the General Assembly when a colleague elected by the people dies while serving their constituents, leaving behind family, friends, staffers and, for Del. Knight especially, an incredible wealth of institutional knowledge. My sincere condolences go out to his loved ones and VB.
The Senate of Virginia just finished voting on Senate bills (other than the budget), including passing collective bargaining and paid family & medical leave, plus a bill to lower your electricity bills and increase those of the data centers.
Happy crossover, Richmond.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV-P...
Senate scoreboard showing 20-19 vote.
Today, the Senate of Virginia’s Democrats passed SB 1 to raise the minimum wage from $12.77 this year to $15 in 2028 and index that to inflation.
I spoke about how a FT worker should be able to afford a studio apartment in Manassas Park. A minimum wage earner can’t even qualify for one right now.
Aww, thank you so much for picking up Burn the Page! I hope it makes you laugh.
I‘ll keep working and working to reform our Wild West campaign finance laws in Virginia — and every time I get knocked to the legislative mat, I’ll get back up and try again and again.
1) Ban corporations from donating to campaigns.
2) Cap all donations.
www.princewilliamtimes.com/localnews/su...
“Other bills address the sales and use tax exemption granted to data centers for equipment and software... Sen. Danica Roem would eliminate the exemption and restore close to $2B each fiscal year to state coffers — an idea that warrants discussion given the immense wealth of data center builders.”
Text of SB 803: § 36-96.5:1. Quid pro quo harassment. A. Quid pro quo harassment because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status, source of funds, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, or disability shall be an unlawful discriminatory housing practice under this chapter. B. Quid pro quo harassment may be written, verbal, or other conduct, and does not require physical contact. C. A single incident of quid pro quo harassment because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status, source of funds, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, or disability may constitute a discriminatory housing practice where the incident is sufficiently severe to create evidence of such harassment.
Any such mental health awareness training or similar program shall address the needs of youth populations that are at a high risk of experiencing mental health challenges and disorders in accordance with evidence-based best practices developed by the American Psychological Association, including youth who (i) are bereaved by suicide; (ii) have mental or physical disabilities or chronic health conditions, including substance use disorders; (iii) are experiencing homelessness or housing instability; (iv) are in foster care or other situations that may result in instability in a youth's custodial or living situation; or (v) identify as LGBTQ+. The provisions of this section or any policy adopted in accordance with the provisions of this section shall not be construed to permit biased or discriminatory treatment of any youth population deemed to be at a high risk of experiencing mental health challenges and disorders.
That said, we’re still passing bills this year.
Yesterday, the Senate passed Sen. Deeds’ SB 803 that specifically included sexual orientation and gender identity to protect us from quid pro quo harassment. The House recently passed Del. Henson’s HB 38, LGBTQ+-inclusive mental health training:
Text of HB 1429 from 2020:
We passed about two dozen pieces of pro-LGBTQ+ pieces of legislation from 2020-21 that preempted many federal attacks (most significantly in the Virginia Human Right Act), including my bill defining transition-related care as medically necessary and prohibits discriminating against our medical care:
Wrapped an 11-hour day in RVA where my final 2 bills of the 2026 session had their Senate committee hearings: ✅ 1, ❌ 1
As of now: 16 of my 25 bills are still alive. Eleven have passed the Senate, so 5 to go.
Now I’m going to celebrate Nevermore’s return. \m/
G’nite.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhW3...
Senate scoreboard showing 21-18-1 vote for SB 94.
In a major win for my constituents, the Senate of #Virginia passed my bill SB 94 to restrict data center siting only to industrially zoned areas while including significant data center siting reforms proposed by Del. @jetforva.bsky.social and Sen. @adamebbin.bsky.social.
On to the House! #valeg
Here’s news coverage of the salt bill:
www.wjhl.com/news/regiona...
Senate scoreboard showing 39-1 vote for SB 482.
Senate scoreboard showing 40-0 vote for uncontested bills, including SB 331.
Yesterday, the Senate of #Virginia passed my 9th and 10th bills of 2026: SB 331, a constituent service request to help more veterinarians land jobs quicker (passed 40-0); and SB 482, for VDOT to study safe alternatives to rock salt so we can protect property and the environment (passed 39-1). #valeg
So great to see my schools meals for all ally Sen.-elect @ebpforva.bsky.social earn election to represent the 39th District tonight! She’ll be a policy-focused, workhorse addition to Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus.
Congratulations to EBP and Del.-elect @kirkmcpike.bsky.social on their victories!
Major thanks to @pwcdanica.bsky.social, who started our Data Center Reform Lobby Day today with a strong message: no amount of money or #SuperBowl ads can buy public trust, people power can't be beaten. @gonatureforward.bsky.social @cleanvirginia.org
#ai #datacenters #utilitybills #valeg
The original bill: 🙂
The substitute bill after a lot of cooks got in the kitchen: 🤨
The bill during the half-hour or so it took to get through the Senate Courts of Justice Committee: 😟
The bill after CoJ did whatever it was that happened and sent it to Senate Finance: 🫥
Welcome to Richmond.
Senate of Virginia scoreboard showing SB 42 passing 40-0.
Senate of Virginia scoreboard showing SBs 41 and 56 passing unanimously in the uncontested bloc.
Today, the Senate of Virginia passed my sixth, seventh and eighth bills of 2026 — all with unanimous votes:
✅SB 41 (voluntary donations at the DMV to fund VHSIP)
✅SB 56 (reforming FOIA fees to make public records more accessible to requesters)
✅SB 42 (a study about school meal debt in Virginia)
"As governor, I think members of the Virginia State Police or Department of Corrections should be working under the leadership within their agencies,” she said. “Taking Virginia law enforcement … and basically giving them over to ICE is something that ends today." - @abigailspanberger.com
The decimation of the WaPo's news staff is a disaster for accountability journalism globally and community journalism in the D/M/V.
I'm at a loss for words to describe the magnitude of greed it takes to hoard hundreds of billions of dollars while sacking reporters, editors and photojournalists.
Senate of Virginia scoreboard showing 23-17 vote in favor of SB 350, with 21 Democrats and two Republicans voted in favor.
Today, the Senate of Virginia passed my fifth bill of the year: SB 350, to allow election workers to begin counting absentee ballots after 5PM on Election Day so when polls close at 7PM, they can run the tape sooner and transmit the results. That‘d help us get absentee results announced sooner.
Great to see PWCS is making sure students get fed during snow days:
www.insidenova.com/news/prince_...
Nine DAs are coalescing to work on prosecuting federal agents for 'overreach':
—L. Krasner in Philly
—J. Creuzot in Dallas
—M. Moriarty in Minneapolis
—L. Conover in Tucson
—S. Descano in Fairfax (VA)
—R. Fatehi in Norfolk (VA)
—S. Morales in Portsmouth (VA)
—P. Dehghani-Tafti in Arlington (VA)
For those of y’all inquiring about what we’re doing in Virginia:
virginiamercury.com/2026/01/28/d...
I lack the prerequisite self-loath for the latter but appreciate the former greatly. 🙂
Scoreboard showing a 39-0 vote for the bills on the uncontested calendar today, which included SB 97.
C. To receive a "Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry" designation and receive funding under the Program, a public institution of higher education or an eligible private institution of higher education shall establish an: 1. An on-campus food pantry or partner with a local food bank to provide information to students about food services in the local area. All food provided from the on-campus food pantry shall be free of charge, and no student shall be required to demonstrate food insecurity to access such pantry. However, an institution may require that an individual show a valid student identification card to access food from the on-campus food pantry; and 2. If such institution offers a meal swipe program or equivalent student meal swipe plan, a student meal credit sharing program, whereby students may voluntarily donate unused meal plan credits to be distributed for use by other students at campus dining halls or at its on-campus food pantry, or to be used to support its on-campus food pantry. Each institution shall develop procedures for such meal plan credit donation program, including procedures for how a student may donate his unused meal plan credits and how a student in need can apply to receive any donated meal plan credits.
My fourth bill of session passed the Senate of Virginia this afternoon: SB 97, for four-year colleges/universities to include a meal swipe donations program in addition to a food pantry in order to qualify for the Hunger-Free Campus designation, which provides them thousands of dollars.
Scoreboard showing 9-5 vote for SB 350.
My 12th bill of session cleared its committee of jurisdiction today on a bipartisan 9-5 vote: SB 350, allowing election workers to begin processing early/absentee ballots at noon on Election Day so they can tally them when polls close at 7PM, we can quickly get results and they can go home earlier.
Also: I don’t think I’ve ever started session 11-0 for my first 11 bills in committee.
My first year in the House of Delegates (2018), in a 51-49 minority, they crushed *all* my bills: no amendments, no nothing.
Now in the Senate, in my ninth General Assembly session, it’s a hell of a turnaround.
So two of my data center reform bills actually reported out of the Senate Local Government Committee — limiting them only to areas zoned industrial and a public hearing requirement that’s a bit wonky but important — and then were referred to other committees.
Still, better than the last three years.
