# Virginia HB657: Louisa, Town of; new charter, previous charter repealed.

Virginia HB657, Louisa, Town of; new charter, previous charter repealed., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr. (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-04-06 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0194)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB657-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB657
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Louisa, Town of; new charter, previous charter repealed.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-04-06, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0194)
- Sponsor: Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr. (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 7 (212 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 7

## Summary

Charter; Town of Louisa. Establishes a new charter for the Town of Louisa in Louisa County and repeals the current charter, which was created in 1972. The new charter sets out the organization of the town's government and contains powers typically granted to towns. This bill is identical to SB 462.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Local police department and authority: benefit, medium. The Council can set up the Police Department and appoint a Chief of Police. The Chief manages law‑enforcement work and reports administratively to the Town Manager. Officers have constable powers under state and town law. This supports public safety in the town.
- Town attorney, clerk, and treasurer roles: benefit, low. The Town Clerk keeps meeting records, ordinances, and the town seal. The Town Attorney advises the Council and may handle cases when asked; the town can use the county prosecutor for ordinance crimes. The Town Treasurer keeps financial records and collects town taxes and licenses.
- Council meetings, quorum, and continuity rules: benefit, low. The Council meets at least once a month and gives reasonable notice for special meetings. Three members make a quorum unless state law says otherwise. The Council adopts meeting rules that follow common parliamentary practice. Council actions and contracts do not end when members leave. Existing to…
- Louisa town status and borders set: benefit, low. The law keeps Louisa as a legal town with perpetual powers. It sets the town’s boundaries using prior state acts and a recorded plat. The town has all powers that Virginia law gives to towns.
- Town elections, terms, and leadership rules: benefit, low. Voters elect a Mayor and five at‑large council members. All elections follow Virginia law. The Mayor and council members serve four‑year terms; council terms are staggered. Officials must take an oath before serving. The Council picks a Vice‑Mayor, and the Vice‑Mayor or an Acting Mayor fills in whe…
- Town taxes, budget year, and borrowing: cost, medium. The Council can assess, levy, and collect taxes and fees allowed by Virginia law. The fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. The town may issue bonds and notes within state limits. Local taxes and future debt payments can raise costs for homeowners and renters.
- Town Manager runs operations and pay: mixed, medium. The Town Manager is the chief executive. The Manager prepares the annual budget, gives reports, leads emergency management, and runs daily staff decisions. The Council can appoint needed officers, combine roles when state law allows, and remove appointed officers at any time. The Manager can hire,…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr. (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-25 | Senate | Passed Senate Block Vote | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-24 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 39 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-24 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-23 | Senate | Reported from Local Government | pass | 15 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-30 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 93 | 1 |   |
| 2026-01-23 | House | Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns | pass | 20 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-23 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting | pass | 5 | 0 |   |

## Actions (26)

- 2026-04-06: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0194) (Governor)
- 2026-04-06: Approved by Governor-Chapter 194 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-03-10: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-10: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 (House)
- 2026-03-02: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB657ER) (House)
- 2026-03-02: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-03-02: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-02: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-02-25: Passed Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-02-24: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-24: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-24: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: Reported from Local Government (15-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-02: Referred to Committee on Local Government (Senate)
- 2026-02-02: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-01-30: Read third time and passed House (93-Y 1-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-01-29: Read second time and engrossed (House)
- 2026-01-29: Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar (House)
- 2026-01-28: Passed by for the day (House)
- 2026-01-27: Read first time (House)
- 2026-01-23: Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns (20-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-23: Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-20: Assigned HCCT sub: Subcommittee #1 (House)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns (House)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104120D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216674.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216673.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-02: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1183234.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1183233.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085379.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085378.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216674.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216673.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1183234.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1183233.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085379.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085378.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
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- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB657-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).