# Virginia HB792: Lexington, City of; amending charter, relating to city council, city attorney, etc.

Virginia HB792, Lexington, City of; amending charter, relating to city council, city attorney, etc., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Terry L. Austin (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-04-08 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0422)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB792-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB792
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Lexington, City of; amending charter, relating to city council, city attorney, etc.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-04-08, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0422)
- Sponsor: Terry L. Austin (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 7 (219 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 5

## Summary

Charter; City of Lexington. Amends the charter for the City of Lexington by deleting outdated provisions related to a formerly appointed school board and by updating or clarifying several other provisions of the charter.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Lexington council meets monthly and publicly: benefit, low. Lexington’s council must meet at least monthly, plus any meetings required by city ordinances or resolutions. Newly elected council members and the mayor take office at the first regular meeting after year-end and the regular election. They must first take the required oath. Council meetings are pu…
- Lexington schools gain broader contract options: benefit, low. Lexington’s school board can contract with Virginia state bodies, neighboring local governments, and private agencies to carry out its work. The board sets contract terms and length that serve the public interest; contracts with state bodies require council approval. The city can also contract with…
- Lexington voters elect school board members: benefit, low. Lexington voters elect school board members instead of the city council appointing them. Members serve staggered four-year terms. Regular school board elections coincide with elections for the mayor and city council. State law governs how those elections are held.
- Lexington reduces required ordinance posting locations: cost, low. Lexington must advertise ordinance summaries at least seven days before council action. Emergency ordinances can skip advance advertising when a council majority certifies the emergency. General or permanent ordinances must be posted in full once within 10 days after enactment at one city hall entr…
- Lexington attorney gets choice over cases: mixed, low. Lexington must appoint a Virginia-licensed city attorney for a four-year term. The attorney advises the council, city manager, and city bodies, including the school board, except when representation creates a conflict. Civil representation and ordinance prosecutions are optional, not required. Ordi…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Terry L. Austin (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 |   |
| 2026-02-17 | House | Read third time and passed House Block Vote | pass | 97 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-13 | House | Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with amendment(s) | pass | 21 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-30 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) | pass | 7 | 0 |   |

## Actions (26)

- 2026-04-08: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0422) (Governor)
- 2026-04-08: Approved by Governor-Chapter 422 (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 (HB792ER) (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)
- 2026-02-18: Referred to Committee on Local Government (Senate)
- 2026-02-18: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Read third time and passed House Block Vote (97-Y 0-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-16: Engrossed by House as amended (House)
- 2026-02-16: committee amendments agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-16: Read second time (House)
- 2026-02-15: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-13: Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-30: Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (7-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-28: 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 26102391D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-08: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218011.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218010.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-02: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1182575.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1182574.PDF)
- Engrossed, 2026-02-16: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148381.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148380.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-02-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1145985.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-01-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1104962.HTML)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085908.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085907.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/1218011.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218010.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1182575.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1182574.PDF)
- [Engrossed (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148381.HTML)
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148380.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1145985.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1104962.HTML)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085908.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085907.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)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB792-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).