# Virginia HJ4: Constitutional amendment; apportionment, congress dists, limited authority of the GA to modify.

Virginia HJ4, Constitutional amendment; apportionment, congress dists, limited authority of the GA to modify., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Rodney T. Willett (Democratic); status adopted, last action 2026-04-13 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0976)) (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HJ4-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HJ4
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Constitutional amendment; apportionment, congress dists, limited authority of the GA to modify.
- Status: adopted
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-11-17
- Last action: 2026-04-13, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0976)
- Sponsor: Rodney T. Willett (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 6 (124 yes, 84 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

Constitutional amendment (second reference); apportionment; congressional districts; limited authority of the General Assembly to modify. Proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia related to the establishment of congressional districts. The amendment provides explicit authority for the General Assembly to modify one or more congressional districts, outside of the standard decennial redistricting cycle, in the event that any other state conducts a redistricting of the state's congressional districts outside of the standard decennial redistricting cycle or for any purpose other than complying with a state or federal court order to remedy an unlawful or unconstitutional district map. Additionally, an amendment to the Schedule of the Constitution of Virginia is proposed to specify the period of time to which such authorization is limited.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- New district rules for Virginia voters: benefit, low. Virginia’s Constitution requires connected, compact districts for the U.S. House, Virginia Senate, and Virginia House of Delegates. Representation must be as nearly proportional to population as practical. Maps must follow federal and state racial-fairness laws, including equal protection, the Voti…
- Virginia gains limited congressional map powers: benefit, low. From January 1, 2025, through October 31, 2030, Virginia’s legislature has limited power to change congressional districts. Changes must follow Virginia’s 10-year redistricting law and occur before the next 10-year census. Virginia must respond to another state’s congressional map changes made duri…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Rodney T. Willett (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-01-16 | Senate | Reading of amendment waived (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-16 | Senate | Senator Head Amendments rejected | fail | 18 | 21 |   |
| 2026-01-16 | Senate | Agreed to by Senate (21-Y, 18-N, 0-A) | pass | 21 | 18 |   |
| 2026-01-14 | House | Reported from Privileges and Elections | pass | 15 | 7 |   |
| 2026-01-14 | House | Agreed to by House | pass | 62 | 33 | 1 |
| 2026-01-14 | Senate | Reported from Privileges and Elections | pass | 8 | 5 |   |

## Actions (19)

- 2026-04-13: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0976) (Governor)
- 2026-04-13: Assigned Chapter 976 (Effective 7/1/2026) (House)
- 2026-03-31: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-30: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ4ER) (House)
- 2026-03-30: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-01-16: Floor offered (Senate)
- 2026-01-16: Agreed to by Senate (21-Y, 18-N, 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-01-16: Senator Head Amendments rejected (18-Y 21-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-01-16: Reading of amendment waived (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-01-16: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-01-15: Read second time (Senate)
- 2026-01-14: Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections (Senate)
- 2026-01-14: Agreed to by House (62-Y 33-N 1-A) (House)
- 2026-01-14: Engrossed by House (House)
- 2026-01-14: Taken up (House)
- 2026-01-14: Reported from Privileges and Elections (15-Y 7-N) (House)
- 2026-01-14: Reported from Privileges and Elections (8-Y 5-N) (Senate)
- 2025-11-17: Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections (House)
- 2025-11-17: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101729D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1224867.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1224866.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090229.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090228.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-01-16: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1089431.HTML)
- Introduced, 2025-11-17: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1081225.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1081224.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/1224867.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1224866.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090229.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090228.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1089431.HTML)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1081225.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1081224.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)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HJ4-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).