Vocal Virginia Advocacy Blog February 6, 2026

Vocal Virginia is active during the General Assembly session to protect individual rights, support recovery, and strengthen community-based mental health services across the Commonwealth. Below are several priority bills and budget items we encourage our members and allies to support.

Vocal Virginia supports SB 34, sponsored by Senator Favola. In plain language, this bill clarifies that when a court appoints someone a guardian or conservator, that person does not automatically lose the right to vote. A person may only lose the right to vote if a judge clearly decides, using clear and convincing evidence, that the individual cannot understand the act of voting. This bill passed the Senate Courts of Justice Committee and was sent to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee by a 14–1 vote. We encourage members and allies to contact the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to express support for SB 34. You may find the contact information for the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee here.

Vocal Virginia also supports Delegate Carr’s Budget Amendment Item 299 # 6H  which would provide $250,000 over two years to Mental Health Virginia to support its Warm Line. The Warm Line is a peer-run, non-emergency phone service for Virginians who want someone to talk to about everyday stress, mental health concerns, coping skills, or recovery. Callers are connected with trained peer recovery specialists who listen, share lived experience, and help connect callers to local mental health resources if requested. This budget amendment is currently under review by the House Appropriations Committee. To contact Members of the House Appropriations Committee, please click here.

Vocal Virginia is pleased to report that because of your advocacy and efforts across the state Delegate Simon’s HB43, which would abolish the common-law crime of suicide, reducing stigma and the criminalization of mental health, has reported out of the House Courts of Justice Committee and is currently pending before the House of Delegates. Please take a moment to contact your legislator on behalf of this important bill. You may find your legislator’s contact information here.

Vocal Virginia strongly supports Item 301 (PP) in the state budget, which appears in both HB30 and SB30 . This item provides a little over $3.3 million each year for two years to support peer wellness stay programs. Peer wellness stays are voluntary, short-term, non-clinical places where people can stay when they are experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. These peer-run programs focus on recovery and help reduce unnecessary hospitalizations by providing community-based alternatives. This funding is currently being reviewed by the House Appropriations Committee (to contact, please click here) and the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee (to contact, please click here).

For a list of other bills that Vocal Virginia is tracking please click here.

We encourage each of you to reach out to your legislators on these important topics as well as other issues that you feel strongly about. If you would like your legislators’ contact information, you may visit:  https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/

To research legislation and learn more about where it is in the legislative process, please visit: https://lis.virginia.gov/ If you have any questions, or if you would like to connect with Vocal Virginia, please email network@vocalvirginia.org 

Want to learn more about advocacy and how you can help? Join our Network Program Director next Friday at 1:00 PM  for an Advocacy Call via Zoom (please monitor your email for the link). Bring a friend or co-worker who wants to learn more, be of service, or simply support Vocal Virginia—because advocacy is stronger when we show up together!