The House General Laws Subcommittee on Procurement and Open Government considered a package of procurement bills and recorded votes on multiple measures during its session. Members voted to report several bills to the next stage, gently laid one bill on the table and struck another from the docket, while several measures were discussed but deferred or went by for the day.

House Bill 1922: codifying SWAM procurement goal

House Bill 1922, introduced by Delegate T. Ward, would codify the Small, Women- and Minority-owned (SWAM) Business Procurement Enhancement Program within the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity and set a statewide utilization goal of 42 percent for discretionary spending with a 3 percent per year agency increase until the goal is reached. "House bill 1922 is a small woman, minority owned business, procurement enhancement program," Ward said. The bill allows a SWAM set-aside for purchases up to $100,000 and requires a disparity study every five years (the next due no later than Jan. 1, 2026). The subcommittee voted to report the bill (bill reports 52).

Why it matters: Codification would move an executive order into statute and formalize targets and data collection intended to increase contracting opportunities for certified small, women- and minority-owned businesses.

House Bill 2751: military-family businesses and procurement access

Delegate Fagan presented a bill aimed at reducing procurement barriers for military families, extending protection and recognition of military status (including spouses and veterans) in public contracting. "We've received a letter today from the Department of Defense supporting this bill," the patron noted, and committee staff recorded a one-time fiscal impact to update the state procurement system (EVA) of $30,720. The subcommittee voted to report the substitute (bill reports 70).

House Bill 2482: apprenticeship and public construction labor standards

Delegate Krizak's substitute to HB 2482 would add requirements for capital outlay public construction projects: specified OSHA safety training, record-keeping on compliance, participation in registered apprenticeship programs, and a target that 8 percent of labor hours be performed by registered apprentices; projects may apply for waivers on a per-project basis. The bill includes a delayed enactment date of July 1, 2026. The subcommittee reported the substitute (bill reports 52). Supporters including the building trades said the measure would help scale workforce training; opponents in the contractor community urged sending the issue to a procurement work group to build voluntary solutions first.

House Bill 2588: military-spouse job protections — laid on the table

Delegate Cardoza offered HB 2588 to extend employment-protection concepts to spouses of service members. Committee members raised concerns that its scope overlapped or conflicted with the military-family language just adopted in HB 2751. The subcommittee voted to lay HB 2588 gently on the table, 5‑2, and encouraged the patron to work with Delegate Fagan’s office and other stakeholders before further action.

House Bill 1802: technical ESO procurement fix

HB 1802 (Delegate Cohen) makes technical changes to clarify that Employment Service Organizations (ESOs) are treated within the SWAM and procurement statutes and aligns cross-references in Title 2.2 of the Code. Supporters said about 85 ESOs operate in the commonwealth and that low awareness had limited use of the procurement option. The subcommittee reported the bill with substitute (bill reports 5‑2).

House Bill 2024: solar-technology procurement and federal standards

HB 2024 would prohibit state agencies and localities from banning solar panels that meet U.S. EPA guidance, preventing local preemptive bans on panels that meet those federal recommendations. Sponsor and industry witnesses said the bill levels the playing field for U.S.-manufactured technologies (notably cadmium-telluride panels used by First Solar), while opponents and some members raised concerns about deferring product judgments to federal guidance. The subcommittee reported the substitute (bill reports 4‑3).

House Bill 2502: Virginia Works customer data protections

HB 2502 (Delegate Riley) would restore or add statutory protections for personally identifiable information and other sensitive data held by Virginia Works customers and employers after program reorganizations moved functions between agencies. Supporters described the changes as reinstating earlier protections and the subcommittee reported the substitute (bill reports 70).

House Bill 2,150: technology contract terms and venue

House Bill 2,150 (Doug Carr) addresses a narrow procurement problem in information-technology contracting: vendors’ standard ("shrink-wrap" or nonnegotiable) terms that may conflict with Virginia law. The bill would render unenforceable any contract term that conflicts with Virginia law and require Virginia venue and choice of Virginia law; the final amendments limited the measure to IT procurements and added an opt-in provision for localities and institutions that wish to adopt the change as part of their procurement policies. The subcommittee reported HB 2,150 as amended (bill reports 5‑2).

Other items and procedural actions

- HB 1763 was struck from the docket at the patron’s request (strike recorded early in the meeting).
- HB 2741 went by for the day (the sponsor requested it be carried forward).

What’s next

Bills reported by the subcommittee move to full committee consideration in the House; measures laid on the table or struck from the docket may be revived or revised by their patrons. Several items drew requests from committee members for additional stakeholder work (notably the apprenticeship mandate and overlapping military-family provisions).