---
type: "Bill"
title: "Local housing policy; expands the range of changes that are required."
description: "Department of Housing and Community Development; local housing policy; report to Department. Expands the range of local housing policy changes that are required to be submitted annually in a report to the Department of Housing and Community Development by any locality with a population greater than 3,500. This bill is identical to SB 665."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 356"
citation: "Virginia HB 356 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Joshua E. Thomas"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 33
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2026-01-12"
last_action: "2026-04-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ce745dd5-a1c4-482b-a130-6d283c278fc2"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB356"
source_hash: "83708857c7755b929341dd9c2861d766fb4552b243325666c43d374a328bc9fb"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia HB 356 (2026) — Local housing policy; expands the range of changes that are required.

Department of Housing and Community Development; local housing policy; report to Department. Expands the range of local housing policy changes that are required to be submitted annually in a report to the Department of Housing and Community Development by any locality with a population greater than 3,500. This bill is identical to SB 665.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083980.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216419.PDF)
3. **General Laws and Technology Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196403.HTML)
4. **Senate Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1203768.HTML)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1212188.PDF)

## Votes

- Reported from General Laws — **21–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage R — **21–19** (pass) · upper
- H VOTE: — **86–13** (pass) · lower
- H VOTE: — **74–24** (pass) · lower
- Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendment — **9–6** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting — **10–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Joshua E. Thomas — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2026-01-12** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104973D `filing, introduction`
- **2026-01-12** Referred to Committee on General Laws `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-19** Assigned HGL sub: Housing/Consumer Protection `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-22** Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N)
- **2026-01-23** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB356)
- **2026-01-27** Reported from General Laws (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-01-29** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-01-30** Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar
- **2026-01-30** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2026-02-02** Read third time and passed House (86-Y 13-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-03** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- **2026-02-03** Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-25** Assigned GL&T sub: Housing `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-25** Senate subcommittee offered
- **2026-03-04** Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendment (9-Y 6-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-06** Rules suspended
- **2026-03-06** Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-03-06** Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- **2026-03-09** Passed by for the day
- **2026-03-10** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-10** General Laws and Technology Amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2026-03-10** Engrossed by Senate as amended
- **2026-03-10** Passed Senate with amendment (21-Y 19-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-11** Senate amendment agreed to by House (74-Y 24-N 0-A) `amendment-passage`
- **2026-03-30** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-30** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB356ER) `passage`
- **2026-03-30** Signed by President `passage`
- **2026-03-31** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2026-03-31** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-31** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-04-01** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB356)
- **2026-04-06** Approved by Governor-Chapter 121 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`
- **2026-04-06** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0121)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ce745dd5-a1c4-482b-a130-6d283c278fc2`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).