Article by James Pickral
On October 23rd VLTA held its first Legislative Breakfast and Roundtable during the 2025 VLTA Convention. The breakfast was well attended by association members and we were fortunate to have a wide array of related industry representation on our legislative panel. Panel members included Delegate Marcus Simon, Delegate Carrie Coyner, and representatives from the Virginia Association of Realtors, the Homebuilders Association of Virginia, the Virginia Court Clerks Association, VLTA, and the Virginia Bankers Association.
Panel members shared issues affecting their industries and their goals for the 2026 Virginia General Assembly. Additionally, Katherine Crawford and James Pickral conducted a CE presentation on grassroots lobbying, issues from the 2025 Virginia General Assembly Session, and a 2026 Virginia General Assembly preview.
The 2026 session of the General Assembly begins on January 14th. There will be a lot of new faces in the House of Delegates and a new Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General. Legislation began hitting the system in Mid November but has been fairly light. We expect the legislative load to be quite heavy this year. Issues we will be looking out for include bills dealing with seller side fraud, land owned by foreign adversaries, and the role of private equity in the purchase of family homes. VLTA has introduced legislation through Delegate Simon to remove the prohibition on using Mechanics Lien Agents for commercial construction.
VLTA will be hosting a legislative reception on January 20th at 5:00 pm for Members of the General Assembly and also will be hosting our annual Advocacy Day (originally known as Day on the Hill) on January 21st. We encourage members to attend both.
As the 2026 legislative season progresses we will keep you up to date on all of the happenings in Richmond.
Learn more and register for the upcoming VLTA Advocacy Day and legislative reception here.
James Pickral
Founding Partner, has more than two decades of experience in government affairs- with a focus on legislative and regulatory health care issues. He has worked with clients in the economic development, renewable and alternative energy, and pharmaceutical industries. James previously served as Manager of State Government Affairs for Troutman Sanders Strategies and the Director of Policy for the Virginia Pharmacists Association. James spent three legislative sessions as Legislative Assistant to Delegate John O’Bannon. James is a veteran of the United States Army, serving as an infantryman during Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Provide Comfort. After his military service, James received his Bachelor of Arts in History from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is an active member of Saint Benedict’s Catholic Church and VFW Post 6364. He formerly served on St. Benedict Church’s parish finance council and on the school board for Saint Benedict Catholic School. James and his wife have three daughters and live in Richmond.
james@pickralconsulting.com
804-239-3579
