Legislature approves Reid’s proposal to restrict toll road rate hikes, with bipartisan support

A bill advanced by State Del. David A. Reid would limit increases in toll road rates and bolster regulatory oversight by mandating comprehensive impact analyses and upholding protections for users, according to the Virginia State House.

The legislation gained passage in both chambers and was officially enrolled as of March 30, 2026, following an 83-15 vote in the House and a 39-1 vote in the Senate.

Filed as HB1127 on Jan. 14, 2026, during the 2026 regular session, the measure was described by the state legislature as: “Toll rate; increases State Corporation Commission duration and timeline for review.”

The following summary is based on the actual bill text and is intended to clarify the bill’s major provisions.

Key changes in the bill include revising how the State Corporation Commission oversees privately managed toll roads by restricting approval of toll rate increases to no more than 2-year periods. It extends the commission’s review timeline to 12 months for applications covering 2 years and 9 months for requests covering 1 year. Applications must now feature forward-looking analyses on traffic, socioeconomic impact, and potential effects on users, with the Department of Transportation providing input. The bill maintains prohibitions against approving toll rates considered unreasonable, discouraging to users, or offering the operator a return above what is deemed reasonable.

Voting in the House saw 63 Democrats and 20 Republicans in favor, while 15 Republicans voted against.

In the Senate, 21 Democrats and 18 Republicans approved the bill; one Republican opposed it.

Del. David A. Reid (Democrat-28th District) was the sole sponsor.

Reid received his BA from Northeastern Oklahoma State University in 1984.

As a Democrat, Reid was elected in 2024 to represent Virginia’s 28th House district, taking over from former representative Tara Durant.

In Virginia, the legislative process requires bills to be introduced in either the House of Delegates or the Senate before assignment to committees for review and amendment. If advanced by committee, bills proceed to votes on the floor of both chambers. Once passed by both, the governor can sign, veto, or take no action, allowing the bill to become law. The General Assembly meets in annual regular session from the second Monday in January, and while legislators introduce hundreds of bills each session, only a portion become law.

Information in this article was provided by the Virginia State House. The source data is available here.