A newly introduced bill by State Del. Marty Martinez seeks to expand local government options for reimbursing or waiving water and sewer fees for qualifying residential developments, the Virginia State House reports.
The legislation, known as HB1144 and introduced Jan. 14, 2026, during the 2026 regular session, is officially titled: “Water and sewer connection fees; first-time homebuyers, affordable housing.”
Below is a summary based on the published bill text, with additional explanation for clarity regarding its main requirements.
The proposal updates local water and sewer fee regulations by letting localities enact ordinances to fully or partially reimburse first-time homebuyers for fees related to connections, capital recovery and availability on new residential projects if they meet locally set standards such as price and income restrictions. The bill also offers similar reimbursement options for all new residential projects and requires any locality with affordable dwelling unit ordinances to waive these fees for qualifying projects under those ordinances, while maintaining any existing bondholder contract that presents a conflict.
Rep. Marty Martinez (Democrat-29th District) is the sole sponsor of this bill.
Martinez has introduced an additional 10 pieces of legislation since the current session opened.
A 1986 Portland State University graduate, Martinez earned a BS degree.
Martinez, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected to represent Virginia’s 29th House district in 2024, succeeding former state representative Bill Wiley.
In Virginia, a bill can be introduced in either chamber, after which it is assigned to the relevant committee for consideration and amendments. Once cleared by committee, it advances to the full chamber for debate and a vote. If both the House of Delegates and Senate approve, the legislation is forwarded to the governor, who has the authority to sign, veto, or allow the bill to become law without a signature. The General Assembly meets for its regular session every year starting the second Monday of January, reviewing hundreds of bills, with only a fraction passing into law.
| Legislative Session | Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Marty Martinez | HB1144 | 01/14/2026 | Water and sewer connection fees; first-time homebuyers, affordable housing. |
| 2026 | Marty Martinez | HB340 | 01/14/2026 | Migrant labor camp permits; removes expiration date. |
| 2026 | Marty Martinez, Irene Shin, and David A. Reid | HB341 | 01/14/2026 | Plastic bag tax; distribution to towns. |
| 2026 | Marty Martinez | HB342 | 01/14/2026 | Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission; magistrates, availability of complaint forms in courthouses. |
| 2026 | Marty Martinez, Jackie H. Glass, and Nadarius E. Clark | HB343 | 01/14/2026 | Helmets; wearing whenever riding/carried on skateboard or scooter or nonmotorized scooter. |
| 2026 | Marty Martinez, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, and Rae Cousins | HB373 | 01/14/2026 | Restaurants; food allergy awareness notice required. |
| 2026 | Marty Martinez, Katrina Callsen, Michael B. Feggans, Karen R. “Kacey” Carnegie, and Virgil Thornton | HB513 | 01/14/2026 | Suicide fatality review teams, local and regional; established, membership, penalty. |
| 2026 | Marty Martinez and Virgil Thornton | HB514 | 01/14/2026 | Benefit awareness & access prog.; establishes, military service members transition to civilian life. |
| 2026 | Marty Martinez, Adele Y. McClure, Jackie H. Glass, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Nadarius E. Clark, and Phil M. Hernandez | HB515 | 01/14/2026 | Sports betting; prohibition on use of credit cards. |
| 2026 | Marty Martinez and Adele Y. McClure | HB518 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Consumer Protection Act; prohibited practices, streaming advertisement volume control. |
| 2026 | Marty Martinez, Kannan Srinivasan, and Holly M. Seibold | HB519 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; definition of essential services. |
| 2025 | Marty Martinez, Alfonso H. Lopez, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Kathy K.L. Tran, Katrina Callsen, Mark D. Sickles, and Michael B. Feggans | HB1766 | 01/13/2025 | Unemployment compensation; increases weekly benefit amounts, report. |
| 2025 | Marty Martinez | HB2008 | 01/13/2025 | Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program authority; right of entry. |
| 2025 | Marty Martinez, Irene Shin, and Nadarius E. Clark | HB1764 | 01/08/2025 | Disposable plastic bag tax; distribution to towns. |
| 2025 | Marty Martinez | HB1769 | 01/08/2025 | Chronic student absenteeism; task force to examine its effects on local school divisions, etc. |
| 2025 | Marty Martinez | HB1770 | 01/08/2025 | Uniform Trust Code; adds “electronic” to definitions in Code. |
