State Del. Joshua E. Thomas has introduced a bill intended to improve language access for contractor licensing exams, aligning the state’s test offerings with federal requirements under voting rights law. Thomas sponsors the effort, according to the Virginia State House.
The measure, known as HB165, was filed on Jan. 14, 2026, during the legislature’s 2026 regular session. The official summary describes the proposal: “Contractors, Board for; examinations available in alternative languages.”
Here is a summary based on direct language and clarification drawn from the bill.
The legislation would direct the Board for Contractors to provide exams—specifically those given more than 50 times per year on average across the past four years—in additional languages that meet federal criteria. In cases where a language qualifies for translated election materials under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the board would have to offer contractor testing in that language too. The proposal appears targeted at broadening access to widely used contractor licensing examinations, consistent with national voting rights standards.
Bill patrons include Rep. Joshua E. Thomas (Democrat-21st District), Rep. Adele Y. McClure (Democrat-2nd District), Rep. Atoosa R. Reaser (Democrat-27th District), and 10 other co-sponsors.
This session, Thomas has also put forward 12 additional legislative proposals.
Thomas earned his BA from Vanderbilt University in 2010 and a JD from The College of William and Mary in 2018.
Thomas, a Democrat, was chosen in 2024 to represent Virginia’s 21st House district, following the tenure of Kelly Convirs-Fowler.
In Virginia, the legislative process starts with a bill’s introduction in either the House of Delegates or the Senate, after which it is referred to committees for review and amendment. Upon committee approval, a bill is debated and voted on by both chambers. Passage in both chambers sends the bill to the governor, who can either sign it, veto it, or allow it to become law without signing. The regular session of the Virginia General Assembly begins each year on the second Monday in January, when lawmakers introduce hundreds of bills—but only some ultimately become law.
| Legislative Session | Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas, Adele Y. McClure, Atoosa R. Reaser, Dan I. Helmer, Irene Shin, JJ Singh, Kathy K.L. Tran, Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler, Laura Jane Cohen, Marty Martinez, May Nivar, Michael B. Feggans, and Shelly A. Simonds | HB165 | 01/14/2026 | Contractors, Board for; examinations available in alternative languages. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas, Dan I. Helmer, David A. Reid, Elizabeth R. Guzman, John Chilton McAuliff, Atoosa R. Reaser, Betsy B. Carr, JJ Singh, Karen Keys-Gamarra, and Sam Rasoul | HB153 | 01/14/2026 | Data centers; site assessment, sound profile of the high energy use facility. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas, Dan I. Helmer, Marty Martinez, Atoosa R. Reaser, Elizabeth R. Guzman, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Katrina Callsen, Laura Jane Cohen, and Michael B. Feggans | HB164 | 01/14/2026 | Housing for local employees; grants for homeownership. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB166 | 01/14/2026 | Noise ordinances; removes exemption for industrial property, civil penalties. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB196 | 01/14/2026 | Mixed-income housing; creating a two-year pilot program that provides loan origination, etc. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB197 | 01/14/2026 | Zoning appeals, board of; appellate jurisdiction upon appeal from the circuit court. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB198 | 01/14/2026 | Local government; review of decision by board of zoning appeals, procedures for filing petition. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas, Jeremy S. McPike, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Karen Keys-Gamarra, and Sam Rasoul | HB352 | 01/14/2026 | Local authority; authorized by ordinance to establish affordable housing performance grant programs. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB354 | 01/14/2026 | Online portal; Commissioner of Department of Veterans Services to develop and maintain. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB356 | 01/14/2026 | Local housing policy; expands the range of changes that are required. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas, Elizabeth R. Guzman, Margaret A. Franklin, Adele Y. McClure, Alex Q. Askew, Alfonso H. Lopez, Amy J. Laufer, Atoosa R. Reaser, Betsy B. Carr, Bonita G. Anthony, Briana D. Sewell, C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr., Charlie Schmidt, Charniele L. Herring, Dan I. Helmer, Debra D. Gardner, Delores L. McQuinn, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Garrett McGuire, Gretchen M Bulova, Holly M. Seibold, Jackie H. Glass, Jeion A. Ward, Jessica L. Anderson, Joshua G. Cole, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Karen R. “Kacey” Carnegie, Karrie K. Delaney, Kathy K.L. Tran, Katrina Callsen, Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler, Kimberly Pope Adams, Laura Jane Cohen, Leslie Chambers Mehta, Lily V. Franklin, Lindsey Dougherty, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Marcus B. Simon, Mark C. Downey, Michael B. Feggans, Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Nicole Cole, Paul E. Krizek, Phil M. Hernandez, Rae Cousins, Richard C. “Rip” Sullivan, Jr., Rodney T. Willett, Rozia A. Henson, Jr., Sam Rasoul, Shelly A. Simonds, Stacey Annie Carroll, Virgil Thornton, and Vivian E. Watts | HB1182 | 01/14/2026 | Health insurance; coverage for contraceptive drugs & devices, including over-the-counter. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas, Jason S. Ballard, Michael B. Feggans, Michael J. Webert, Nicole Cole, and Jackie H. Glass | HB1188 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Boys and Men Advisory Commission; established, report, sunset provision. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB1227 | 01/14/2026 | Private activity bonds; allocation of state ceiling. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB2657 | 01/15/2025 | Involuntary manslaughter; certain drug offenses. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas and Atoosa R. Reaser | HB2065 | 01/13/2025 | Fire Programs Fund; aid to localities, requirement for emergency incidents reporting. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas, Hyland F. “Buddy” Fowler, Jr., and David A. Reid | HB2071 | 01/13/2025 | DVS; powers and duties of Commissioner, identification of incarcerated veterans. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas, Shelly A. Simonds, Betsy B. Carr, Joshua G. Cole, and Vivian E. Watts | HB1601 | 01/08/2025 | Data centers; site assessment for high energy use facility. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas and Mike A. Cherry | HB1626 | 01/08/2025 | Public elementary & secondary school teachers; certain training activities, requirements, etc. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas and Will Davis | HB1627 | 01/08/2025 | Criminal history record information; dissemination of record information. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas and Jackie H. Glass | HB1629 | 01/08/2025 | Health care records; providers shall provide one free copy of records stored in EHR upon request. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB1653 | 01/08/2025 | Real Estate Board; regulations related to fees charged to a licensee. |
Information in this article was obtained from the Virginia State House. The original data can be accessed here.
