A recently introduced measure led by state Sen. Danica A. Roem seeks to broaden voluntary contributions at the Virginia DMV and revise how funding supports highway safety programs, records from the Virginia State Senate show.
Filed as Senate Bill 41 on Jan. 14, 2026, during the regular session, the measure is formally titled: “Motor Vehicles, Department of; electronic transactions, voluntary contributions.”
This summary presents key points from the official bill documentation and, where relevant, helps clarify its implications.
SB41 directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to allow individuals making online DMV transactions to contribute voluntarily to both the Virginia Donor Registry and Public Awareness Fund and the Virginia Highway Safety Improvement Program. Collected contributions would be routed by DMV to the Virginia Transplant Council and the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The legislation modernizes the allocation and funding procedures for the safety program and updates statutory cross-references to ensure consistency in disability designations across identification cards, driver’s licenses, and vehicle registrations.
The legislation is sponsored solely by Sen. Danica A. Roem (Democrat-30th District).
Since the 2026 regular session began, Roem has submitted 16 additional bills for consideration.
Roem earned a BA from St. Bonaventure University in 2006.
A Democrat, Roem was elected to the Virginia State Senate in 2024 to serve District 30, succeeding prior senator Adam Ebbin.
Virginia’s legislative process typically starts with a bill’s introduction in either the House of Delegates or Senate. The bill is assigned to committees, which review and may modify it before moving it to a floor vote in both chambers. Approval by both the House and Senate sends the measure to the governor for signature or veto. The General Assembly opens its annual legislative session on the second Monday in January, during which hundreds of bills are proposed but only a fraction reach enactment.
| Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danica A. Roem | SB41 | 01/14/2026 | Motor Vehicles, Department of; electronic transactions, voluntary contributions. |
| Danica A. Roem and R. Creigh Deeds | SB4 | 01/14/2026 | School breakfasts; availability at no cost to students. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB42 | 01/14/2026 | School boards; payment of school meal debt. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB43 | 01/14/2026 | Demand response programs; evaluation and assessment by Department of Energy, report. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB44 | 01/14/2026 | Cemeteries on private property; registration by localities. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB92 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; tuition and fee waivers. |
| Danica A. Roem and Michelle Lopes Maldonado | SB93 | 01/14/2026 | Data centers; taxes on banks that are tenants of a center. |
| Danica A. Roem and Adam P. Ebbin | SB94 | 01/14/2026 | Data centers; site assessment, sound profile of the high energy use facility. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB95 | 01/14/2026 | Rest area signage; adds human trafficking information. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB97 | 01/14/2026 | Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program; establishment of student meal plan credit donation program. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB331 | 01/14/2026 | Veterinary Medicine, Board of; traineeships. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB336 | 01/14/2026 | Tier 2 emergency generators; SCC shall evaluate impact of requiring data centers to limit use, etc. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB345 | 01/14/2026 | Guardianship/conservatorship of incapacitated adult; right to request counsel, right to a jury trial. |
| Danica A. Roem, Angelia Williams Graves, and David R. Suetterlein | SB350 | 01/14/2026 | Absentee voting; counting ballots prior to the close of polls. |
| Danica A. Roem and Kannan Srinivasan | SB482 | 01/14/2026 | Sodium Chloride; alternatives to use to treat and pretreat roadways for winter weather, report. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB503 | 01/14/2026 | Phase II Utility; rates, terms, and conditions of services, certain customers. |
| Danica A. Roem and Scott A. Surovell | SB716 | 01/14/2026 | Commissioner of Highways; certain agreements with U.S. Department of Transportation. |
Information in this article was sourced from the Virginia State Senate. Access the original data here.
