Sponsors (4)
The bill transfers territory to D.C., giving local residents representation and legal clarity while shifting taxes, governance, and service responsibilities in ways that could increase costs, administrative burdens, and legal uncertainty for residents, Virginia governments, and taxpayers.
Residents of Arlington County and the City of Alexandria would gain D.C. representation and be subject to D.C. local laws from the effective date, giving them voting representation and new local governance.
Property owners in the transferred area would retain existing rights, titles, and interests, protecting homeownership and real property ownership from disruption by the transfer.
A clear effective-date and transition timeline would give residents, local governments, and states time to plan for governance, tax, and service changes, reducing immediate confusion.
Residents and businesses in the transferred area could face new D.C. taxes, regulations, and service rules instead of Virginia law, potentially raising costs or changing local rules.
The transition could impose administrative costs and create uncertainty for residents, schools, emergency services, and infrastructure management during and after the transfer.
Virginia state and local governments would lose tax revenue, jurisdiction, and control over land and services in the transferred area, affecting budgets and service responsibilities.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Returns the 1846-retroceded territory (now Arlington County and City of Alexandria) from Virginia to the District of Columbia, making D.C. law apply and preserving private property and pending cases.
Introduced April 22, 2026 by Rich McCormick · Last progress April 22, 2026
Restores to the District of Columbia the land that was retroceded to Virginia in 1846 (today’s Arlington County and the independent City of Alexandria), makes D.C. law apply there on the effective date, preserves private property rights, and allows pending Virginia civil and criminal cases in that territory to be finished in Virginia courts. The law takes effect on the first day of the first fiscal year after enactment.