The nation's first permanent commission for boys and men.
Written into Virginia state code and independent of any governor, the Virginia Boys and Men Advisory Commission passed with rare bipartisan margins and was signed by Governor Spanberger. It is the first body of its kind in the United States.
From an idea to state code in under a year.
A rare bipartisan path, start to finish.
October 2025
Announced
Legislators move to create the nation's first commission for boys and men.
January 2026
Introduced
HB1188 and its Senate companion SB447 are filed in the General Assembly.
February 2026
Senate passes, 36-0
SB447 clears the Senate unanimously and heads to the House.
March 2026
Both chambers pass
HB1188 clears the House of Delegates 91-6.
April, 2026
Signed into law
Governor Spanberger signs the Commission into Virginia code.
The tallies are the message. Both parties, both chambers.
House · HB1188
91–6
passed the House of Delegates
Senate · SB447
36–0
passed the Senate
The lawmakers who carried it.
A bipartisan group of delegates and senators sponsored the legislation, and the Governor signed it into law.
Del. Josh Thomas
Chief patron, House of Delegates
Sen. Lamont Bagby
Chief Patron, Senate
Co-sponsors
Dels. Michael Feggans, Nicole Cole, Michael Webert, Jason Ballard, and Jackie Glass and Sen. Lashrecse Aird.
A mandate that spans a boy's whole life.
The Commission is charged with studying and advising across six areas:
- K-12 literacy
- Higher-education access
- Workforce & economic opportunity
- Health, including mental health & suicide prevention
- Family dynamics
- Social media impact
The first report is due October 2026.
Follow the Commission's work and the wins along the way.