As the General Assembly enters its final days before Crossover, legislators are rushing to pass bills through their originating chambers. “Budget Sunday” will occur on February 2, where the House and Senate money committees will each release their versions of the budget.
General Assembly
2025 General Assembly Update: Week 3
This week, much of our focus is on energy. We continue to stress to our legislators is that our lands are a finite resource. As the Commonwealth works up against the clock to meet the goals of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, Virginia Farm Bureau continues to advocate for the siting of solar facilities on existing infrastructure instead of farm- and forestland.
We are filming at the General Assembly today as things are really heating up with only one more week until Crossover. Legislators have until February 4 to get their bills passed through their home chamber, so everyone’s working overtime. A special shout-out to Delegate Webert for letting us use his conference room when there wasn’t enough time to get back to the office to film!
2025 General Assembly Update: Week 2
Week Two of the General Assembly is in the books, and things are picking up steam. Committees and subcommittees are now meeting regularly to discuss bills, and several we had an eye on were heard this week. Looking ahead, we’ve got Legislative Day coming up on Monday, February 3. Next week, we will catch up on solar, data centers and water issues.
2025 General Assembly Update: Week 1
The 2025 Virginia General Assembly session started on January 8 with an unexpected snag when a Richmond water treatment plant outage forced a brief recess until January 13. Despite this delay, the 45-day session remains on track for substantive legislative work, even if it means weekend sessions.
This session is particularly significant because it’s Governor Youngkin’s final one, with all 100 House seats and three statewide offices — Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General — up for election this fall. On December 18, Youngkin presented his budget amendments for 2024-2026. While we’re pleased to see several Farm Bureau priorities included, we’re still pursuing additional funding for key programs. Tune in for more updates.
2024 General Assembly Update: Week 9
Session adjourned on Saturday, March 9 and has sent almost 2,280 bills and a biennial budget for the governor to amend, veto or sign. We are pleased to share that Farm Bureau policy prevailed on 35 out of 42 policy issues this session. For our final update, it is time for everyone’s favorite video, the smiley face wrap up.
2024 General Assembly Update: Week 8
This week in a House Counties, Cities and Towns subcommittee, SB697 (VanValkenburg) was continued to 2025. The subcommittee expressed concerns about the bill’s impact on their localities and wanted to continue the conversation on how to meet energy goals imposed by the Virginia Clean Economy Act while respecting local government authority. This discussion is not over, and Virginia Farm Bureau will continue to advocate for the maintenance of local government authority and placement of solar facilities on subprime lands to protect our farm and forest lands. More than 700 of you responded to the Farm Bureau action alert on this bill, and your voices were heard! Thank you for your participation.
2024 General Assembly Update: Week 7
Thank you to more than 700 Farm Bureau leaders who have responded to the recent action alert on solar. As responses continue to roll in, members of the General Assembly are taking notice of your advocacy. We are still waiting for SB697 (VanValkenburg) to be docketed and will continue to provide updates. This week, we’re bring you the latest on the budget and giving you a sneak peak at the Young Farmer Winter Expo being held in Richmond.
2024 General Assembly Update: Week 6
Thank you to the 550 Farm Bureau leaders who responded to two recent action alerts on solar. Our voices have been heard on two of the three bills as they were continued to 2025. Unfortunately, SB697 continues to advance. Please be on the lookout for a third action alert soon to address this bill. This week, in addition to sharing updates on top Farm Bureau legislative priorities, we have included updates on legislation that GR staff has been monitoring due to their potential impacts on our rural communities.
2024 General Assembly Update: Week 5
Today, we’re coming to you from the Virginia capitol as the General Assembly closes out its fifth week of business. Legislators have seen many late nights this week as they worked to close out any remaining business before crossover next week. Watch now for more details on solar bill SB697.
2024 General Assembly Update: Week 4
This week has been busy at Virginia’s Capitol. Here’s a rundown of the important bills we’ve covered this week, but first we’re excited to share a face that is new to Farm Bureau Governmental Relations but is certainly not a stranger to Farm Bureau.
Plows and Politics 