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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.  

We just closed out week three of session and Legislative Day is nearly here! In this video, we provide details on legislation that allows for both opportunities and challenges when it comes to utility-scale solar development and its impact on agriculture. If you can’t join us for Legislative Day, we encourage you to contact your legislators to share opposition to HB636, SB567 and SB697.  

The second week of the General Assembly has concluded with subcommittees and committees beginning to meet and discuss bills. Both the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources met this week and heard several bills of interest to Farm Bureau. Today, Friday, January 19 is the last day for bills to be filed by legislators, and Governmental Relations is continuing to monitor and review the latest bills as they arrive.