Virginia’s new General Assembly Building opened in October 2023.

Virginia’s General Assembly reconvenes today, April 17th, for Veto Session. Governor Youngkin has made a historic and unprecedented amount of amendments and vetoes on General Assembly legislation, and legislators are voting today on whether to accept or reject the Governor’s amendments and override any vetoes. Of the 65 priority conservation bills that passed the legislature, the Governor:

• Vetoed 15 bills
• Amended 16 bills
• Signed 34 bills into law

The Governor made more amendments and vetoes than any of his predecessors, which affected nearly half of our priority environmental bills. Virginia Conservation Network shared bill and budget positions from veto session, outlined below, with legislators ahead of veto session. You can see the status of all bill positions on our Bill Tracker.

SUPPORT Better Bus Stop Bill’s Sunset Clause

Accept Amendment to HB285

The Better Bus Stop Bill streamlines the process of creating and improving bus stop signage, shelters, and benches by eliminating unnecessary and time-consuming bureaucracy. This will empower localities to provide our citizens with safe, dry, and shaded protection from the weather while they wait for the bus.

The amendment extends the one-year Sunset Clause to three years to reduce unnecessary confusion and even more delays.

OPPOSE Slashing WMATA Metro Funding

Reject Budget Amendment #179 to Budget Item 433 #2c

The budget item committed the minimum funding needed to help close WMATA’s operating funding gap, fund METRO, and meet DC and Maryland’s match formula commitments. Northern Virginia would match funding at $65 million in FY25 and $87 million in FY26.

The amendment slashed the General Assembly’s additional funding for Metro by 76%, allocating just $35 million in FY26. The amendment also requires redundant studies since the General Assembly passed a study under SJ28.

OPPOSE Delays to Adopt Energy Efficiency Requirements for Building Codes

Reject Amendment to HB950

The bill prohibits the governor and Board of Housing and Community Development from weakening statewide building codes, including energy efficiency requirements, before Virginia’s next code development process.

The amendment would set a bad precedent by allowing delays and interference by state agencies before adopting new building codes through the legislative process.

OPPOSE “Soft-Veto” to the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank

Reject Amendments to SB729 and Budget Amendment #187

The bill establishes the “Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank” that would facilitate low-interest loans and receive federal financing from the Inflation Reduction Act for clean energy and innovation technologies

The amendment requires the legislature to vote on the bill again and strips funding, essentially soft-vetoing the bill due to the amount of work needed over the next year to establish this institution.

OPPOSE Stripping Language to Rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

Reject Budget Amendment #152 to Budget Item 366 #1c

The budget item requires the administration to take the necessary steps to rejoin RGGI within 90 days and restates that proceeds from RGGI participation continue to help low-income households slash energy bills and localities combat flooding.

The amendment strips out the language from both the caboose budget and the forward-looking budget that would get Virginia back into RGGI.

OPPOSE Stripping All Incentives for Parking Lot Solar Development

Reject Budget Amendments #37 and #38 to 103 #10c and 104 #1c

The budget includes $1M through the Enterprise Zone Grant and $4M through the Industrial Revitalization Fund for the development of parking lot solar canopies and rooftop solar.

The amendments remove all funding and requirements to incentivize parking lot solar canopies.

OPPOSE (Another) Delay of the Styrofoam Takeout Container Ban

Reject Budget Amendment #148 to item 362 #1c

The budget item moves up the effective date of the prohibition of expanded polystyrene (EPS), aka Styrofoam, food containers from 2028 to 2025 for retail food establishments operating 20 or more locations in the Commonwealth, and from 2030 to 2026 for smaller establishments.

The amendment reverses the timeline again.

OPPOSE Loss of Funding to Restore the Chesapeake Bay

Reject Budget Amendments #233, #144, #145, #151

The budget items: help Virginia meet our clean water goals by fully funding the Agricultural Cost Share Program, supporting additional staff at DCR to assist Soil & Water Conservation Districts, providing $400M in bonds for wastewater projects, and $20M towards a new “pay for outcomes program”.

The amendments strike all DCR staff support and remove $2M in funding for agricultural BMPs, reduce Pay-for-Outcomes funding to $5M, and remove $300M from wastewater bond allocations. 

OPPOSE Eliminating Funds to Establish the Office of Commonwealth Resilience

Reject Budget Amendmt #143 to Budget Item 358 #2c

The budget provides $500k for 3 employees for the Office of Commonwealth Resilience in the Governor’s Office.

The amendment eliminates proposed funding to establish the Office of Commonwealth Resilience. 

OPPOSE Ignoring Invasive Species Management Goals

Reject Budget Amendments #27, #29, #147, and #153

The budget includes funding and staff support in multiple agencies to mitigate the impact of invasive species, in support of the goals outlined by the Virginia Invasive Species Management Plan. Supported agencies include the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Department of Wildlife Resources, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and Department of Forestry.

The amendments eliminate all funding and staff positions added into the budget to mitigate the impact of invasive species in support of the goals outlined by the Virginia Invasive Species Management Plan.

OPPOSE Minimizing Support for the Natural Heritage Program

Reject Budget Amendment #146 to Item 359 #12c

The budget allocates $593,352 each year and five positions to increase support for DCR’s Natural Heritage Program.

The amendment reduces proposed additional funding for the Natural Heritage Program to $300,000 in each year and three positions.