Virginia’s state tree, the Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida). Photo by Jill Fraley.

The 2025 General Assembly session is officially over, and a number of our supported environmental priorities have made it to the finish line! Twenty-eight bills supported by the environmental community have passed through Virginia’s legislature and have been signed by the Governor. Some of these bills are duplicates because the General Assembly passed both a House and Senate version of a bill.  Ultimately, Virginia will enact 20 new laws that protect public health and our natural resources on July 1st, 2025.

The General Assembly also adopted 3 resolutions supported by the Virginia Conservation Network that amend the Constitution of Virginia. The General Assembly also passed the “first reference” for a Constitutional Amendment, which will need to be introduced and approved again in the 2026 General Assembly session and then approved by a majority of voters on the 2026 ballot. 

Visit our Bill Tracker to see all our bill positions and their outcomes over the General Assembly session with linked talking points.

• Large commercial and industrial energy customers, like certain data centers, (“Accelerated Renewable Energy Buyers, aka “ARBs”) will have the option to pay for their own zero-carbon electricity and energy storage. The SCC has simultaneously been directed to ensure transmission and distribution costs are reasonably allocated. This will help protect ratepayers from associated energy costs with growth in energy demand. (HB1821)
• The Abandoned Mine Land Grant Retention Fund will be established to disperse federal funds to clean up abandoned mines. (HB1948)
• Geothermal resources are now included in Virginia’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, which will help support baseload power needs with a clean energy source. (SB1316)

• Rooftop solar generation will be prioritized at public schools. (HB1934 / SB1192)
• The State Corporation Commission will establish a regulation that spreads grid interconnection costs more fairly across energy producers. This will help make the creation of small, local solar projects more economical. (HB2266 & SB1058)
• Dominion will launch a 450 MW virtual power plant (“VPP”) pilot program. VPPs pull together local clean energy resources like rooftop solar, batteries, and smart thermostats and distribute clean energy to meet peaks in demands. (HB2346 & SB1100)

• Private landowners will have better access to dam safety improvement funds for hazardous dams that threaten water quality, safety, and property (HB2000 & SB857)
• A new Wetlands Policy Task Force will consist of universities, nonprofits, and other government divisions to develop strategies for protecting, restoring, and creating wetlands (HB2034).
• Virginia’s Tribal nations are now permitted to apply for the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund to support flood preparedness on Tribal lands. (HB2077)
• The legislative Joint Committee on Recurrent Flooding will be reestablished to oversee, track, and develop recommendations for flood-based resilience throughout Virginia. (HJ437)
• The Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission (JLARC) will study strategies to fulfill cost-matching requirements for the US Army Corps of Engineers to lead Coastal Storm Risk Management studies. (HJ434)

• Conservation Officers of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, AKA State Park Rangers, will qualify for the Virginia Law Officers’ Retirement System (VaLORS), which will help with recruitment and retention of highly-trained law enforcement personnel. (SB1201)
• Retailers will label invasive species at the point of sale beginning in 2027, filling the retail knowledge gap for consumers to avoid the unwanted spread of invasive plant species. (HB1941 & SB1166)
• Localities will now have the authority to strengthen tree replacement requirements by establishing higher tree canopy replacement goals. (HB2630)

• Industrial facilities that are required to submit a facility response plan for the use of hazardous substances to the EPA will now submit an EPA-approved response plan to the Virginia DEQ. Improved recordkeeping will help DEQ report, inspect, and take civil action in the case of violations to the plan. (HB2516)
• The Virginia DEQ will study tax policy options to reform Virginia’s antiquated litter tax, which is essential to fund the prevention and removal of litter but currently generates the lowest revenue per capita of any state. (HJ448)

• OmniRide will expand commuter bus service between high employment centers in Greater Washington and the communities of Front Royal and Warrenton with large commuter populations. This will help lower congestion, reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips, and reduce transportation pollution. (SB1317)

• Judges now have the option to enroll individuals convicted of certain speeding violations in the Intelligent Speed Assistance Program to avoid suspending their license. Participants will install an ISA device that provides drivers with real-time reminders or limitations on speed, potentially preventing dangerous driving behavior and saving lives. (HB2096)
• The penalty gap has been filled for drivers who seriously injure or kill a vulnerable road user who legally uses a crosswalk. Previously, the charges were only a “failure to yield” $250 fine or a more serious “reckless” felony with 5 years of jail time, which is often hard to prove. Drivers now face a more significant incentive to drive with care through crosswalks with a Class 1 misdemeanor with a fine up to $2,500 and up to 12 months of jail time. (SB1416)

• The State Corporation Commission will consider using “advanced conductors”, which make the most of our existing transmission system by enabling more capacity to flow. Advanced conductors allow us to do more with less, which defers or avoids more costly transmission system upgrades. (HB1822)
• The electricity consumption tax rate will increase to provide the State Corporation Commission, the entity tasked with regulating electric utilities, with more funding. (HB2663 & SB1336)
• Appalachian Power Company will put important ratepayer protections in place, like pausing rate hikes over winter months and preventing the utility from charging residential customers late fees or interest between July 1- December 31, 2025, and will securitize certain assets to lower rates. (HB2621 & SB1076)

•  A constitutional amendment will automatically restore the right to vote to otherwise eligible voters who have been disenfranchised due to a felony conviction and are re-entering society after completing their sentence. As a constitutional amendment, these bills will need to pass again next year to amend Virginia’s constitution. (HJ2 & SJ248)
• The Personal Use Ban closes the legal loophole allowing the personal use of campaign funds by candidates, while including robust safeguards to protect candidates from politically motivated complaints. (HB2165 & SB1002)

Visit our Bill Tracker to see all our bill positions and their outcomes over the General Assembly session with linked talking points.