2025 General Assembly Session Overview

In odd-numbered years Virginia has a “short” legislative session – a 45-day sprint through hundreds of bills and an opportunity to amend the budget. This year the General Assembly began January 8th and finished on time February 22nd. More than 2,000 bills and resolutions were considered, including amendments to the State’s budget. Of particular note to VFTA, an additional $2 million in one-time funds was provided to the Virginia Commission for the Arts to support the Commonwealth’s arts community and grants to a number of organizations. After the Session ends, the Governor has 30 days to review all the bills that were passed and offer any amendments or vetoes. He continued his pattern of offering a large number of amendments and vetoes to bills and budget items. The members returned on April 2nd to consider these actions. Many of his amendments were rejected, while there were not enough votes (two-thirds) to overturn the vetoes.

It is worth noting that legislators are also focused on what is happening in Washington D.C. and the potential impact on Virginia’s economy. Both the House and Senate have created emergency committees to look at how reductions in the federal workforce and funding cuts could impact Virginians. These committees have met several times and provided needed information as we look to a potential special session this fall to address these issues.