The 2025 General Assembly has finally begun. This year’s session got off to a rocky start. The Richmond water crisis caused a delayed start from the original date of January 8, with no action on bills able to be taken until the de facto start date of January 13. Now that the session is in full swing, please see our list of bills to watch (updated February 7) for wildlife in Loudoun. This list includes all bills that fall under the mission and vision of Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy which will impact wildlife in Loudoun County. You can also learn about general themes this session by looking at our key policy opportunities, based on Virginia Conservation Network’s (VCN) Our Common Agenda.
With this year’s short session, the conservation and environmental advocacy community has kicked into high gear. Lobby week was the fourth week in January, and Loudoun Wildlife representatives took part in two lobby days this year. Lobby Day with the Data Center Reform Coalition was January 20. Loudoun Wildlife’s Conservation Advocacy Specialist Trinity Mills met with legislators on one of this session’s biggest topics: data center reform. On January 22, Trinity was joined in Richmond by Executive Director Tom Kercheval for VCN’s Conservation Lobby Day, where environmental organizations from across the state advocated for conservation-friendly policies. In our meetings with Senators Perry, Srinivasan and Sturtevant as well as Delegates Reid, Singh and Reasor, we stressed the importance of supporting bills that will bolster wetland protections, implement data center regulations, fund wildlife crossings and more.
We’ll be tracking the bills to watch as they are released for consideration in both the Senate and House of Delegates. Additionally, Governor Youngkin released his proposed budget amendments in December. With very few additions to natural and environmental resources program financing, some programs (which were passed in the 2024 General Assembly session) have not moved forward due to lack of funding. We’ll update the bills to watch with any corresponding budget amendments that become relevant. Currently, few of the anticipated budget items are available. All amendments will be available by February 4 as per the General Assembly schedule. Check back for more information after that date.
Be sure to check out VCN’s bill tracker for all the environmental bills to watch. You can also find information in recordings of the 2025 Our Common Agenda webinar series for overviews of the white papers from the briefing book. See also links to white papers on the issues most relevant to Loudoun County’s wildlife.
We will be regularly updating our list of bills to watch in the coming weeks. Don’t forget that it’s not too late to speak with your legislators on the bills you care about! You can find your legislator’s information on the Who’s My Legislator page. Remember that they serve you as a constituent. If any of our priority bills stand out to you, let them know that you think they should support/oppose it. You can do so via email, phone or by setting up an in-person meeting in Richmond.
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