House Committee Holds Hearing to Discuss Impact on Federal Reductions

The House of Delegates Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions met Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Alexandria to hear from local elected officials, business leaders, representatives from labor, and higher education administrators on the impact of federal job and funding reductions on the Northern Virginia region. During the morning portion of the hearing, committee witnesses included Hamilton Lombard, Joao Ferreira, and Terry Rephann from the Weldon Copper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia, Jill Kaneff and The Honorable John Chapman, from the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, Mark Carrier, from the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Patrick Small, City of Manassas Economic Development Director, Alissa Tafti, from the NoVA Labor Federation, and The Honorable Jeff McKay, Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. 

Committee witnesses for the afternoon portion of the hearing included Jason Gleason and Wally Burnett, from Crossroads Strategies, Deborah Alltenburg, from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, and Dr. Anne Kress, from Northern Virginia Community College. 

According to a presentation by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, federal jobs account for roughly 6% of the workforce in northern Virginia and about 5% of jobs for the entire state. By comparison, such government positions only account for 2% of U.S. jobs, according to the regional commission. 

The committee will be meeting in regions across the Commonwealth throughout the spring and summer with the goal of submitting a report to the House of Delegates in early September. The next meeting of the committee will be conducted in Southwest Virginia. A date for this meeting has yet to be announced. 

To view the agenda from the April 8^th meeting, click here. To review the presentations and materials from committee witnesses, click here. If you would like to watch the committee meeting in its entirety, click here.

Vetoed Legislation Sustained by General Assembly

On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the Virginia General Assembly held its Reconvene Session to consider recommendations and vetoes from Governor Glenn Youngkin to legislation passed during the 2025 session. Below is a list of legislation that was vetoed by the Governor and failed a vote to be overridden by the General Assembly. All bills vetoed by the Governor in the 2025 session were sustained by the General Assembly. It takes a 2/3 vote of each chamber to override a veto.  

HB 1830- School board policies; unpaid educational leave for certain employee association officers; purchase of service credit. Requires each school board to adopt a policy that requires the school board to approve unpaid educational leave for school board employees who are state employee association officers and for at least two school board employees who are local employee association officers for a maximum of four years per officer. The bill permits employee association officers approved for such leave to purchase service credit with the Virginia Retirement System for such period of leave.

HB 1915- Public school teachers; written notice of non-continuation of continuing contract. Provides that written notice of non-continuation of a continuing teacher contract by the teacher must be given by June 15 of each year; otherwise, the contract continues in effect for the ensuing year in conformity with local salary stipulations, including increments. Current law provides that written notice of non-continuation of a continuing teacher contract by either the teacher or the school board must be given by June 15 of each year; otherwise, the contract continues in effect for the ensuing year in conformity with local salary stipulations, including increments. This bill is identical to SB 1032.

HB 1928- Minimum wage. Increases the minimum wage incrementally to $15.00 per hour by January 1, 2027. The bill codifies the adjusted state hourly minimum wage of $12.41 per hour that is effective January 1, 2025, and increases the minimum wage to $13.50 per hour effective January 1, 2026, and to $15.00 per hour effective January 1, 2027. The bill requires the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to establish an adjusted state hourly minimum wage by October 1, 2027.

HB 2237- Public school employees; suspension; conditions for continued receipt of salary. Clarifies that no school board employee shall be suspended without notice and, if applicable, an opportunity to be heard and that any individual who is so suspended, regardless of the length of such suspension, shall continue to receive his then applicable salary unless and until the school board, after a hearing, determines otherwise.

HB 2244- Standards of Quality; standards of accreditation; measurement of student educational performance and academic achievement; calculation of proportionality score required. Directs the Board of Education (the Board), in consultation with the Department of Education (the Department), to establish and implement standards for determining and recognizing student educational performance and academic achievement in the form of a weighted proportionality score for each school, to account for no less than five percent of such school's accreditation rating score or metric under the current school accountability system, for the purpose of identifying, accounting for in determining accreditation ratings, and addressing disparities in access to educational resources across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups in public schools in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Department to (i) develop a metric for calculating the weighted proportionality score for each school using certain variables calculated by the Department; (ii) develop a metric for calculating the improvement of a school's proportionality score received year over year; (iii) assign for each school based on such school's proportionality score a proportionality designation of "highly proportional," "proportional," "somewhat disproportional," and "highly disproportional"; and (iv) require any school board that contains within the school division a school assigned a proportionality designation of "highly disproportional" to develop and submit to the Department a remediation plan detailing the actions such school board will take to reduce disparities in access to education resources. The bill directs the Board to (a) amend its regulations to include as a school quality indicator the weighted proportionality score developed in accordance with the bill and (b) submit to the U.S. Department of Education within 90 days of the effective date of the bill any amendments necessary to its state plan pursuant to the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended, that are necessary to implement the provisions of the act. Finally, the bill requires its provisions to be implemented beginning with the 2025–2026 school year.

HB 2764- Collective bargaining by public employees; exclusive bargaining representatives. Repeals the existing prohibition on collective bargaining by public employees. The bill creates the Public Employee Relations Board, which shall determine appropriate bargaining units and provide for certification and decertification elections for exclusive bargaining representatives of state employees and local government employees. The bill requires public employers and employee organizations that are exclusive bargaining representatives to meet at reasonable times to negotiate in good faith with respect to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. The bill repeals a provision that declares that, in any procedure providing for the designation, selection, or authorization of a labor organization to represent employees, the right of an individual employee to vote by secret ballot is a fundamental right that shall be guaranteed from infringement. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 917.

SB 1017- School boards; powers and duties; school meal policies; payment of school meal debt. Requires each school board, at the end of each school year, to pay for the total unpaid school meal balance, resulting from uncollectable school meal debts on any student account, on the nonprofit school food service account for each public elementary or secondary school in the school division using any appropriated nonfederal funds, except that each school board is prohibited from requiring any public elementary or secondary school in the school division from paying for or providing any funds to pay for such school's unpaid school meal balance. The bill requires each school board to adopt policies in accordance with the provisions of the bill in order to pay these unpaid balances at the end of each school year.

SB 1307- Additional local sales and use tax to support schools; referendum. Authorizes all counties and cities to impose an additional local sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent with the revenue used only for public school capital projects, defined in the bill, if such levy is approved in a voter referendum. The bill removes the requirement that such a tax must have an expiration date on either (i) the date of the repayment of any bonds or loans used for such capital projects or (ii) a date chosen by the governing body. Under current law, only Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick, and Pittsylvania Counties and the City of Danville are authorized to impose such a tax. 

Recommendations Accepted to Legislation During Reconvene Session

On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the Virginia General Assembly held its Reconvene Session to consider recommendations and vetoes from Governor Glenn Youngkin to legislation passed during the 2025 session. The list below reflects K-12 legislation with recommendations that were adopted by the Virginia General Assembly. Several bills with amendments related to K-12 education were rejected by the Senate and House and will return to the Governor for his final action. VSBA will report on these bills in early-May or upon action by the Governor. 

Governor's Recommendations Adopted

HB 1766- Unemployment compensation; increase weekly benefit amounts; report. Provides that, for unemployment compensation claims effective on or after January 1, 2026, an eligible individual's weekly benefit amount shall be $100 higher than the current weekly benefit amount, as denoted in the table in the printed bill. The bill directs the Commission on Unemployment Compensation, in consultation with the Virginia Employment Commission, to convene a work group to study making annual adjustments to individual weekly benefit amounts based on the average weekly wage. The bill also provides that, beginning July 1, 2025, for claims effective on or after July 1, 2025, an eligible individual's weekly unemployment compensation benefit amount shall be paid for a maximum duration of 26 weeks. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Unemployment Compensation. This bill is identical to SB 1056.

HB 1924- School boards; prohibition against hiring or contracting for the services of certain individuals; certain criminal convictions. Prohibits each school board from employing or contracting for the services of any individual who has been convicted of any felony crime of violence as defined in the bill or any offense involving a child. Current law prohibits each school board from employing or contracting for the services of any individual who has been convicted of any violent felony set forth in a certain statutory definition of "barrier crime" or any offense involving the sexual molestation, physical or sexual abuse, or rape of a child, or the solicitation of any such offense.

HB 1936- Department of Education; index of required teacher training. Requires the Department of Education (the Department) to establish and maintain an index of each training in which any public elementary and secondary school teacher in the Commonwealth is required to participate pursuant to state or federal law or regulation, including training required as a condition of licensure by the Department. The bill requires such index to include information on the classification of teacher required to complete each training; the topic, length, and frequency of each training activity; and the total number of hours of training that each teacher is required to complete in a specific period of time. The bill requires the Department to review and update such index annually, when a training is added, or when an existing training on the index is changed in length or frequency to ensure that the information therein is accurate and to post such index in an easily and publicly accessible format and location on its website no later than August 1, 2025.

HB 1957- Board of Education; Standards of Learning assessments and related student assessment methods; assessment development, implementation, and administration reform. Modifies provisions relating to assessment methods for determining the level of achievement of the Standards of Learning objectives by all students, including (i) requirements relating to assessment administration aimed at maximizing instructional time and optimizing time used for assessment administration; (ii) criteria and guidelines for the structure and content of Standards of Learning assessments and alternative assessments developed by local school boards, including criteria for the types of assessment items that shall be included; (iii) provisions relating to eligibility and timelines for students to retake assessments; and (iv) the scoring of Standards of Learning assessments and related assessments, including a requirement that all such assessments be scored on a 100-point scale. The bill contains a provision exempting from the requirement that all end-of-course assessments be administered no earlier than two weeks prior to the last day of the school year any assessments administered as a part of a competency-based assessment system. The bill requires the Board of Education to provide any teacher who participates in the scoring of Standards of Learning assessments professional development points toward renewal of his license for the time spent scoring such assessments. The bill also requires the Board of Education to develop and make available to each school board certain templates and guidelines relating to assessment content and structure and assessment scoring. Certain provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2026 Session of the General Assembly and certain others have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

HB 1961- Public elementary and secondary schools; student discipline; student cell phone possession and use policies; development and implementation. Directs each school board to develop and each public elementary and secondary school to implement age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate policies relating to the possession and use of cell phones by students on school property during regular school hours. The bill requires such policies to (i) restrict, to the fullest extent possible, student cell phone possession and use in the classroom during regular school hours; (ii) aim to reduce or prevent any distraction in or disruption to the learning environment, including bullying or harassment, that could be caused or facilitated by student cell phone possession and use on school property during regular school hours; (iii) ensure that implementation and enforcement of the policy is the responsibility of the administration, minimizes, to the extent possible, any conflict with the instructional responsibilities of teachers or any disruption to instructional time, and does not involve any school resource officer; (iv) include exceptions to such policies permitting any student, pursuant to an Individualized Education Plan or Section 504 Plan or if otherwise deemed appropriate by the school board, to possess and use a cell phone on school property, including in the classroom, during regular school hours to monitor or address a health concern; and (v) expressly prohibit any student from being suspended or expelled as a consequence of any violation of such policies. Finally, the bill clarifies that (a) no violation of any such student cell phone possession and use policy shall alone constitute sufficient cause for a student's suspension or expulsion from attendance at school and (b) any such violation that involves, coincides with, or results in an instance of disruptive behavior, as that term is defined in applicable law, shall be addressed in accordance with the regulations on codes of student conduct adopted by each school board pursuant to applicable law. This bill is identical to SB 738.

HB 2543- Department of Education; model memorandum of understanding; counseling from school counselors by way of telehealth. Provides that the model memorandum of understanding developed by the Department of Education for partnerships with community mental health services providers or school-based telehealth providers shall include procedures allowing for students to receive counseling from school counselors by way of telehealth. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth and is identical to SB 1370.

HB 2618- Public school buildings; indoor air quality; inspection and evaluation. Establishes several enumerated requirements for local school divisions to ensure indoor air quality in each public school building in the local school division, including providing for an inspection and evaluation program at least once every two years and an industry-recognized uniform inspection and evaluation at least once every four years. This bill is identical to SB 1413.

HB 2718- Photo speed monitoring devices; school crossing zones. Requires photographs, microphotographs, or other recorded images, or documentation, produced by a photo speed monitoring device placed in a school crossing zone to depict or confirm a portable sign or tilt-over sign that is in position and blinking or otherwise activated, indicating the school crossing zone, at the time of such vehicle speed violation in order for a sworn certificate to be considered prima facie evidence for purposes of enforcing vehicle speed violations.

Virginia General Assembly Reconvenes, Considers Governor's Budget Amendments

On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the Virginia General Assembly held its Reconvene Session to consider recommendations and vetoes from Governor Glenn Youngkin to legislation passed during the 2025 session. The amendments below to HB 1600 (Torian), reflect key actions taken by the General Assembly to recommendations (amendments) to items related to K-12 public education. To review the entire list of recommendations made by the Governor to the Enrolled Budget passed by the General Assembly in February, click here.

To see the list of actions on other K-12 related recommendations to HB 1600 by Governor Youngkin, click here.

Governor’s Amendment #55- House and Senate Concur 

Item 125 #9c- This amendment increases support for the School Construction Assistance Program in FY 2025 with a one-time deposit of $50.0 million from the Literary Fund to the School Construction Fund. 

Governor’s Amendment #56- House Passed By- Amendment Fails 

Item 125 #11c- This amendment modifies the funded support position staffing ratio to 25.50 support positions per 1,000 students in average daily membership. This provides an additional $84.8 million general fund over Chapter 2, 2024 Acts of Assembly, Special Session I, to support the state share of these positions in FY 2026. 

Governor’s Amendment #57- House Passed By- Amendment Fails 

This amendment provides additional funding for deposit to the College Partnership Laboratory School Fund in support of new and existing lab schools. This amendment does not have a line item number as it was not included in the Enrolled Budget passed by the General Assembly in February. 

Governor’s Amendment #58- House Passed By- Amendment Fails 

This amendment provides funding for Virginia Opportunity Scholarships to award grants to eligible economically disadvantaged students to cover the costs of attending an accredited private school in the Commonwealth. This amendment does not have a line-item number as it was not included in the Enrolled Budget passed by the General Assembly in February.

Governor Glenn Youngkin Releases February Jobs Data

 

RICHMOND, VA— Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that, according to the Current Employment Statistics (“CES” or “the establishment survey”), nonfarm payroll employment in Virginia fell by 1,000 in February and Virginia’s labor force participation rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 65.7 percent. According to BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (“LAUS”, or “the household survey”), Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in February edged up by 0.1 percentage points to 3.1 percent, 1.0 percentage points below the national rate. Since February of 2024, more than 54,000 jobs have been added, an increase of more than 260,000 jobs since January of 2022.   “Job growth in February was down a little at -1000 and unemployment remains low at 3.1%, a full point lower than the national rate,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Virginia’s economy remains strong with more than $100 billion in capital investment committed by companies growing in Virginia, 259,000 open jobs across the Commonwealth, and our ongoing workforce development initiatives connecting skilled workers to in-demand industries.”     “While February’s employment numbers show some fluctuation, our labor market remains competitive. The fact that our unemployment rate is still a full percentage point below the national average underscores the strength of our economy. Our outlook remains positive, and we remain committed to ensuring Virginians have the training and support needed to connect with high-quality jobs,” said Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater.   “Virginia remains a top destination for business and talent, and we continue to see companies invest in our state. We are working closely with businesses to create an environment where they can expand and where Virginians can access meaningful, high-paying careers,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Juan Pablo Segura.    Preliminary statistics from the BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (“LAUS”) Survey reveal a decrease of 8,200 jobs in February, following gains in December and January.