March 26, 2025 Newsletter

Dear friend,

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This special edition newsletter highlights the Governor’s actions on the legislation that I successfully passed during the 2025 Session. The Governor’s deadline was 11:59 pm on Monday to act on 916 pieces of legislation approved by the General Assembly. Actions were reported periodically throughout the day yesterday and are shared below. Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and for staying informed.

Actions on My Legislation

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Legislation Signed into Law

After a challenging session that included the review of close to 3000 bills presented by the members of the Senate and the House, I am pleased to share that seven of my bills have now been signed into law:

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• SB981: The bill requires the Department of Health to evaluate the status of certified community health workers (CHWs) across the Commonwealth and report findings to the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations and the House Committee on Appropriations and the Director of the Department of Planning and Budget. This data will help us to understand gaps in our healthcare system, assess the impacts of CHWs, and direct resources appropriately.
• SB1064: This bill expedites the process for the Certificate of Public Need for the addition of psychiatric beds in facilities and clinics to meet the increasing need for mental health services.
• SB1081: This bill dissolves the TPA-Formulary and the TPA-Formulary Committee which has now become obsolete as a result of the management of the profession through the Board of Optometry.
• SB1104:  This bill establishes guidelines and protections for student-athletes engaged in outdoor training and sports under conditions of extreme heat.
• SB1106: This legislation secures qualifying VNG members with tuition assistance for the completion of degree programs at state institutions without having to carry the weight of tuition costs upfront. This program is proven to attract and retain more VNG members.
• SB1377: A recommendation from the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness, this legislation directs Department of Education and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to develop and implement a plan to incentivize and facilitate participation in the Commonwealth Mental Health First Aid Program in school districts across Virginia.
• SB1380: A recommendation from the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness, this legislation directs the Department of Education to develop and post on its official website guidelines and information relating to virtual or online learning.

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Amendments to My Legislation

SB1105, the Virginia Right to Contraception Act, protects the rights of Virginians to access FDA-approved contraception and provides legal protections for medical providers and patients from the interference of state actors. The Governor continues to side with the extremists within his own party, despite the fact that protecting the right to access contraceptives is extremely popular across the political spectrum. As with the 2024 session, the Governor’s amendments strip the legislation of the definition of contraception – including explicit protections for IUDs and emergency contraceptives – and remove its enforcement mechanism. His amendments also insert religious exemption protections that are already federally established by the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores case.

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The Community Energy Act (SB1100) enables Phase II public utilities to, through SCC approval, establish a pilot program for virtual power plants and to evaluate electric grid capacity needs and the ability of such virtual power plants to provide grid services, including peak-shaving, during times of peak electric demand. The Governor’s amendment erases the pilot program, as outlined in the legislation, and requests the State Corporation Commission to “evaluate and assess the benefits, impacts, best practices, and implementation recommendations” of such a program. The original legislation was drafted with broad stakeholder input that included environmental groups and Dominion Energy; it also received strong bipartisan support within the General Assembly. The Governor has now unnecessarily amended sound legislation in an attempt to delay critically-needed energy solutions within the Commonwealth.

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Amendments and vetoes to legislation, as well as the budget bill, will all be addressed when the Assembly convenes in Richmond for the  Reconvened Session on April 2. Members of the public will be able to follow proceedings using the Legislative Information System.

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In next week’s full newsletter, I will highlight the Governor’s actions on other bills passed this Session, as well as his unhelpful efforts to rewrite the budget that was passed and delivered to him with strong bipartisan support.

Connecting With My Office

My office can be reached at the following:

Email:  SenatorHashmi@senate.virginia.gov

Phone:  804.698.7515

If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up to receive my office’s weekly newsletter here.

— Ghazala

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