With Virginia’s 2025 legislative session having adjourned Feb. 22, several bills impacting college students are now awaiting Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s signature. The session marked the final year of Youngkin’s term and saw a push for constitutional amendments, collective bargaining rights and increased funding for campus food insecurity programs.
However, the governor’s record number of vetoes has left many legislators uncertain about the fate of these bills. In 2024, Youngkin vetoed a total of 201 bills, adding to his total of 242 vetoed bills so far during his term — the greatest number of bills vetoed by a Virginia governor in history. Since Youngkin began his term in 2022, Republicans have never controlled the Virginia Senate, creating gridlock on both Democratic and Republican priorities. Democrats currently control the General Assembly, with a 21 to 19 majority in the Senate and a 51 to 49 majority in the House of Delegates.
One of the most notable bills for students is the Senate Bill 1016, the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program, co-sponsored by Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville. The bill will allow eligible public and private institutions of higher education to apply for grants aimed at funding free food programs for students.
Deeds emphasized the necessity of this initiative, citing the financial strain many students face. Health assessment surveys in 2019 and 2020 conducted by the University’s Office of Health Promotion showed that between one-quarter and one-third of students had experienced food security in the past 30 days.
“I'm convinced that there are students at nearly every campus [Virginia has] who are short on the cash to keep everything going and also provide the food for their daily sustenance,” Deeds said. “I would think [Youngkin] would sign it, but I just don't know.”
If signed into law, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia will administer the program. Participation is optional for institutions, but to receive funding, schools must create an on-campus food pantry or partner with a local food bank to share information to students about local food assistance programs. This bill could directly impact the U.Va. Community Food Pantry by giving state funding so that the Pantry can continue to offer essential food products for free, helping to reduce financial strain on the Pantry.
Another significant piece of legislation is SB 917, which would repeal an existing ban to grant collective bargaining rights to all Virginia public employees, including student workers. Collective bargaining is the process of negotiation between employers and groups of employees to establish provisions for wages, benefits and working conditions. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, who sponsored the bill, said that students should have the ability to negotiate wages and working conditions.
“Students working on campus could collectively bargain for fair wage benefits, hours and things like that,” Surovell said. “I know there's a lot of college workers that have been looking forward to having those rights, to be able to bargain as a group instead of having to bargain one-on-one.”
Members of the University chapter of United Campus Workers of Virginia rallied in Richmond’s Capitol Square Jan. 17, advocating for collective bargaining rights for higher education workers alongside UCW members from Virginia Commonwealth University, William & Mary and Virginia Tech. This rally is part of UCW-VA.’s long standing fight for collective bargaining rights and timely graduate worker pay.
Because the bill passed primarily with Democratic support, Deeds expressed skepticism about Youngkin’s willingness to approve the bill.
“I think that it’s very unlikely for the governor to sign this legislation, honestly,” Deeds said. “But I think it … would give people a chance to have a larger say in their workforce and workplace, and it could result in better working conditions for people across the board.”
Legislators also passed SB 1021 and HB 2113, both aimed at addressing climate concerns. SB 1021 requires electric utilities to revise long-term energy plans to align with Virginia’s clean energy laws, while HB 2113 promotes solar energy development on previously developed industrial sites and urban rooftops.
"We passed another bill that is designed to encourage more solar on what are called brownfields, previously developed industrial areas, and also on urban and suburban rooftops and parking lots,” Surovell said.
The University also set major sustainability goals in its 2030 ‘Great and Good’ Plan, including to become carbon neutral by 2030 and fossil fuel free by 2050. According to the most recent sustainability report, the University reduced its carbon emissions by nearly 45 percent from 2010 to 2023.
Surovell, who sponsored SB 1021, talked about the importance of these measures for young people.
“The consequences of what we're doing right now to the planet are gonna affect college students a lot more of their life than they will [affect] me,” Surovell said.
Despite the governor having signed solar energy bills in the past, Surovell expressed concern about the future of these environmental measures.
“I hope they do [become law], but I'm not optimistic,” Surovell said. “Whenever red votes started popping up … that was a good sign to us that the governor was probably opposed to it. That happened on a lot of the solar bills.”
In addition to passing bills, legislators approved three constitutional amendments for their first vote. Constitutional amendments do not require the governor’s signature, but must pass the Assembly twice, with an election in between. If passed both times, voters must approve the amendments on a statewide ballot.
House Joint Resolution 1 ensures the right to reproductive freedom, prohibiting the Commonwealth from restricting access to abortion and contraception. Surovell highlighted the importance of reproductive rights for college students specifically.
"Decisions like abortion are pretty critical to control over your life and your career at that young age," Surovell said. "Ensuring that those types of decisions would be forever uninhibited in Virginia is critical."
Deeds emphasized the importance of enshrining these rights in the Virginia Constitution rather than passing ordinary legislation.
"A law can be changed in a year, but a constitutional change is a longer process," Deeds said. "By embedding these rights in the Constitution, we're going to make sure that Virginia stays a place where reproductive health is respected and people have the right to make their own decisions."
House Joint Resolution 2 enshrines the right to vote, explicitly stating that this right cannot be restricted by law, except in cases of felony convictions or legal incapacitation. Surovell sees HJ 2 as an opportunity to increase voter participation rates, especially among college students by removing any possible impediments to voting.
One final amendment that passed is HJ 9, which would repeal outdated language defining marriage as between a man and a woman, instead affirming the right to marry regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
Surovell said HJ 9 affirms a right that he believes college students broadly support.
“I think most college students tend to be pretty tolerant towards LGBT rights and gay marriage," Surovell said. “That's something we need to put in our constitution so we don't end up fighting about it again.”
While the legislative session resulted in the passing of several bills and amendments, legislators have still encountered much resistance from Youngkin. Surovell expressed frustration with not only the lack of cooperation, but the lack of communication between Youngkin and the Democratic legislators.
“I haven't found the governor to be particularly collaborative,” Surovell said. “We don't find out the governor has a problem with a bill until we receive a veto statement, and it’s just kind of disappointing. It's not the way it has operated the last 14 years I served before he was elected.”
Surovell also said Youngkin’s approach to higher education governance could have long-term negative effects on Virginia’s universities.
"I have a lot of concern about the governor trying to manipulate how our universities are managed in a really negative way," Surovell said. "It could have long-term negative implications on the quality and attractiveness of [Virginia's] schools."
Youngkin has appointed 13 of the 17 current voting members of the University’s Board of Visitors, who are responsible for overseeing the long-term planning of the University, as well as approving certain policies and the University budget.
One of his appointees is Class of 1975 alumnus Bert Ellis, who said in December that he would not vote for any additional expenditures unless significant budget cuts were made. The Board also said last month that it must be consulted on changes to University policy, especially in regard to executive orders by the Trump administration.
Despite these challenges, Surovell remains hopeful for the future of Virginia’s universities and encourages student involvement in political advocacy.
"I would encourage students to get more active and involved," Surovell said. "I think we're living in a very dangerous time in our country, and when we have these kinds of moments in history, students usually lead the way."
Legislators will reconvene April 2 to discuss Youngkin’s amendments and vetoes.
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