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General Assembly 2025: a visual dispatch

A bird's eye view of the State Capitol
Shaban Athuman
/
VPM News
The sun rises behind the Capitol complex on Thursday, January 16, 2025 in Richmond, Virginia.

A daily visual dispatch from the 2025 General Assembly session.

VPM News photographer Shaban Athuman is on hand to capture the 2025 General Assembly session as it's happening, from votes on key bills to the emotional moments that happen as lawmakers discuss topics they're passionate about.

This year, he is bringing you with him on the journey, with daily photo dispatches from the Capitol complex.


Thursday, Feb. 6

The House and Senate passed their budget amendments out of chambers Thursday.

Before the Senate debated its amendments, members took a moment to honor Henry L. Marsh III, a longtime state senator and Richmond's first Black mayor, who died last month.

Later, when the Senate was about to adjourn, Sen. Aaron Rouse (D–Virginia Beach) honored the late poet Nikki Giovanni, his professor at Virginia Tech. Giovanni died in December 2024 at 81.

"I am gonna miss her,” Rouse said. "She had a a profound love for a student athletes. Nikki always let us know exactly where we stood on campus, and she would always say, 'Listen, they're gonna work you all very hard and on the football field ... so you better get an education here while you're at Virginia Tech.'"


Wedneday, Feb. 5

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the Bell Tower Wednesday, joining other protesters across the country in opposing the early actions of President Donald Trump's administration. They decried Trump's immigration crackdown, rollback of transgender rights and proposal for the U.S. to seize control of from the Gaza Strip.


Tuesday, Feb. 4

Tuesday was "Crossover Day," the last day that bills introduced in one chamber of the General Assembly can be passed by that chamber and referred to the other chamber. No new legislation can be introduced after crossover, and each chamber can only consider bills that have already been passed by the other chamber.

The Senate spent most of its time debating SB982, which adds Fairfax County to the list of localities eligible to host a casino. It passed 24–16 and now heads to the House of Delegates.


Sunday, Feb. 2

The House and Senate finance committees met on Sunday to offer their budget amendments.


Thursday, Jan. 30

People paid their respects Thursday to Henry L. Marsh III — a longtime state senator and Richmond's first Black mayor — who died last week at 91. Marsh is lying in state at the Capitol building before his funeral Saturday.

"Another giant," one visitor whispered as he left The Old Senate Chamber.


Wednesday, Jan. 29

University of Virginia students Ashwin Durvasula, Ibraheem Qureshi and Miranda Rennet joined other students from across the commonwealth to urged their elected officials to vote for the Hunger-Free Campus Act, which would allow Virginia colleges and universities to seek state grant funding to support on-campus food pantries.

As the House was adjourning, Dels. Jeion Ward (D–Hampton) and Delores McQuinn (D–Henrico) discovered that it was assistant House clerk Mark Parker Jr.'s birthday and sang him Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday."


Monday, Jan. 27/Tuesday, Jan. 28

Gov. Glenn Youngkin, alongside Richmond Mayor Danny Avula, announced Monday that U.K.-based health company Haleon — which produces Advil, among other products — will invest more than $54 million to upgrade its Richmond research and development facility.

Later that day, the House of Delegates' subcommittee on criminal courts heard bills.

On Tuesday, the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee meeting was packed as the committee considered SB1031, which would remove Virginia's exemption allowing families to pull their children out of school for religious reasons without proving that they are educating the children at home — the only such exemption in the nation. Youngkin has said he will veto the bill if it is passed.


Friday, Jan. 24

Gov. Glenn Youngkin and U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (D–Va.) joined members of both chambers at the unveiling of “Out of the Shadow,” an exhibit commemorating the legacy of Black people who served in Virginia's state government during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era.

Attendees also honored Speaker of the House Don Scott (D–Portsmouth), the first Black person to lead the House of Delegates in its 400-year history. Sott recently donated his archive — including documents related to his recent pardon by former President Joe Biden — to the Library of Virginia. Del. Luke Torian (D–Prince William) praised Scott's historic journey in an emotional speech.


Thursday, Jan. 23

The House of Delegates commemorated the life and legacy of Private Oscar Cleveland Hicks, a Hanover man who was killed during World War II.


Wednesday, Jan. 22

Wednesday was a relatively quiet day at the General Assembly. Most of the bills that were on their third reading passed with bipartisan votes.


Tuesday, Jan. 21

Renee Gutshall joined other Virginia Alliance for PANS/PANDAS Action members at the House of Delegates to advocate for her two children, who suffer from pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) — a rare condition that affects children and causes sudden changes in behavior, mood and neurological function in children. Gutshall and her group were urging lawmakers to pass HB1641, which would require insurance companies to cover certain pediatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections and PANS.

On the Senate floor, legislators gave their last passionate comments on three proposed constitutional amendments. “I have a daughter who I will be walking down the aisle,” Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D–Fairfax) said after the Senate passed SJ247, an amendment that would enshrine marriage equality in the state constitution. “It's so meaningful to the families who now know that their children and their brothers and sisters rights are going to be enshrined in our Constitution. I'm just very grateful.”


Monday, Jan. 20

Senators will vote on Tuesday on proposed amendments that would enshrine abortion access and marriage equality in Virginia's constitution and automatically restore voting rights to people who have completed felony sentences. If the Senate passes the amendments Tuesday and both chambers pass them again in 2026, Virginia voters will get to vote on the measures in the November 2026 general election.


Friday, Jan. 17

Both chambers of the legislature passed resolutions commending former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, who turned 94 Friday.

A portrait of Former Governor Douglas Wilder
Shaban Athuman
/
VPM News
In honor of Former Governor Douglas Wilder, the House and Senate passed resolutions commending the former governor during a General Assembly session on Friday, January 17, 2025 at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia. The former Governor turned 94 today.

Thursday, Jan. 16

Gov. Glenn Youngkin joined Del. Mike Cherry (R–Colonial Heights) and state Sen. Emily Jordan (R–Isle of Wight) at a press conference in support of SB1346, which would establish the Virginia Opportunity Scholarship Grant Program, a $5,000 scholarship for eligible students to attend private schools.

Later in the day, senators welcomed two newly-sworn-in colleagues, Sens. Kannan Srinivasan (D–Loudoun) and Luther Cifers (R–Prince Edward).


Wednesday, Jan. 15

On a cold morning, former congresswoman and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger joined Moms Demand Action for a gun safety rally. Shortly afterwards, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears — the lone Republican currently running for governor in November — joined Attorney General Jason Miyares and Youngkin for a press conference in support of HB1809 and SB749, which would require schools to only allow students to participate in sports based on their “biological sex.”


Tuesday, Jan. 14

House Delegates debated three constitutional amendments, but spent most of their time on two resolutions: HJ1, which would enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution, and HJ2, which would restore voting rights to those convicted of felonies once they complete their incarceration — as long as they meet all of the other qualifications to vote in Virginia.

During discussion of HJ1, Del. Kim Taylor, (R–Dinwiddie) cried as Del. Nick Freitas, (R–Culpeper) relayed a graphic description of dilation and evacuation abortion provided by a former abortion nurse.

House Majority Leader Charniele Herring (D–Alexandria) listened as Del. Cia Price (D–Newport News accused Republicans of “hypocrisy” for invoking the Bible to oppose the abortion amendment — but not also using it to argue for giving people a second chance to vote after their incarceration.


Monday, Jan. 13

Gov. Glenn Youngkin delivered his State of the Commonwealth address Monday, after a water shortage left much of Greater Richmond without drinkable water for several days and prevented the session from beginning in earnest.


Sean McGoey edited the accompanying essays.

Shaban Athuman is a photojournalist for VPM News.