Virginia General Assembly Update – Week 6
Virginia General Assembly Update – Week 6
One more week to go in the 2025 Virginia General Assembly session!
Budget Negotiations and Bills Heading to Governor’s Desk: Yesterday, Senate and House conferees were appointed to iron out differences between the two chambers’ budget proposals. The differences are not major, and many anticipate that the 11 conferees will be able to complete their work over the next several days. In addition, Governor Youngkin will soon have hundreds of bills on his desk to sign, veto or attempt to amend. These include some that we oppose because they are harmful to life, health, dignity, and conscience; they also include some that we support because they help low-income families, reduce gun violence, and provide needed reforms to our criminal justice system. Stay tuned for further updates.
IVF Legislation: Earlier this week, we testified against legislation that recommends making IVF an “essential health benefit” in health plans. We expect debate on this issue to continue at the state and federal levels. For more information on the Church’s stance, please read the recent pastoral letter by Bishop Burbidge, as well as the “Catholic Primer” issued by the USCCB. We will keep you posted on opportunities to engage lawmakers on this sensitive issue in a way that brings needed attention to the serious concerns involved.
Continued Advocacy for Life: Thank you again to all who attended Virginia Pro-Life Day in Richmond last month. As you know, this year’s passage of an extreme and tragically misguided resolution to allow virtually unlimited abortion at any stage of pregnancy is the first step in the two-year process required to amend Virginia’s constitution. The battle to stop this radical proposed constitutional amendment involves many steps. Your continued witness to life at the state capitol is urgently needed, so please make plans now to attend the Virginia March for Life in Richmond on April 2.
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In prayer and in public, your voices are urgently needed to bring Gospel values to bear on vital decisions being made by those who represent you.
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The Virginia Catholic Conference is the public policy agency representing Virginia’s Catholic bishops and their two dioceses.
