Water-Related Bills in the 2008 Virginia General Assembly

The 2008 Virginia General Assembly session opened January 9 and adjourned March 13. Work on the biennial state budget required a few additional days beyond the scheduled adjournment date of March 8. The legislature considered 3322 bills and resolutions, passing 1654, rejecting 1351, and carrying 317 over to 2009. The reconvened session, when legislators consider the governor’s recommendations or vetoes, took place April 23. In this article, Virginia Water Central lists over 180 measures in the 2008 Assembly that dealt with water resources or with land activities with a relatively direct impact on water. The list also includes some bills that may affect water resources indirectly, such as certain bills about air pollution, electricity generation, or transportation. The bills listed below were located by searching the Legislative Information System (LIS) Web site (http://leg1.state.va.us) under various subject categories related to natural resources. Descriptions of the bills in this inventory were taken from bill summaries at the LIS site; the Water Center has edited the descriptions in some cases for clarity, emphasis, or space. The bills are grouped in the LIS categories in which they were found (with a few exceptions, such as bills found under “Study Commissions”). For bills that LIS listed in more than one category, Water Central has listed them below in one relevant category. Within each category, bills are listed in order of their bill number, using the following abbreviations: HB = bill started in House of Delegates; HJ = joint resolution started in the House; HR = House resolution; SB = bill started in the Senate; and SJ = joint resolution started in the Senate. Water Central does not claim that our list includes all bills that potentially could affect Virginia’s water resources. This article notes companion and related bills where possible, but Water Central does not guarantee that all such connections are identified in this list. For more information about Virginia legislation (including summaries of all bills in the current and past sessions) visit the LIS Web site at http://leg1.state.va.us. You may also get information on bills by phoning toll-free (877) 391-FACT (House of Delegates) or (888) 892-6948 (Senate). The General Assembly’s Web site is http://legis.state.va.us.