Recent progress on legislation affecting the Virginia Military Institute has shifted the focus of the session’s debate.
House Bill 1377, the task-force bill introduced by Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax), was amended on the House floor before passage to remove language that would have directed the panel to consider whether VMI should remain a state-supported institution. The amended version directs the Virginia Military Institute Advisory Task Force to study academic programs, military
training, institutional culture and other areas without directly threatening state funding. The bill passed the House and is now pending in the Senate.
In response to the change, VMI Superintendent Lt. Gen. David J. Furness released a statement Thursday expressing the institute’s support of the amended bill:
“We are appreciative to the House of Delegates for their bipartisan efforts to amend the bill to remove references threatening VMI’s state funding,” the statement read. “We are confident that an impartial task force will find that VMI is a Virginia treasure that produces citizen-soldiers ready to serve selflessly as military officers or civilian leaders.”
House Bill 1374, the measure that would transfer governance of VMI to the Virginia State University Board of Visitors, remains in committee and has not yet advanced toward a floor vote.
