Gov. Abigail Spanberger has declined to sign a bill ordering a state review of Virginia Military Institute, instead returning it to lawmakers with a substitute version that significantly reshapes how that review would be conducted.
“I approve the general purpose of this bill, but I am returning it without my signature with the request that the attached Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute be accepted,” Spanberger wrote in her recommendation, which was posted to the state’s Legislative Information System website on Monday.
House Bill 1377, introduced by Del. Dan Helmer, as passed by the General Assembly would have created an external advisory task force to examine VMI’s governance, educational practices and response to a 2021 state-commissioned report.
Spanberger’s substitute eliminates that task force entirely and instead directs VMI’s own board of visitors to carry out the review.
Under the revised language, the board would be required to “examine and determine VMI’s responsiveness” to the recommendations of the 2021 report commissioned by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. The board would also be tasked with exploring additional changes to “distance [VMI] from the Lost Cause narrative, foster an inclusive environment, and address any other concerns.”
The substitute outlines a more detailed and directive review process. It calls for an audit of actions taken by VMI leadership since the 2021 report, as well as an analysis of admissions data to assess efforts to recruit a more diverse student body and whether the Institute has moved away from prioritizing legacy applicants.
It also grants the board wide-ranging authority to conduct its review, including access to institutional records, working papers and “related unofficial communications.” It also permits the board to interview current or former students; as well as “any individuals currently providing education instruction, serving in an administrative role, serving in a leadership role, or serving on the Board, or any individuals otherwise currently employed at VMI, and any individuals who previously provided such instruction, served in such roles, or were otherwise previously employed at VMI.”
The board of visitors would be required to submit its findings and recommendations to the governor and General Assembly.
The General Assembly will take up the governor’s substitute when it reconvenes April 22. Lawmakers must either accept or reject the proposal without amendment. If both the House and Senate approve the substitute, the bill will become law in its revised form. If one or both chambers reject the substitute, the bill goes back to the governor, who has the choice to sign the original bill or veto it. A veto could be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both chambers — though that would require further legislative action.
The bill represents the latest development in a broader legislative effort this year to examine and potentially reshape VMI’s governance and operations.
Earlier in the session, lawmakers considered multiple proposals related to the Institute, including a measure that would have restructured the composition of VMI’s board of visitors and another that would have directed a review of whether the school should continue receiving state funding. Those proposals were either amended or failed to advance.
House Bill 1377 ultimately emerged as the primary vehicle for continued oversight, though it, too, was scaled back during the legislative process before final passage in March.
