The Virginia General Assembly amended two bills that could have changed Virginia Military Institute’s funding and governance structure after public pushback from alumni and cadets.

Delegate Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax) introduced HB1377 on Jan. 21. The original language of the bill sought to create a task force that would “determine whether [VMI] should continue to be a state-sponsored institution of higher education.” 

The task force would examine whether VMI has made changes since the 2021 State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) investigation into the school’s culture and practices. The General Assembly ordered the investigation in 2021 after an article by The Washington Post reported “relentless racism at the nation’s oldest state-supported military college.”

The new task force would recommend whether VMI should continue to receive public funds. The final decision would be left up to the governor and General Assembly.

VMI’s operating budget says it receives about $34.9 million in state funds.

However, on Feb. 6, the House of Delegates, the lower house of the General Assembly, passed an amended version of the bill. The revised version still calls for the task force to  examine VMI’s compliance with the 2021 investigation. But it no longer asks the task force to consider “whether VMI should continue to be a state-sponsored institution.”

Should the Senate of Virginia, the upper house of the General Assembly, pass the amended version, the task force would recommend to the governor and General Assembly what further changes VMI needs to make “to distance itself from the Lost Cause and foster an inclusive environment as well as any other matter raised by the Task Force.”

According to the Virginia General Assembly Session Calendar, Senate consideration of legislation passed by the House of Delegates will begin on Feb. 18.

If the bill passes, the task force must report back to the governor and General Assembly by Nov. 30.

Helmer, in a speech to the House of Delegates posted to his X account on Feb. 6, thanked those involved in the process. 

“We have worked closely with stakeholders to ensure we have an excellent task force that examines education at VMI, the direction of the education, the mechanisms by which it has moved past Lost Cause ideology [and] the quality of the education,” Helmer said.

VMI Superintendent David Furness released a statement on the Institute’s website on Feb. 4 in support of the amended legislation.

“While no institution is perfect, VMI is open to improvement in our constant pursuit of excellence,” Furness said. “Should the bill be signed into law, we look forward to working with the task force and sharing the VMI experience with them.”

Delegate Michael Feggans (D-Virginia Beach) introduced HB1374 to the House of Delegates on Jan. 20. The bill sought to transfer governance of the institute from the VMI Board of Visitors to Virginia State University’s board.

The Code of Virginia states that the board of visitors for a public institution of higher education makes policy and budgetary decisions for the institution, appoints leadership and faculty and determines tuition. Members of the board of visitors are appointed by the governor and confirmed to four-year terms by the General Assembly.

If passed, the bill would have kept VMI separate from Virginia State University. But the tasks of VMI’s board of visitors would be under the control of the board of visitors of VSU, a historically Black university over 150 miles away in Petersburg, Virginia.

On Feb. 2, Feggans gave a speech to the Education Committee in support of the legislation.

“VMI produces cadets who are a tremendous resource to our communities, both civilian and military. And these cadets, they deserve an institution that prepares them for the future and not one held back by an outdated vision of the past,” Feggans said.

On Feb. 11, an amended version passed the Education Committee on party lines and advanced to the floor for the entire House of Delegates to vote on.

The amended bill no longer proposes transferring control of Virginia Military Institute to the board of visitors of Virginia State University. Instead, it targets a revision of the composition of VMI’s board of visitors.

The Virginia Mercury reported that Feggans decided to amend the bill after a visit to Virginia Military Institute, where he witnessed the discipline and professionalism of the Institute.

Should the legislation pass, it would keep the total number of appointed board members at 16 but decrease the number of alumni allowed to serve from 12 to eight. The mandatory number of non-alumni would increase from four to six. The bill would also introduce a new requirement that at least five of the board’s members must have served in the military.

Furness released a second statement on Feb. 11 following his appearance to testify before the Education Committee.

“I am appreciative to the patron of the bill for the time he spent listening to cadets during his visit to Lexington and his willingness to engage with the Institute,” Furness said. “I look forward to working with the General Assembly to make all Virginians proud of VMI.”

Before the amended versions of the bill were introduced, cadets and local community members advocated against the legislation.

A group of cadets holding leadership roles released a memorandum on the meaning and future of Virginia Military Institute. The memo documented the opinions of eight students.

Cadet Devin Auzenne wrote, “For me, VMI is a community. A family that transcends race, culture, orientation, creed and political beliefs.”

The News-Gazette reported that on Feb. 10, the Rockbridge Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in support of the Virginia Military Institute and against the original pieces of legislation in a 5-0 vote. The board’s resolution has no legal power.

Before the vote, several citizens spoke in favor of the resolution. All public comments can be heard in the recording of the meeting.

“VMI has become a partisan issue. It should not be a partisan issue, and I certainly hope that the board of supervisors would consider voting for the resolution and oppose all of the ill-gotten bills that the assembly is handing down,” said Jan Lowry, a resident of Kerrs Creek representing the Rockbridge Republicans. “Any kind of government interference with the Virginia Military Institute would be a step backwards for Rockbridge County.”