General Assembly convenes briefly and will recess until Monday due to Richmond water crisis

This week’s winter storm knocked out power to the water treatment plant in Richmond and service was not restored until Tuesday afternoon.

“We recognize this outage has touched everyday Richmonders, families, and the business community, said Sabrina Joy-Hogg, Richmond’s Interim Chief Administrative Officer, in an announcement on the city’s website.

Residents are asked to boil water until further notice due to the possibility of untreated water being in the system. That has meant the closure of Capitol Square until at least January 12.

“Due to ongoing water outages in the City of Richmond, the House of Delegates will convene [Wednesday] at 12:00 PM to officially gavel in and commence the 2025 legislative session,” announced Speaker Don Scott in a press release. “Following this initial meeting, the House will recess and reconvene on Monday, January 13th, to continue our work for the people of Virginia.”

The water outage has also canceled party caucuses and press conferences as well as all committee meetings.

When the House of Delegates and Senate met, one action taken was to extend the deadline to pre-file legislation until 10 a.m. Monday. In the House of Delegates that took the form of HJ430. The vote was unanimous.

Minority Leader Todd Gilbert (R-33) made a brief remark before the vote.

“Mr. Speaker, we have plenty we are going to fight about I’m sure this session but I wanted to thank you Mr. Speaker and [Majority Leader Charniele Herring] for being so receptive and communicative about this resolution and what we’re doing here,” Gilbert said.

“It’s not going to last,” Gilbert said after Scott gave an audible “aww” in response.

At one point during the brief session, Senator Scott Surovell (D-34) appeared before the House of Delegates with a message from his chamber.

“Mr. Speaker, I have been directed by the President of the Senate to inform the House of Delegates that the Senate is hydrated, showered, and duly organized and ready to proceed to business,” Surovell said to a smattering of laughter.

To track the 2025 General Assembly yourself, refer to the new Legislative Information System.

Before you go: This article was originally sent out as part of the Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter in the January 8, 2025 edition. Both are functions of Town Crier Productions. You can support the work by purchasing a paid subscription or contributing monthly through Patreon. You can also send in a check or send an email, but drop me a line first.