What bills have been killed in the 2025 General Assembly session?

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- With just days left in the 2025 General Assembly session, a number of high-profile bills have failed to advance, including proposals for free school meals and a ban on plastic grocery bags.

While these measures garnered attention, they ultimately faced opposition from both sides of the aisle, preventing them from becoming law.

According to 8News political analyst Rich Meagher, several factors could have contributed to the failure of these bills, including partisan disagreements, budget constraints and limited legislative support. However, Meagher believes that some of these proposals could reemerge in future sessions with modifications to gain broader approval.

Among the bills that failed this year, one bill sought to provide free breakfast and lunch for all public school students -- and while widely supported, it struggled to pass due to budget concerns.

"A lot of these great ideas or interesting bills can somehow die just because the legislators aren't sure if there's money in the budget," Meagher explained.

Another measure, that would reform the justice system and help expand access to legal representation for immigrants, also failed to move forward. While this initiative had bipartisan support, financial and logistical concerns ultimately led to its demise.

The main proposal discussed was a plan to ban plastic grocery bags, which received support from environmental advocates, but faced resistance from lawmakers that were concerned about economic impacts on businesses and consumers.

Additionally, a controversial measure seeking to remove religious exemptions for school attendance was introduced but did not gain enough backing to advance.

Beyond budgetary and policy concerns, partisanship played a key role in halting some of these bills, Meagher noted.

"Members of the committee might have even liked the bill, and it may not have cost any money, but if this is a Democratic bill and we're Republicans, or this is a Republican bill and we're Democrats, we're going to vote against it," Meagher said.

Despite their failure in this session, Meagher emphasized that some of these proposals -- or elements of them -- are likely to be reintroduced in the coming years.

"Sometimes, a legislator will play the long game," Meagher said. "They'll introduce a bill, then they'll introduce it again, then they'll introduce it again with the idea of chipping away, building more support, maybe modifying the bill to get some more backing."

With growing public interest in issues like school meal access and environmental protection, advocates and lawmakers may revisit these policies in future legislative sessions, potentially securing the support needed for them to become law.

The 2025 General Assembly is set to convene next week.