Geologists; regulation, licensure, penalty.
Summary
Professions and occupations; regulation of geologists; licensure; penalty. Provides that professional geologists shall be licensed by the Board for Professional Soil Scientists, Wetland Professionals, and Geologists. Under current law, professional geologists are certified by the Board. The bill requires the Board to issue a license to any individual who holds an unexpired certification to practice as a geologist issued prior to July 1, 2025. The bill also makes any person practicing or offering to practice geology without holding such license from the Board guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill requires the Board to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of the bill to be effective within 280 days of the bill's enactment.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Feb 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Jan 6, 2025
Signed May 2, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
General Laws Substitute
→
Chaptered
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill transitioned from a House substitute version to its final chaptered form, with the primary substantive change being the addition of page breaks and formatting markers typical of official legislative publication. The actual policy content regarding geologist licensure, board composition, and qualifications remains substantively identical between versions.
Scope change
No substantive change in scope or applicability; the bill covers the same Virginia Code sections and regulatory framework for geologists, soil scientists, and wetland professionals.
TECHNICAL
Added page headers, footers, and formatting markers (e.g., 'CHAPTER 722', 'Approved May 2, 2025') that appear only in the officially enacted version.
Removed House-specific metadata such as bill number, amendment date, and sponsor information that is not needed in the final chaptered version.
Adjusted line breaks and paragraph spacing to conform to official legislative formatting standards.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 14, 2025 · House of Delegates Feb 4, 2025
How they voted
36–0
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 40
Feb 14, 2025
D
Democratic21
100% Yea
R
Republican19
78% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
34
Key actions
10
Committee
5
May 2, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 722 (Effective 07/01/25)
executive
Apr 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed by for the day
lower
Mar 24, 2025
Vetoed
Governor's recommendation received by House
executive
Feb 22, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Feb 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Feb 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1835ER)
lower
Feb 17, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported from General Laws and Technology (15-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 5, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
upper
Feb 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (91-Y 6-N)
lower
Jan 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported from General Laws with substitute (19-Y 2-N)
lower
Jan 13, 2025
Committee
Assigned GL sub: Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process
lower
Jan 6, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Bill Wiley
RRepublican
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