SB 857 Virginia Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Dam Safety Act; powers and duties of DCR, rights and requirements of dam owners, civil penalty.

Summary
Dam Safety, Flood Prevention and Protection Assistance; Dam Safety Act; powers and duties of the Department of Conservation and Recreation; rights and requirements of dam owners; civil penalty. Amends various provisions of the Dam Safety Act to streamline the Department of Conservation and Recreation's enforcement powers for impounding structures under the Act and clarifies the Department's powers and duties during an active dam failure. The bill also makes changes to a dam owner's responsibilities under the Act, including adding requirements to obtain a general permit for a low hazard impounding structure, making a dam owner responsible for ensuring that his impounding structure that presents an imminent danger has a safety inspection performed as provided in the bill, and allowing a dam owner to identify the dam break inundation zone of his impounding structure by providing the limits of the dam break inundation zone in lieu of filing a map. The bill also changes certain criteria for applicants to receive funds from the Dam Safety, Flood Prevention and Protection Assistance Fund, including the project match requirements for grants or loans. Finally, the bill repeals the provisions providing civil penalties for violating the provisions of the Act and makes technical amendments related to such repeal. This bill is identical to HB 2000.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Feb 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2025
Signed into Law
Mar 2025
Introduced Jan 3, 2025 Signed Mar 21, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Enrolled Chaptered · 5 edits
MODERATE
This bill amends Virginia's dam safety and flood prevention laws, primarily updating formatting and organizational structure while maintaining the same substantive requirements. The changes include reformatting the bill text to match official chaptered format, correcting section numbering inconsistencies, and updating the chapter designation to Chapter 241. No substantive policy changes, funding amounts, or eligibility criteria were altered.
Scope change
No change in scope or applicability; the bill covers the same dam safety, flood prevention, and protection assistance provisions as before.
TECHNICAL

Reformatted bill text to match official chaptered format with proper spacing and alignment

Corrected section numbering inconsistencies (e.g., 'I. J.' changed to 'I. J.' with proper formatting)

Updated chapter designation from 'CHAPTER' to 'CHAPTER 241'

Added approval date 'March 21, 2025' to the enrolled version

Corrected minor text inconsistencies such as '30 days' formatting and section reference numbering

Floor votes · Senate Jan 22, 2025 · House of Delegates Feb 17, 2025

How they voted

400
Passed
Total votes 40
Jan 22, 2025
D Democratic21
21 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican19
19 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
35
Key actions
13
Committee
5
Amendments
6
Mar 21, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 241 (Effective 07/01/25)
executive
Feb 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Feb 21, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Feb 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB857ER)
upper
Feb 18, 2025
Upper · Passed
House Amendments agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed House with amendments (89-Y 6-N)
lower
Feb 17, 2025
Introduced
Engrossed by House as amended
lower
Feb 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Amendments agreed to
lower
Feb 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 5, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
lower
Jan 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (38-Y 0-N)
upper
Jan 23, 2025
Introduced
Engrossed by Senate as amended
upper
Jan 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Amendments agreed to
upper
Jan 23, 2025
Introduced
Reading of amendments waived
upper
Jan 22, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Jan 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N)
upper
Jan 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with amendments and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N)
upper
Jan 3, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Timmy French
Timmy French
RRepublican
VA
1