Mineral Mine Safety Act; definition of "surface mineral mine," use of cyanide or cyanide compound.
Summary
Mineral Mine Safety Act; definition of "surface mineral mine"; mine inspectors; certificate renewal; use of cyanide or cyanide compound. Amends the definition of "surface mineral mine" in the Mineral Mine Safety Act to exclude excavation or grading when conducted solely in aid of onsite farming or construction and under certain conditions enumerated in the bill. The bill amends the definition of "mining" in existing law, relating to the exemption from permits for a mining operation, to extend the required completion time from six months to one year for excavation or grading conducted to construct or expand a farm pond for agricultural irrigation or provision of water for livestock. The bill also amends the qualification requirements for mineral mine inspectors, removes references to the defunct Board of Mineral Mining Examiners, and prohibits the issuance of any permit for a mineral mining or processing operation that includes the use of cyanide or a cyanide compound. This bill is identical to HB 1887.
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 6, 2025
Signed Mar 24, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Enrolled
→
Chaptered
·
4 edits
MODERATE
This bill finalizes the 2025 legislative changes to Virginia's Mineral Mine Safety Act by converting the enrolled bill into a chapter. The substantive policy content remains the same as the enrolled version, with no new provisions added or removed. The primary changes are formatting and layout adjustments typical of the chaptering process, including adding chapter metadata, date of approval, and adjusting line spacing and indentation for the official publication.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; this is a procedural conversion from enrolled bill to chaptered law.
TECHNICAL
Removed the 'ENROLLED' header and replaced it with 'CHAPTER 405' and the approval date of March 24, 2025, which is standard procedure when a bill becomes law.
Added chapter metadata including the chapter number (405), approval date, and page numbering (2 of 4) for official publication purposes.
Adjusted text spacing, indentation, and line breaks throughout the document to conform to the official chapter format, but no substantive text was altered.
SUBSTANTIVE
All substantive provisions regarding mine safety definitions, inspector qualifications, certificate renewal requirements, and cyanide use restrictions remain exactly the same as the enrolled version.
Floor votes · Senate Jan 23, 2025 · House of Delegates Feb 17, 2025
How they voted
39–0
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 40
Jan 23, 2025
D
Democratic21
95% Yea
R
Republican19
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
28
Key actions
10
Committee
4
Mar 24, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 405 (Effective 07/01/25)
executive
Feb 22, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Feb 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Feb 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB969ER)
upper
Feb 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed House (96-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed House (95-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources (22-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 4, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
lower
Jan 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (38-Y 0-N)
upper
Jan 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Jan 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (14-Y 0-N)
upper
Jan 6, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Richard Stuart
RRepublican
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about SB 969
Scope: VA
Hi! I can help you understand SB 969. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline