by Brandon Jarvis
Sen. Aaron Rouse, D–Virginia Beach, chair of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, has introduced Senate Bill 49, which is legislation to reform Virginia’s gubernatorial appointment process. The bill would not allow individuals appointed to positions requiring confirmation by the General Assembly to serve until they are fully confirmed.
The legislation comes after a year of battles between former Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Senate Democrats over appointments to the governing bodies of colleges and universities across Virginia.
Senate Bill 49 clarifies the meaning of “appointed and qualified” for any office filled by gubernatorial appointment that requires confirmation by the General Assembly. Under the legislation, an appointee would be considered “appointed and qualified” only after satisfying all statutory requirements, taking the oath of office, and being confirmed by the General Assembly.
“This bill is about restoring checks and balances,” Rouse said. “No Governor, Democrat or Republican, should be able to bypass the General Assembly and place unconfirmed appointees into powerful roles, especially on boards that oversee our public universities.”
Senate Democrats blocked several appointments made by Youngkin to the University of Virginia, Virginia Military Institute and George Mason University last year.
Youngkin and Senate Democrats disagreed over whether a Senate committee has the authority to block appointments during a special session. The blocked individuals were serving on the boards up until the Senate committee refused their appointment – which led to a standoff between Democrats and Youngkin.
Democrats told the appointees that they could no longer serve, while Youngkin’s administration argued that the full General Assembly needed to meet and vote.
Youngkin ran out of time, as his term ended before the case was scheduled to be heard, resolving the legal dispute and leaving several board seats vacant at VMI, UVA and GMU.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger, just days before taking office on Saturday, asked several members of the UVA Board to step down — to which they did. She then appointed 12 people to GMU, 10 to UVA, and 5 to VMI hours after taking office. Spanberger also signed an executive order on Saturday ordering a review of the process for appointing and approving individuals to the Boards of Visitors at public colleges and universities. The executive order requires a report to the governor with recommendations on potential legislative or policy changes to terms, reappointments, start dates, and the evaluation process for appointees.
“Governor Spanberger has recently appointed 27 individuals to boards at the University of Virginia, George Mason University, and Virginia Military Institute and ordered a review of the appointments process,” Rouse said. “I look forward to working with her administration to confirm these appointments quickly so our boards can be fully staffed and focused on their mission.”