Governor Signs STEM Legislation from rvatech/ 2021 Policy Agenda

Writen by Andrew Lamar, rvatech/Government Affairs Specialist

The 2021 legislative session included several important accomplishments from the rvatech/ policy agenda, and on June 29th CEO Nick Serfass had the opportunity to join the governor for a bill signing ceremony celebrating some of that success.  Following a brief reception at the governor’s mansion, hosted by First Lady Pam Northam, the governor met with advocates and members of the Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board to ceremonially sign two pieces of legislation sponsored by Delegate Shelly Simonds of Newport News.

First, Governor Northam signed House Bill 1885, which requires the Department of Education to perform a comprehensive review of the ongoing implementation of mandatory computer science standards in elementary and middle schools.  While some school divisions are doing very well at implementing this instruction, others need to improve, and this review will help ensure that all students are being exposed to computer science education at an early age.  The review will also include recommendations and best practices for school divisions to consider when it is published no later than November 1 of this year. 

Next, Governor Northam signed House Bill 2058 creating the Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board to create a unified vision regarding STEM education initiatives, language, and measures of success to improve STEM programming across Virginia.  The Board will also work to create STEM Regional Hubs and name STEM Champions in the Commonwealth. 

We appreciated the opportunity to celebrate one portion of the important progress that we made in 2021, including issues like STEM education, workforce development, data center competitiveness, economic development, and significant funding for broadband deployment. Click here for more information about our policy committee and how you can get involved ahead of the 2022 legislation session.