---
type: "Bill"
title: "Mineral mining and processing; use of cyanide or a cyanide compound prohibited."
description: "Mineral mining and processing; use of cyanideor a cyanide compound prohibited. Prohibits any miner or otherperson from using cyanide or a cyanide compound in any mineral miningor processing operation."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 85"
citation: "Virginia HB 85 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Shelly A. Simonds"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 25
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2023-12-28"
last_action: "2024-03-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/6339ef0a-0e31-4ac6-bd90-2f1c75ed7ede"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB85"
source_hash: "a981e6c377365448d51d263faa9768af1522b1f8e0b6131c581bd853b94cadd1"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia HB 85 (2024) — Mineral mining and processing; use of cyanide or a cyanide compound prohibited.

Mineral mining and processing; use of cyanideor a cyanide compound prohibited. Prohibits any miner or otherperson from using cyanide or a cyanide compound in any mineral miningor processing operation.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **CHAP0135** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+CHAP0135)
2. **HB85ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB85ER)
3. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24101899D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB85)

## Votes

- Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N) — **10–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (100-Y 0-N) — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Shelly A. Simonds — primary (person)
- Alfonso H. Lopez — cosponsor (person)
- Amy J. Laufer — cosponsor (person)
- David A. Reid — cosponsor (person)
- Debra D. Gardner — cosponsor (person)
- Irene Shin — cosponsor (person)
- Marcus B. Simon — cosponsor (person)
- Marty Martinez — cosponsor (person)
- Michelle Lopes Maldonado — cosponsor (person)
- Nadarius E. Clark — cosponsor (person)
- Rozia A. Henson, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- Sam Rasoul — cosponsor (person)
- W. Chad Green — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-12-28** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24101899D `filing, introduction`
- **2023-12-28** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-15** Assigned ACNR sub: Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-17** Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N)
- **2024-01-24** Impact statement from DPB (HB85)
- **2024-01-24** Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-01-26** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2024-01-29** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2024-01-30** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-01-30** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (100-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-01-31** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2024-01-31** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-20** Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-22** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2024-02-23** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-02-23** Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-28** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2024-02-28** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB85ER) `passage`
- **2024-02-28** Impact statement from DPB (HB85ER)
- **2024-02-28** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2024-03-02** Signed by President `passage`
- **2024-03-11** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-11** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024 `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-26** Approved by Governor-Chapter 135 (effective 7/1/24) `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-26** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0135)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/6339ef0a-0e31-4ac6-bd90-2f1c75ed7ede`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).