Buchanan County Resolution Request – The Cadet Foundation

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Buchanan County

Dear County Board of Supervisors

Proposed Resolutions for Consideration by the County Board of Supervisors

The following resolutions are respectfully submitted for consideration by the County Board of Supervisors and urge formal opposition to <a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1374">HB1374</a> and <a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1377">HB1377</a>, introduced during the 2026 Session of the Virginia General Assembly. If enacted, these measures would materially alter the governance structure, independence, and continued public status of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), an institution that has operated pursuant to long-established statutory authority and historical practice since its founding in 1839.

When your Board makes a final decision on this request, please notify <a href="mailto:info@thecadetfoundation.org">info@thecadetfoundation.org</a> so we can update the website with all those who support VMI.

Although the Virginia Military Institute is located within a specific locality, its mission, governance, and public role are matters of statewide significance. Actions taken by the General Assembly with respect to such institutions necessarily extend beyond local boundaries and may affect counties across the Commonwealth through precedent, policy, residents who attend VMI, and the expectations upon which local governments rely when carrying out their statutory responsibilities.

Under Virginia’s system of local governance, counties must operate within defined statutory authority while planning and making long-term decisions, relying on the stability of state law and established institutional structures. Legislative actions that substantially alter the governance frameworks of long-standing public institutions, absent compelling necessity or demonstrated institutional failure, raise concerns about reliance interests and the cumulative impact such actions may have on counties statewide.

House Bills 1374 and 1377 propose measures that would dissolve an independent governing board or defund a public institution and, in so doing, reopen the question of an institution’s public status and create a negative economic impact without a locally initiated request or evidence of institutional incapacity. Such actions risk establishing precedents whereby governance structures relied upon by counties, cities, and towns for planning, investment, workforce development, and economic forecasting may be modified with limited consideration of broader local-government impacts. Over time, this uncertainty may impair the ability of these entities to plan effectively and fulfill their statutory obligations to residents.

Counties across the Commonwealth have a shared interest in ensuring that state-level decisions affecting major public institutions are undertaken with restraint, transparency, and continuity. The long-standing governance and mission of VMI serve the interests not only of the host community but also of Virginia’s counties collectively, which benefit from institutional stability, predictable public policy, and the consistent application of governance principles.

Adoption of these resolutions would affirm the County Board of Supervisors’ responsibility to safeguard county interests, support sound governance practices, and respectfully advise the General Assembly of the broader implications these measures present for local governments statewide. Passage would further communicate the Board’s position that legislative actions affecting established public institutions should proceed only with careful consideration of precedent, reliance interests, and long-term impacts on counties throughout the Commonwealth.

The following are just two small examples of the Cadet leadership speaking out on this issue:

I can say VMI is the most inclusive environment that I have ever been a part of" and “"A third one would be a cadet that productively communicates, lives and works with people from many backgrounds and, in my personal experience, not only is this what has been taught here, this has been what has been taught here for decades," (emphasis added) - VMI Regimental Commander Devin Auzenne ‘26

You can watch the full video of the interview at this link: <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/vmi-cadets-fight-back-virginia-democrats-threaten-close-historic-military-college">VMI cadets defend school as Virginia Democrats threaten state funding | Fox News</a>

National Engagement

The controversy over the Virginia General Assembly's actions against VMI is drawing national attention. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told The Daily Wire on Tuesday that the War Department "reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity of VMI."

Read the complete article at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-says-it-will-fight-virginia-dems-to-save-historic-military-college">https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-says-it-will-fight-virginia-dems-to-save-historic-military-college</a>

AN IMPORTANT REMAINING ISSUE ON THE ENGROSSED HB1733:

Although the engrossed version of HB1377 removes explicit language referencing defunding or revoking state sponsorship of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), the bill does not eliminate the threat of defunding. Instead, it conceals that threat through rhetorical reframing, while preserving—and in some respects strengthening—the structural mechanisms by which defunding or functional dismantling of VMI could later be justified. For these reasons, opposition to HB1377 remains both warranted and necessary.

HB1377 (Engrossed Substitute) – Virginia Military Institute Task Force

Executive Summary

I. The Removal of Explicit “Defunding” Language Is Cosmetic, Not Substantive

The substitute amends the bill’s stated purpose from determining whether VMI should remain a state-sponsored institution to merely “examin[ing] higher education at” VMI. A task force empowered to “examine” an institution—with a mandate to issue formal findings and recommendations to the General Assembly—is still a vehicle for funding and structural consequences. The deletion of the historical “Whereas” clause citing a 1928 commission that recommended ending taxpayer assistance to VMI removes an explicit defunding reference, but not the analytic pathway that leads to the same result.

II. The Bill Preserves a Direct Analytical Pathway to Defunding

The engrossed bill retains a requirement that the task force assess whether other public institutions could “replace the role of VMI”, particularly in producing “taxpayer-funded commissioned officers.” This is not neutral fact-finding. In higher-education policy and appropriations practice, an analysis of whether an institution’s core role can be replaced is the predicate for reducing or eliminating funding. The bill no longer says “defund VMI,” but it still requires the work product that would justify defunding. The bill further emphasizes that VMI receives “significant funding” from the Commonwealth and frames that funding as a conditional “return on… public investment” —implicitly establishing appropriations as the enforcement mechanism for compliance.

III. The Bill Raises Independent Serious Concerns Beyond Defunding

Even aside from funding implications, the engrossed substitute remains problematic:

Unlimited scope: The task force may investigate “any other questions or concerns about VMI” and include them in its report, inviting mission creep and moving standards.
 	Extraordinary investigative powers: VMI must provide “all documents or records… requested,” and individuals must make themselves available for interviews, an unusually coercive posture for a single institution.
 	Adversarial framing: The bill’s prefatory clauses adopt a condemnatory tone toward VMI’s history and culture, signaling a lack of neutrality before any “examination” begins.

IV. Conclusion

HB1377’s engrossed substitute does not remove the threat to defund or dismantle VMI. It merely removes explicit language that made that threat politically visible, while preserving the mechanisms necessary to achieve the same outcome later. The bill’s broad scope, coercive investigative authority, and adversarial framing further justify continued opposition.

While HB1377 was recently amended to delete the  threatened removal of funds from VMI, we strongly oppose this Bill for the reasons cited, and that no study is necessary. This threatens the history and culture of VMI and, most importantly, disrupts the lives of Cadets and their pursuit of the VMI experience.

For these reasons, HB1377—despite its revised language—remains a bill that warrants firm and sustained opposition.

AN IMPORTANT REMAINING ISSUE ON THE ENGROSSED HB1374:

While HB1374 was recently amended to delete the threatened transfer of VMI’s governance under Virginia State University, we continue to strongly oppose this Bill. This threatens the history and culture of VMI and, most importantly, disrupts the lives of Cadets and their pursuit of the VMI experience.

House Bill 1374 no longer dissolves VMI’s Board of Visitors — but it fundamentally reshapes who controls it. Under current law, VMI’s board is anchored by alumni, most of whom are Virginia residents, ensuring that those who lived the Rat Line, upheld the single-sanction honor code, and embraced VMI’s citizen-soldier mission hold primary stewardship of the Institute. The amended bill eliminates that guarantee. Alumni may now occupy no more than half of the appointed seats — and potentially none at all — and there is no longer any requirement that alumni members reside in Virginia. At the same time, at least six seats must be filled by non-alumni Virginia residents, and additional appointees may come from outside the Commonwealth. In effect, the legislation hands governing authority over Virginia’s Military Institute to individuals who did not attend VMI and may not be rooted in its traditions, while removing the statutory safeguard that kept its leadership closely tied to Virginia-based alumni.

Counties and citizens of Virginia should oppose this bill because governance determines direction. VMI was founded as a Commonwealth institution — its very name reflecting its duty to serve Virginia first. For generations, its alumni-majority, Virginia-centered board structure ensured continuity of its honor system, Corps structure, and distinctive military culture. The amendment weakens that structural protection and opens the door for long-term cultural drift toward a more typical civilian university model. While the Institute remains legally independent, control over its future would increasingly rest with non-VMI alumni and individuals not necessarily anchored in Virginia’s civic fabric. For communities across the Commonwealth whose sons and daughters attend VMI — and whose tax dollars sustain it — that shift represents not preservation, but a gradual surrender of Virginia stewardship over its own Military Institute.

For these reasons, HB1374—despite its revised language—remains a bill that warrants firm and sustained opposition.

Accordingly, the following resolutions are presented for the Board’s consideration and action.

After you act on this request,  please contact <a href="mailto:VMI@thecadetfoundation.org">VMI@thecadetfoundation.org</a> so they can record whether your county does or does not support this request.
RESOLUTION ON HOUSE BILL 1374
RESOLUTION IN RE: OPPOSITION TO PROPOSED HOUSE BILL 1374, WHICH WOULD AMEND AND RENACT § 23.1-2501 OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA, RELATING TO THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE; BOARD OF VISITORS; MEMBERSHIP

WHEREAS, House Bill 1374 has been introduced in the 2026 General Assembly Session, which, in sum, fundamentally and substantially changes the Board of Visitors of the Virginia Military Institute and eliminates the requirement for any VMI alumni to serve on the board while significantly limiting the number of alumni/ae that can serve to eliminate any majority; and

WHEREAS, House Bill 1374 increases the number of required non-alumni board members who may have no experience with, nor support VMI, its founding principles, honor code; and

WHEREAS, House Bill 1374 reduces the number of required Virginia residents who serve on the board so as to create the opportunity that VMI will be controlled by a majority of members who are neither Virginians nor VMI Alumni; and

WHEREAS, the VMI board serves the vital role of hiring and evaluating superintendents, reviewing disciplinary appeals, setting strategic direction, influencing funding priorities, determining long-term institutional posture, and ultimately, the structure, application, oversight, operation, and existence of the Honor Code, Honor System, Ratline, Corps System, and Class System; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Military Institute (hereinafter VMI) was founded in 1839 as America's first state-sponsored and supported military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the United States; and

WHEREAS, in 1839, Lexington and Rockbridge County citizens, led by an esteemed Lexington resident and native son of Virginia, developed the foundational design and principles of VMI, which they later gained Commonwealth approval to implement, establishing the citizen-soldier model later adopted nationally; and

WHEREAS, in keeping with its founding principles and unlike any other Senior Military College in the United States, VMI enrolls cadets only, awards bachelor's degrees exclusively, and grants degrees in disciplines in engineering, science, and the liberal arts; and

WHEREAS, VMI has produced approximately 26,000 graduates during its 186 years of existence, many of whom have served the United States of America, the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Marine Corps, including over 285 graduates who have obtained the rank of general or flag officer; and

WHEREAS, VMI is the only Virginia Institution of Higher education with a State Cadet program that graduates citizen-soldiers to work directly for the Commonwealth and benefit all citizens and has produced leaders in the military, education, medicine, law, and engineering; and

WHEREAS, VMI, as a treasured part of the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia, has more than earned the right to govern itself under its own Board of Visitors as it has done for over  186 years; and

WHEREAS, Virginia Governor Campbell (D) opined in 1839 warning of implementing changes to VMI motivated by the political ideologies of the day vice the best interests of Virginia, "…as time goes on the experimenting and compromising with fundamental and unchanging principles of discipline become ever more costly with loss of efficiency and just at the time they are most needed to make of the Institute a model for the country as a whole which is suffering sorely from progressive education."; and

WHEREAS VMI and the VMI Family are essential parts of _____ County’s society and economy whose future and governance should not be conducted from afar by those who have no stake in the County, its residents, or businesses; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the ____County, Virginia Board of Supervisors hereby expresses and affirms its strong opposition to House Bill 1374, which amends Title 23.1 of the Code of Virginia to fundamentally and substantially changes the Board of Visitors of the Virginia Military Institute by, among other changes eliminates the requirement for any VMI alumni to serve on the board; significantly limits the number of alumni/ae that can serve to eliminate any alumni/ae majority; increases the number of required non-alumni board members who may have no experience with, nor support VMI, its founding principles, honor code, Honor System, Ratline, Corps System, and Class System; reduces the number of required Virginia residents who serve on the board so as to create the opportunity that VMI will be controlled by a majority of members who are neither Virginians nor VMI Alumni/ae and urges the General Assembly to reject said legislation, in any form a copy of which is attached hereto.

This Resolution was adopted by the __ County Board of Supervisors on this XX day of February 2026.

Recorded vote:

Moved:                                                                ____

Seconded: ____

Yeas: _                                                                   __County Board of Supervisors

Nays: ___                                                                    ATTEST:

____

County Administrator

RESOLUTION ON HOUSE BILL 1377
RESOLUTION

IN RE: OPPOSITION TO PROPOSED HOUSE BILL 1377, WHICH WOULD CREATE A TASK FORCE TO EXAMINE HIGHER EDUCATION AT THE INSTITUTE

WHEREAS, House Bill 1377 has been introduced in the 2026 General Assembly Session, which in sum creates a task force to determine whether the Virginia Military Institute should be fundamentally changed, continue to be a state-sponsored institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia, or be consolidated into other Virginia institutions; and

WHEREAS, HB1377’s adversarial framing asserts contested historical and cultural conclusions, including accusations of treason, and conclusions that  VMI and its cadets committed treason against the United States, with such language dividing Virginians instead of uniting us; and

WHEREAS, the Task Force does not include any Department of War representation to assess that impact, nor any Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to assess the racial, nor any Department of Education representatives to investigate gender and Title IX, which are within Federal responsibilities and not the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, The 2021 State Investigation of VMI cited in House Bill 1377 found no explicit racist or sexist policies, no overt Honor Court bias, full Title IX compliance, and minority retention rates exceeding peer group schools in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the proposed Task Force questions the replaceability of a federally integrated military institution,

WHEREAS, the concept and design of VMI and its founding principles were developed and adopted by the citizens of Lexington, Virginia, in Rockbridge County in 1839 lead by an esteemed Lexington, Virginia, resident and a native son of Virginia, and later became the standard of the citizen-soldier throughout the United States,

WHEREAS, the Virginia Military Institute has produced approximately 26,000 graduates during its 186 years of existence, many of whom have served the United States of America in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Marine Corps, including over 285 graduates who have obtained the rank of general or flag officer; and

WHEREAS, VMI is the only Virginia Institution of Higher education with a State Cadet program that graduates citizen-soldiers to work directly for the Commonwealth and benefit all citizens, and has produced leaders in the military, medicine, law, education, engineering, and business; and

WHEREAS, VMI and the VMI Family are treasured and essential parts of  ____County’s and Virginia's society and economy; and

WHEREAS, VMI has more than proven itself worthy of the Commonwealth of Virginia's investment of public funds in producing citizen-soldiers who have served the Commonwealth and the Republic of the United States of America for over 186 years; and

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the ____County, Virginia Board of Supervisors that it states and confirms its strong opposition to the House Bill 1377 in any form which proposes to create a task force to investigate and "examine"  VMI as well as retains a requirement that the task force assess whether other public institutions could “replace the role of VMI”, and if VMI should continue to be a state-sponsored institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia so as to preserve a direct analytic pathway to defunding the Institute and accordingly urges the General Assembly to reject said legislation, a copy of which is attached to this resolution.

This Resolution was adopted by the __ County Board of Supervisors on this, the ___ day of February 2026.

Recorded vote:

Moved:                                                                ____

Seconded: ____                                                          ??????

Yeas: _                                                                  ____ County Board of Supervisors

Nays: ___                                                                    ATTEST:

____

County Administrator

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Proposed Resolutions for Consideration by the County Board of Supervisors

The following resolutions are respectfully submitted for consideration by the County Board of Supervisors and urge formal opposition to House Bills 1374 and 1377, introduced during the 2026 Session of the Virginia General Assembly. If enacted, these measures would materially alter the governance structure, independence, and continued public status of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), an institution that has operated pursuant to long-established statutory authority and historical practice since its founding in 1839.

House Bills 1374 and 1377 propose measures that would dissolve an independent governing board and reopen the question of an institution’s public status without a locally initiated request or evidence of institutional incapacity. Such actions risk establishing precedents whereby governance structures relied upon by counties for planning, investment, workforce development, and economic forecasting may be modified with limited consideration of broader local-government impacts. Over time, this uncertainty may impair counties’ ability to plan effectively and fulfill their statutory obligations to residents.

Adoption of these resolutions would affirm the County Board of Supervisors’ responsibility to safeguard county interests, support sound governance practices, and respectfully advise the General Assembly of the broader implications these measures present for local governments statewide. Passage would further communicate the Board’s position that legislative actions affecting established public institutions should proceed only with careful consideration of precedent, reliance interests, and long-term impacts on counties throughout the Commonwealth.

The following are just two small examples of the Cadet leadership speaking out on this issue:

I can say VMI is the most inclusive environment that I have ever been a part of" and “"A third one would be a cadet that productively communicates, lives and works with people from many backgrounds and, in my personal experience, not only is this what has been taught here, this has been what has been taught here for decades," (emphasis added
VMI Regimental Commander Devin Auzenne ‘26 (African American)

You can watch the full video of the interview at this link: VMI cadets defend school as Virginia Democrats threaten state funding | Fox News

“Just seeing how everyone got along, seeing how people could just go in people’s rooms and just talk to each other—it was just a different type of bond that you just can’t get anywhere else,”
VMI First Class President Max Ankrah ’26 (African American)

You can watch the full video of the interview at this link: Ankrah ’26: Class President - VMI Alumni Agencies

Accordingly, the following resolutions are presented for the Board’s consideration and action.

RESOLUTION ON HOUSE BILL 1374

RESOLUTION

IN RE: OPPOSITION TO PROPOSED HOUSE BILL 1374, WHICH WOULD AMEND TITLE 23.1OF THE VIRGINIA CODE TO EFFECTUATE THE DISSOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF VISITORS OF THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE AND PLACE THE GOVERNANCE OF THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE UNDER THE BOARD OF VISITORS OF VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY

WHEREAS, House Bill 1374 has been introduced in the 2026 General Assembly Session which in sum dissolves the Board of Visitors of the Virginia Military Institute and places the Institute under the governance of the Board of Visitors of Virginia State University; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Military Institute (hereinafter VMI) was founded in 1839 as America's first state-sponsored and -supported military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the United States; and

WHEREAS, in 1839, Rockbridge County citizens, led by resident J. T. L. Preston, developed the foundational design and principles of VMI they later gained Commonwealth approval to implement, establishing the citizen-soldier model later adopted nationally; and

WHEREAS, VMI has produced approximately 26,000 graduates during its 186 years of existence, many of whom have served the United States of America, the U.S. Navy, U.S. States Army, U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps, including over 285 graduates who have obtained the rank of general or flag officer; and

WHEREAS VMI and the VMI Family are essential parts of Rockbridge County’s society and economy whose future and governance should not be conducted from afar by those who have no stake in the County, its residents or businesses; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Rockbridge County, Virginia Board of Supervisors hereby expresses and affirms its strong opposition to House Bill 1374, which amends Title 23.1 of the Code of Virginia to dissolve the VMI Board of Visitors and place VMI under the governance of the Board of Visitors of Virginia State University, and urges the General Assembly to reject said legislation, a copy of which is attached hereto.

This Resolution was adopted by the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors on this XX day of February 2026.

Recorded vote:

Moved: ____ ____________________________________

Seconded: ____

Yeas: ___ ____County Board of Supervisors

Nays: ___ ATTEST:

____________________________________

County Administrator

RESOLUTION ON HOUSE BILL 1377

RESOLUTION

IN RE: OPPOSITION TO PROPOSED HOUSE BILL 1377, WHICH WOULD CREATE A TASK FORCE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE A STATE-SPONSORED INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION

WHEREAS, House Bill 1377 has been introduced in the 2026 General Assembly Sessio,n which in sum creates a task force to determine whether the Virginia Military Institute should continue to be a state-sponsored institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the concept and design of VMI and its founding principles were developed and adopted by the citizens of Rockbridge County in 1839 lead by Rockbridge Resident J.T.L Preston and later became the standard of the citizen-soldier throughout the United States,

WHEREAS, the Virginia Military Institute has produced approximately 26,000 graduates during its 186 years of existence many of which have served the United States of America in the U.S. Navy, U.S. States Army, U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps including over 285 graduates who have obtained the rank of general or flag officer; and

WHEREAS, VMI is the only Virginia Institution of Higher education a State Cadet program that graduates citizen-soldiers to work directly for the Commonwealth and benefit all citizens, and has produced leaders in the military, medicine, law, education, engineering, business; and

WHEREAS, VMI and the VMI Family are treasured and essential parts of Rockbridge County’s society and economy; and

WHEREAS, VMI has more than proven itself worthy of the Commonwealth of Virginia's investment of public funds in producing citizens soldiers who have served the

Commonwealth and the Republic of the United States of America for over 186 years; and

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Rockbridge County, Virginia Board of Supervisors that it states and confirms its strong opposition to the House Bill 1377 which proposes to create a task force to determine if VMI should continue to be a state-sponsored institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia and accordingly urges the General Assembly to reject said legislation, a copy of which is attached to this resolution.

This Resolution was adopted by the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors on this, the ___ day of February 2026.

Recorded vote:

Moved: ____ ____________________________________

Seconded: ____ ??????

Yeas: ___ ______ County Board of Supervisors

Nays: ___ ATTEST:

____________________________________

County Administrator