,
The General Assembly continues to move briskly along. Bills are
passing out of the Senate and moving to the House. Some of the bills
moving through the process will strengthen Virginia; others could set
the Commonwealth back. This week I want to tell you about some
noteworthy bills related to education and elections.
IMPROVING VIRGINIA SCHOOLS
I am committed to ensuring that every Virginia student receives a
world-class education, including access to an affordable college
degree or training for a career. This year, progress is being made
toward that goal. One of the best moves toward improving access to
Virginia’s public colleges and universities is a bill banning the
use of “legacy” status in admissions decisions. I believe that
decisions like these must be based strictly on merit. This bill passed
the Senate unanimously and is waiting for action by the House of
Delegates.
Another bill that recently passed the Senate will allow school boards
to develop more effective policies to limit cell phone use. While my
colleagues and I recognize that having a child carrying a cell phone
can help ensure their safety, phones can also be a significant
distraction in the classroom. School boards should be able to set
clear rules about when a cell phone may or may not be used during
regular school hours. An overwhelming bipartisan majority passed this
bill out of the Senate, and it now awaits action in the House of
Delegates.
ENSURING FAIR AND SECURE ELECTIONS
Few things are more critical than ensuring citizens feel confident
that their vote is counted and that the electoral process is honest
and reliable. My Republican colleagues and I are committed to fair and
secure elections, ensuring only legal voters can vote. Republicans
have put forward several common-sense proposals like:
* Ensuring someone registering to vote has a valid Social Security
number.
* Requiring a voter to show a valid photo identification to be
allowed to cast a ballot.
* Mandating voting machines provide a printed receipt to voters so
each voter can have a record of when and where they voted and how they
cast their ballot.
VISITORS TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
My colleagues and I spend time in committees and sessions of the full
Senate. We spend time with visitors to our offices. Many groups plan
special “lobby days” to bring supporters to advocate for their
issues and positions. Often, you can tell who a member is of one of
these groups by their various accessories. For example, credit union
advocates have red knit scarves, while gun rights advocates sport
orange lapel stickers. Doctors and pharmacists come in the white
clinical coats. Other activists may have t-shirts or pins. It makes
for a very colorful scene.
Only some people visiting the Capitol are here with an advocacy group.
We also get school groups and visits from individual constituents. My
staff and I meet with as many people as possible to learn about issues
of concern, answer questions, and listen to suggestions. If you find
yourself in Richmond during the General Assembly session, please stop
by our office. It’s very nice to see friendly faces.
INDIVIDUAL MEMBER LEGISLATION
This week I was very busy presenting several of my bills before both
subcommittees and committees. Between my regular committee meetings
and all these additional subcommittee and committee meetings, each
week it becomes more challenging to keep up with the quick pace. SB
553 which is a bill to allow the Board of Nursing to amend regulations
to permit nursing education programs in Virginia located within 60
miles of a bordering state to contract for an unlimited number of
required clinical hours at out- of- state clinical sites. SB 663
will amend the Board of Veterinary Medicine power and duties to
regulate, inspect, and register all satellite offices where veterinary
medicine is practiced. This allows for the shift from fixed locations
for veterinarians to a “farm call” practice where vets operate out
of trucks.
As always, I want to encourage you to watch the General Assembly
session. You are welcome to visit us in person in Richmond and view
the proceedings from the gallery. But you can also stream each day’s
session here:
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Please let me know where you stand on legislation impacting you. You
can reach us at our email
[email protected] or call
(804) 698-7505.To get up-to-date information, please follow us on our
Facebook page, Senator Travis Hackworth. I will be in touch next week
with another update from the General Assembly. Have a great week!
Until next week,
Senator Travis Hackworth
Virginia State Senator, District 5
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