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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: http://virginia-senate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3.

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