͏͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌If you’d like to unsubscribe, click here. [[link removed]]

Sen. Aaron Rouse




Thursday, February 15th, 2024
Weekly Newsletter

This week was a busy one in the General Assembly! We reached crossover yesterday – the day that bills introduced and passed in one chamber of the General Assembly “crossover” to be voted on by the other.

Thirteen of the bills that I was Chief Patron have passed the Virginia Senate! Now, the bills head to the House of Delegates!

This critical legislation will protect voting rights, strengthen working families and ensure small businesses can thrive in our Commonwealth. Due to working across party lines in the best interest of my constituents, the majority of my legislation passed with bipartisan support through the Senate. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to come together, pass these bills, and send them to the Governor’s desk.

– Senator Aaron Rouse




1.
SB
343
-
Establish
military-centered
community
zones.
Allow
localities
to
offer
unique
economic
development
benefits
in
communities
that
serve
a
high
population
of
military
personnel.
2.
SB
300
-
Prevent
unlawful
and/or
flawed
voter
purges
by
setting
standards,
such
as
a
verification
requirement.
The
general
registrars
must
send
notice
before
canceling
a
voter's
registration,
regardless
of
the
reason
for
cancellation.
Any
canceled
voter
registrations
create
a
record
available
to
the
public
per
the
Virginia
Freedom
of
Information
Act
and
the
National
Voter
Registration
Act * [link removed] 🎉SB300
[[link removed]] (Rouse)
has
passed
Senate!
This
bill
puts
safeguards
in
place
to
prevent
voters
from
being
improperly
purged
from
the
voter
rolls.
#VaLeg
[#]Aaron Rouse on Twitter [[link removed]]
New
Virginia
Majority
@NewVAMajority
1:25
PM
·
Feb
13,
2024
·
X




3.
SB
188
-
Election
of
certain
governing
bodies;
conversion
to
single-member
districts.
Allows
the
governing
body
of
a
locality
that
has
been
subject
to
a
court
order
imposing
a
remedial
election
system
under
voting
rights
laws
to
adopt
an
ordinance
to
convert
one
or
more
at-large
seats
of
such
body
to
single-member
districts.
4.
SB
212
-
Establish
a
framework
for
the
regulation,
taxation,
and
enforcement
of
skill
games
in
Virginia.
Under
this
bill,
the
Virginia
Alcoholic
Beverage
Control
Authority
would
oversee
skill
games,
which
is
estimated
to
bring
$200
million
in
tax
revenue
to
the
Commonwealth
for
public
education,
school
construction,
and
local
governments.
5.
SB
448
-
Legalize
recreational
marijuana
sales
in
Virginia.
Establishment
of
marijuana
retail
market
and
regulatory
structure
inclusive
of
Virginia’s
small
and
midsize
businesses.
The
legislation
will
allow
for
potential
licensees
to
apply
for
licenses
at
the
same
time,
sets
a
12%
retail
tax
for
marijuana
and
marijuana
products,
with
6%
going
to
the
state,
6%
to
localities
and
empowers
the
Virginia
Cannabis
Control
Authority
to
establish
secure
seed
to
sale
tracking.
6.
SB
635
-
Extend
Virginia’s
“cocktails
to
go”
policy,
which
allows
bars
and
restaurants
to
sell
alcoholic
beverages
for
takeout.
More
than
35
states,
including
Virginia,
have
permitted
restaurants/bars
to
sell
cocktails
to-go
since
the
pandemic
started.
States
such
as
Arizona,
Georgia,
and
Washington
D.C.,
have
enacted
“cocktails
to
go”
as
a
permanent
policy. *
Virginia
House,
Senate
pass
bills
to
make
to-go
cocktails
permanent
|
WRIC
ABC
8News
[[link removed]]


7.
SB
181
-
Establish
Cardiac
Emergency
Response
Plan
for
schools.
Requires
each
public
elementary
or
secondary
school
to
develop
a
cardiac
emergency
response
plan
(CERP)
to
appropriately
direct
school
personnel
to
respond
to
incidents
involving
an
individual
who
is
experiencing
sudden
cardiac
arrest
or
a
similar
life-threatening
emergency
while
on
school
grounds.
8.
SB
634
-
Amend
the
powers
of
the
State
Corporation
Commission
to
require
the
consideration
of
public
safety,
workforce
development,
and
fair
labor
standards.
9.
SB
355
-
Modernizing
rental
agreements
for
Self-Storage
facilities.
Allows
rental
agreements
to
be
delivered
and
accepted
electronically.
This
bill
would
also
allow
for
self-storage
facility
owners
to
tow,
per
local
ordinances,
any
non-authorized
abandoned
vehicles
or
watercraft.
10.
SB
189
-
Change
the
Virginia
Beach
City
charter
to
adopt
the
10-1
election
system
.
Amends
the
charter
for
the
City
of
Virginia
Beach
to
reflect
the
City's
transition
to
a
city
council
consisting
solely
of
single-member
districts
and
the
mayor.
11.
SB
184
-
Expands
the
definition
of
the
practice
of
geology
to
include
the
performance
of
any
professional
service
or
work
wherein
the
principles
and
methods
of
geology
are
applied.
12.
SB
650
-
Emergency
Response
Toxic
Exposure
Grant
Fund
and
Program.
Establishes
a
work
group
to
identify
and
analyze
options
that
may
be
available
to
local
government
employees
who
respond
to
emergencies
that
expose
them
to
toxic
materials
and
have
access
to
preemptive
health
care
to
aftereffects
that
are
not
covered
by
relevant
health
insurance
plans.
13.
SB
182
-
Regulate
how
manufacturers,
brokers,
importers
and
wholesalers
may
advertise
and
promote
alcoholic
beverages
via
the
Internet,
social
media,
direct-to-consumer
electronic
communication,
or
other
electronic
means.

Senator Rouse started the week in session with his Senate colleagues voting on bills in preparation for crossover. On Tuesday, four of the Senator’s bills passed the Finance & Appropriations committee and are awaiting consideration in the House of Delegates. These bills include SB 212, SB 300, SB 448, and SB 634.

# [#]
# [#]
# [#]
# [#]

Rouse in the Press

*
List:
Military-related
bills
that
could
impact
Hampton
Roads
(pilotonline.com)
[[link removed]] *
Introduced
by
Sen.
Aaron
Rouse,
Senate
Bill
343
would
allow
localities
to
establish
military-centered
community
zones
in
areas
where
the
presence
of
military
members
has
the
potential
to
drive
economic
activity.
*
“This
legislation
will
help
localities
provide
a
better
quality
of
life
for
service
members
while
stationed
in
Virginia
and
improves
Virginia’s
ability
to
retain
transitioning
military
members
in
the
future,”
Rouse,
a
Virginia
Beach
Democrat,
said
in
an
email.


*
Virginia
Democrats
aim
to
tighten
voter
rolls
post-ERIC,
voter
purge
|
VPM
[[link removed]] *
A
bill
from
state
Sen.
Aaron
Rouse
[[link removed]]
(D–Virginia
Beach)
aims
to
prevent
a
repeat
of
last
year’s
voter
purge.
The
removals
affected
people
who’d
previously
been
convicted
of
a
felony
but
subsequently
had
their
rights
restored
by
the
governor.
In
Virginia,
people
convicted
of
felonies
automatically
lose
the
right
to
vote
unless
a
governor
restores
it.


*
Senate
Democrats
pass
bills
to
increase
minimum
wage,
create
a
retail
market
for
recreational
marijuana
|
WRIC
ABC
8News.
[[link removed]] *
Another
key
priority
for
Democrats
passed
the
Senate.
A
bill
by
Senator
Aaron
Rouse
(D-Virginia
Beach)
passed
on
a
party-line
vote
with
Democrats
arguing
that
Virginia
needs
a
regulated
market
to
combat
a
dangerous
illicit
market.
*
“We
hear
from
Scott
County
to
Virginia
Beach
that
this
is
a
true
public
safety
and
public
health
crisis
and
that
we
are
missing
out
on
tens
of
millions
of
dollars
in
potential
revenue
that
could
be
reinvested
in
our
communities,”
said
Rouse.


*
The
five
Ws
of
weed
in
the
commonwealth
|
VPM
[[link removed]] *
Lawmakers
have
submitted
two
competing
frameworks,
which
have
seen
significant
changes
as
they
move
through
the
legislative
process.
The
Senate’s
working
version
of
the
bill
is
sponsored
by
state
Sen.
Aaron
Rouse
(D–Virginia
Beach)
and
incorporates
another
bill
[[link removed]]
sponsored
by
state
Sen.
Adam
Ebbin
(D–Alexandria).


*
Commentary:
Skill
games
help
keep
small
businesses
afloat
(richmond.com)
[[link removed]]

Travel around the Commonwealth

In addition to my work in the legislature, I’ve been traveling around the Commonwealth to better understand how the issues before the General Assembly affect our communities. As the Chairman of the Privileges & Elections Committee, it’s imperative that I hear from voters to help uplift their voices, especially during this critical election year.

📍 Richmond: Democratic Committee Zoom Meeting

[link removed] [[link removed]] Pumped to join @RichmondDems [[link removed]] to give an update on the constitutional amendments we’re working on & what we’ve accomplished on the Senate Privileges and Elections committee. Democrats are paving the way forward to expand voting rights, protect abortion access & marriage equality!Aaron Rouse on Twitter [[link removed]]
Aaron Rouse @AaronRouseVaBch 9:05 PM · Feb 1, 2024 · X

📍 Arlington: Second Saturday Breakfast with Arlington Democratic Committee and Rep. Don Beyer!

[link removed] [[link removed]] PACKED HOUSE this morning with @arlingtondems [[link removed]] & @DonBeyerVA [[link removed]] . We worked too hard to move Virginia forward to take anything for granted, so much is at stake. Let’s win BIG again in 2024!
# [#]
Aaron Rouse @AaronRouseVaBch 11:34 AM · Feb 10, 2024 · X

📍 Alexandria: Tour of the Old Town waterfront with Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson

[link removed] [[link removed]]

📍 Braddock: Democratic Committee Annual Soupfest

[link removed] [[link removed]] No better way to end the night than at @BraddockDems [[link removed]] Annual Soupfest! 🥣 Secret soup recipe coming up next year!
# [#]
Aaron Rouse @AaronRouseVaBch 7:57 PM · Feb 10, 2024 · X

📍 Richmond: Superbowl Sunday Party in Richmond

[link removed] [[link removed]] Last night was incredible at our Super Bowl party in RVA! Thank you to the 200+ football fans who came out to cheer on their favorite team. Congrats to @Chiefs [[link removed]] on their big win - until next year! 🏈 💥
# [#]
Aaron Rouse @AaronRouseVaBch 10:44 AM · Feb 12, 2024 · X

Football brings everyone together! My colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

# [#]

Rouse with Delegate Austin and Senator Pillion

# [#]

Senator Rouse with Democratic Caucus Chair, Senator Mamie Locke

# [#]

Senator Rouse with a lifelong Packers fan, Senator Creigh Deeds. Go Pack Go!

📍 Henrico: Henrico Democratic Committee Meeting

[link removed] [[link removed]] Thank you so much to Senator @AaronRouseVaBch [[link removed]] …you were a hit with the @HenricoDems [[link removed]] ! It was great to see and hear from you. Thankful for all of our fantastic Democrats in the Senate 🙏🏼💙
# [#]
Henrico Democrats 💙 @HenricoDems 8:07 AM · Feb 13, 2024 · X



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P.O. Box 2864
Virginia Beach, VA 23450
United States
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