The General Assembly has successfully passed the midway point of Virginia’s legislative session, known as Crossover. From this point onwards, no new bills will be introduced or considered. Instead, the state House and Senate will only consider legislation that has successfully passed the opposite chamber.
I am so happy to share that ten bills have passed the House, with eight passing with bipartisan support!
HB 645 makes easier the enforcement of reserved spaces for charging plug-in electric vehicles.
HB105 corrects the inadvertent oversight of not including condo and co-op associations in parts of the Resale Disclosure Act.
HB 383
strengthens the continuing education of real estate brokers and agents by focusing on ethics, agency, contracts, and legal updates without increasing the burden of total hours!
HB 392
extends the protections of the VA Petroleum Products Franchise Act to the relationship between dealers and small business owners in Planning District 8.
HB 719 provides research-based hazing prevention instruction to high school students.
HB 281 gives local option for child day cares to open in office buildings.
HB 1028 allows localities to include affordable housing in assisted living facilities.
HB 1402
will assist in the transparency of prescription drug pricing by requiring pharmacy benefits managers to provide more information in their transparency reports. The bill also provides a civil penalty for failure to comply.
HB 102
raises the compensation of counsel who represents indigent clients, protecting constitutional rights and democracy.
HB 1490 empowers localities with the flexibility to offer more early voting hours and locations tailored to their communities needs.
I also had the honor of being a Chief Co-Patron on three very important bills that all passed the House with bipartisan support as well.
HB150
stops the Social Services Board from demanding in-person appearances for those applying for or renewing participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
HB498
requires local school boards to create and enforce a policy mandating the annual notification of parents, sent by email and, if applicable, SMS text message within 30 days of each school year, about their legal duty to safely store household firearms, associated risks, youth firearm-related statistics, and safety tips.
HB906
states that in the event of a state of emergency declared by the Governor, electric, gas, water, and wastewater utilities regulated by the State Corporation Commission are prohibited from disconnecting service to residential customers for non-payment for a period of 30 days after the emergency declaration. Additionally, disconnections are not allowed during extreme weather conditions (below 32°F or above 92°F), as well as on Fridays, weekends, state holidays, and the day before a state holiday.
