|
Dear Friends,
The 60-day regular session of the General Assembly was gaveled out to a close by the Lieutenant Governor on Saturday, March 9. Before that, the Senate finalized work on the remaining bills that were outstanding, and voted on the version of the budget that was negotiated between the House and the Senate and sent to the Governor.
|
|
THE STATUS OF THE BUDGET
The final version of the budget was voted out of the General Assembly and sent to the Governor. As you might expect in a bill that large and that is the result of negotiation and compromise, there are some real positives and real negatives. I weighed those carefully before deciding to vote against the budget.
The budget process was, generally speaking, conducted in the spirit of cooperation. Both sides worked to find common ground where possible. But even with those efforts, the budget that resulted has too many items I felt would do more harm than good for the communities I represent.
For one thing, I simply could not agree with the tax increases in the budget. Virginia families and businesses are already sending plenty of their hard-earned money to Richmond. I could not justify raising taxes over $2 billion more.
The Democrats also stripped the Governor’s proposed tax cuts out of the budget. The Governor’s introduced budget included those cuts to offset tax increases in other areas, softening the blow to families and small businesses if they had been included. Without them, I could not, in good conscience, vote for the budget.
Additionally, the budget includes added spending for items and programs that I have said in past campaigns I would not support. There is funding in the budget for programs that attack your 2nd Amendment freedoms. There is funding for programs that lighten sentences for violent criminals and put the comforts of offenders ahead of safer streets and victims’ rights. There is funding for programs that would force people of faith to violate their moral and religious convictions related to contraception and late term abortion. I cannot vote for a budget with provisions like these.
The budget now goes to the Governor for his review. During the next month, he can amend the budget. He can also use his line-item veto to remove provisions he disagrees with. Once that happens, the General Assembly will review those changes and decided whether to accept those amendments and whether to override the vetoes. In other words, the budget process is far from done and the outcome remains unknown. Stay tuned.
|
|
THE GOVERNOR BREAKS OUT THE VETO PEN
Some of the other legislation that was sent to the Governor earlier in the session for his review has been acted on. He vetoed 8 bills and proposed amendments on 12 others.
The Governor vetoed bills that infringe on your constitutional rights (HB 46, SB 47), hinder parental rights in schools (SB 235), and over-regulate businesses (SB 143), among others. These were all bad bills that I voted against when they were originally presented on the Senate floor. I look forward to voting to uphold the Governor’s vetoes on these when the General Assembly comes back into session next month.
By then, the Governor will also have finished reviewing thousands of other pieces of legislation that have been sent to him. I expect some of them to be vetoed and many more to be amended. I will work with the Governor to keep these misguided bills from becoming laws if and when he vetoes or amends them.
|
|
|
|
It was an honor to be recognized by the American Legislative Exchange Council as their Legislator of the Month. I’m proud to promote legislative solutions that emphasize our shared values of limited government, free markets, and federalism.
|
|
LEGISLATION
This year, Senate rules limited the number of bills that each senator could introduce to a maximum of 21. I introduced the maximum allowable number of bills and had 11 of my 21 bills successfully pass both the Senate and the House.
One of those bills (SB 132) was signed by Governor Youngkin prior to our adjournment, as this bill was communicated to the governor with more than 7 days remaining in the regular session.
SB 132 will help expedite assessments of the Health Insurance Reform Commission (HIRC), by requiring that whenever the Chairman of the House Committee on Labor and Commerce or the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor requests that the Commission assess a legislative measure containing a mandated health insurance benefit or provider, the HIRC is to complete its assessment and submit a report for each such request within 24 months. SB 132 passed the Senate (39-1) and passed the House (98-0).
The remaining 10 bills are still awaiting action from the governor who has 30 days from adjournment (Saturday, March 9th) to act. Any amendments or vetoes from the governor will be addressed during the Reconvened Session on April 17th.
SB 133 will help physician assistants across the Commonwealth by allowing PAs who are employed by a hospital or employed in certain facilities operated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or in Federally Qualified Health Centers designated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to practice without a separate practice agreement if the credentialing and privileging requirements of the applicable facility include a practice arrangement. SB 134 passed the Senate (39-0) and passed the House (97-1).
SB 134 will help the Craig County Economic Development Authority continue to operate at full capacity by allowing the Craig County Board of Supervisors to appoint one of its members to its EDA. SB 134 passed the Senate (39-0-1) and passed the House (96-0).
SB 135 will expand economic development opportunities for localities across the Commonwealth, especially in Senate District 3, by allowing the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority to determine a site of at least 50 contiguous acres to be an eligible site if such site meets certain location, geographic, environmental, or unique opportunity factors. SB 135 passed the Senate (40-0) and passed the House (97-0).
SB 145 clarifies in the Code of Virginia that a special conservator of the peace may possess simultaneous registration with the Department of Criminal Justice Services as an armed security officer provided they meet the requirements for each licensure. This bill will help SCOPs improve their capability to respond to threats within their respective jurisdictions. SB 145 passed the Senate (40-0) and passed the House (99-0).
SB 154 will assist Virginians with their advance health care planning by streamlining existing processes on Virginia’s Advance Health Care Directive Registry and by expanding the types of documents that are eligible to be included on the registry to now include any other document that supports advance health care planning, including Durable Do Not Resuscitate Order or portable medical order forms. SB 154 passed the Senate (39-0) and passed the House (97-0).
SB 155 will strengthen workforce development in the healthcare space by adding four additional ex officio members to the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority, directing changes to regulations regarding qualifications for nursing faculty, establishing a licensing procedure by the Board of Psychology for a psychological practitioner, and establishing the creation of the Virginia Health Care Career and Technical Training and Education Fund. SB 155 passed the Senate (40-0) and passed the House (94-2).
SB 156 will assist in facilitating the Wells Fargo expansion in Roanoke County through post-performance grant funding after meeting metrics for capital investment and the creation of at least 1,100 new full-time jobs at the facility. SB 156 passed the Senate (40-0) and passed the House (91-4).
SB 413 is the result of the Code Commission’s workgroup to address changes in local government public notices that help provide clarity and establish uniformity regarding the timing and frequency of their publication. SB 413 passed the Senate (40-0) and passed the House (99-1).
SB 420 will expand non-legislative citizen membership on the Board of Visitors at Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, empowering the Board with greater oversight and meeting transparency. SB 420 passed the Senate (40-0) and passed the House (96-0).
SB 679 will help continue economic development opportunities in localities across the Commonwealth by providing that any enterprise zone in existence as of June 30, 2024, shall be extended for a period of four years in addition to any renewal periods currently authorized by law. SB 679 passed the Senate (40-0) and passed the House (100-0).
|
|
THE RECONVENED SESSION AND OTHER WORK
With the end of this session of the General Assembly, the work continues. The House and Senate return to Richmond on April 17 to consider the amendments and vetoes that come back from the Governor on the budget and other bills. Additionally, many General Assembly committees, commissions and work groups meet throughout the year. And I will continue to help my constituents with their issues related to state government.
If my office can be of any assistance, please email us at [email protected] or call us at (540) 283-2839.
You can also follow me on Twitter @SenChrisHead or like my Facebook page to stay current with all the action from across the 3rd District.
|
|
Sincerely,
Chris Head
Senator, 3rd District
|
|
|
|
|
