My Bills:
All of my bills have now been heard, and I am excited to report that 11 of my bills, over half that were introduced, made it out of the House & Senate and will be going to the Governor's desk. Here are my bills that made it out of the General Assembly:
SB848: Raises the age to purchase an assault firearm to 21 years old. The age to purchase handguns is already 21, and multiple recent high-profile mass shootings have been committed by individuals under 21.
SB891: Requires a five-day waiting period before purchasing a firearm. This measure will particularly help prevent impulsive acts of gun violence and suicide. Research suggests that waiting periods could reduce gun homicide by up to 17% and gun suicide by up to 11%.
SB919: Increases protections for public transit employees and ensures that private contractors can't be brought in to higher employees at lower wages or with fewer benefits.
SB920: Ensures that the families of first responders who succumb to occupational throat cancer are eligible for benefits. While Virginia’s worker’s compensation laws cover throat cancer, they lack specific definition, leading to the denial or delay of claims by grieving families.
SB939: Increases the penalty for mail theft in Virginia, bringing our code up to Federal standards and providing new protections against porch pirates and check fraud.
SB1009: Expands the ranked choice voting pilot program by enabling local governments to voluntarily adopt RCV for additional local elections.
SB1011: Adds the City of Falls Church to the Affordable Dwelling Unit Program, aligning it with other Northern Virginia localities. This amendment enhances the city’s resources to address the ongoing affordable housing crisis.
SB1165: Prohibits local governments from exploiting procurement loopholes to prohibit certain solar power within their jurisdictions.
SB1166: Requires signage at retail establishments that sell invasive plants, educating consumers about the potential harm these plants pose to the environment. Invasive plants annually cost the Virginia economy over one billion dollars and cause significant ecological damage. This legislation aims to empower consumers to make informed purchasing decisions.
SB1169: (Requested by Commission) Adjusts certain monetary values for the Marine Resources Commission and indexes the values to the Consumer Price Index.
SB1406: Enhances awareness about the Children’s Ombudsman by requiring annual notification to foster children about the Ombudsman. Many foster children remain unaware of this resource, which empowers them to report instances of abuse, neglect, and other problems. The Ombudsman plays a crucial role in investigating these cases and providing support to the affected children. Additionally, the bill grants the Ombudsman the authority to contact or receive information from a child without the consent of the foster parents, foster agency, or social services department, provided that the child is the complainant.
