Of the 19 bills I patroned, 2 were incorporated into other legislation and 7 passed the Senate and are now in the House for consideration. Below are a few of my bills that are now being deliberated over in the House.

SB924 - Clarifies that drug checking products, used to determine the presence or concentration of a contaminant that can cause physical harm or death, are not drug paraphernalia or controlled paraphernalia.

SB1203 - Instructs the State Health Commissioner to direct the State Health Services Plan Task Force to develop recommendations for establishing an expedited application and review process for projects requiring a certificate of public need in medical deserts.

SB1420 - Provides that a state or local agency that receives a forfeited asset or an equitable share of the net proceeds of a forfeited asset from the Department of Criminal Justice Services may use such proceeds for equipment and training for law-enforcement officers.

If you would like to see all of my legislation in detail, you can find it in the new Legislative Information System website, found here.

Thursday was Budget Day, when the initial steps of the annual song and dance that the Senate and House go through are set in motion. This is a long and complex process that will eventually lead to the passing of the state budget, but not before many hours and days of back-and-forth deliberation between chambers and parties. This year’s “Budget” is actually a series of amendments to last year’s budget, allowing us to make adjustments based on changes in revenue and to meet the needs that have arisen over the last year. The Governor released his budget bill last December, and it is the starting point for both chambers. We then make amendments to that bill.

While the State Budget does list the exact dollars and cents that are appropriated for each and every action of the government of the Commonwealth, the majority is language. Usually this is in the form of instructions of where and how money is to be spent. In this year’s budget, one of those instructions the Governor listed was to charge all state and local authorities to provide the necessary assistance to Federal Immigration Authorities (like ICE) in processing and potentially deporting illegal aliens. Senate Democrats amended the bill to strike that language.

The picture above is of the vote tally recorded for that budget amendment. Please notice that this was a party line vote, with all Republicans voting against the Democrats’ move to block enforcement of the law. Unfortunately, the Democrats have the majority, so the measure passed, and that language was stricken from the budget. I am disappointed that so many of our legislators would vote to protect law breakers. This is only one of many issues that must be ironed out in the coming days, and we still have a long way to go before we get to final passage of this year’s Budget, but this example should give you an idea of the divide we face on many issues.

All of us who serve in the General Assembly are blessed to be supported by numerous individuals, such as our individual staff, the Clerk’s staff, our administrative assistants, the attorneys in Legislative Services, Senate Support Services, and the Pages. We are also informed by stakeholder organizations, elected officials from our localities, lobbyists, and most importantly, our constituents, who all play a part in assisting us to make informed decisions when it comes to casting our votes.

So far this year, I have had the opportunity to meet with many wonderful people whose knowledge and voices are as varied as the communities and organizations they represent. It is always such a pleasure to learn about the people and localities that I have the honor of representing. I have had the opportunity to meet with university Presidents, students in FFA, childcare workers, college students from numerous schools, Nurses, Physician Assistants and many more.

On Wednesday, I had the privilege of addressing this year's class of Senate Pages. What a wonderful group of young people! They carry themselves well, and they are bright, inquisitive, and articulate. The Senate Page program is competitive and is open to young people who will be 13 or 14 years old on the first day of session each year. They are granted conditional leave from their individual schools and work the entire session, learning first-hand about how their government works, and doing schoolwork during evening study hall. If you know of any young teens that would like to apply, applications for next year’s Page Program will be available in the fall. If you’d like more information, please let me know. I’d love to talk to you about it, as my own son participated in the program many years ago. It truly is a positive, life changing experience.

As we quickly head toward the conclusion of session, I am looking forward to being back in district. The real joy of my position is being able to be a part of the beautiful

communities that I represent. It is my goal to represent your values and to make sure that our area is positioned for healthy economic growth while maintaining the beauty and quality of life we all love. We truly are the best place to live, work and raise a family, and I am blessed to represent you. Thank you again for placing your trust in me.

Yours in service,

Christopher T. Head

3rd Senatorial District of Virginia