The latest in Virginia politics
Bill advances to require in-person learning option, Chase's lawyer addresses lawsuit, and Va congressman endorses in LG race
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Welcome to Wednesday! Here are the top stories in Virginia politics today.
Virginia Senate passes legislation that would require school districts to offer in-person learning option - Virginia Scope
Governor Ralph Northam left it up to individual school boards to decide on whether students return to in-person learning this year. Virginia Legislators who are unhappy with that decision are now taking steps to try and force the localities to offer in-person learning.
The Senate debatedĀ SB 1303Ā for hours on Tuesday afternoon. This bill is a mandate that would require school districts to offer in-person learning options on July 1.Ā
Legislators supporting the bill say that keeping students out of school buildings is doing more harm than good to students. āYou are harming Virginiaās children,ā said Senator SiobhanĀ Dunnavant (R-Henrico), the billās chief sponsor. āThis is the most important thing we need to do this year in this session.āĀ
Dunnavant, the only medical doctor in the Senate says that students can return to the classrooms with the proper safety protocols in place, noting that she believes the students and staff can figure out how to succeed with in-person learning. āWe should be innovating,ā the senator said while presenting the bill. āNecessity is the mother of invention, and it is time for us to provide the necessity.ā
Ā Senator Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) spoke in support of the bill saying he grew angry when he realized his child in special education would not be receiving accommodations during the pandemic. āPlease send these kids back to school. Give them a chance,ā Petersen said on the Senate floor. āLetās stop pretending we have no say in what is going on, these kids have constitutional rights.ā Democratic Senators Janet Howell (Fairfax), Joe Morrissey (Richmond), and Scott Surovell (Fairfax) joined Petersen in crossing party lines and speaking in support of this bill on the floor.
Mark Herring announces campaign staff in his bid for re-election
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced the senior leadership team who will lead his re-election campaign. Farah Melendez will take leave from her role as Political Director of the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) to serve as Campaign Manager. Adnan Mohamed will serve as both Deputy Campaign Manager and Political Director, Tommy Keefe will serve as Finance Director, Cassie Moreno will serve as Communications Director, and AndrĆ© Earls will serve as Press Secretary.Ā
Lieutenant Governor candidate Elizabeth Guzman spoke in favor of HB 2305 yesterday.
This bill would require the Board of Education to issue guidance on the governance of academic year Governor's Schools, including communication and outreach practices, admissions policies, and guidelines on diversity, equity, and inclusion training.
Congressman Morgan Griffith (R) endorsed Tim Hugo as he seeks the GOP nomination to run for Lieutenant Governor
Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-9) added his name today to the list of prominent Virginia conservatives who are endorsing Tim Hugoās campaign for Lieutenant Governor. Hugo has also been endorsed by Congressman Ben Cline (VA-6).
āWhat we are seeing from the Democrats in Washington and in Richmond is a complete assault on the freedoms and values the people in Southwestern Virginia hold dear,āĀ said Griffith.Ā āWe have got to fight back against these liberal Democrats and their radical agenda and it starts by ending the complete control they have over our state government in Richmond.ā
āI am endorsing Tim Hugo for Lieutenant Governor because I know he has what it takes to win this November and because he will be a leader for all of Virginia including us here in Southwest. Tim shares our pro-life values and commitment to protecting the Second Amendment. I know he will fight for good jobs, affordable energy, less government, and more freedom in Richmond just as I have in Washington. I strongly encourage all of my fellow conservatives to join me in uniting behind his campaign.ā
End Citizens United Applauds Jennifer Carroll Foyās Ethics Plan
In case you missed it, candidate for Governor Jennifer Carroll Foy (D-Woodbridge) announced a plan on Tuesday that she says will elevate the voice of Virginians by rooting out corruption in politics.Ā
End Citizens United (ECU) President Tiffany Muller released the following statement:
āFrom getting money out of politics to lobbying reform, this is a comprehensive approach to making sure Richmond works for Virginia voters. These commonsense reforms would ensure that our representatives are accountable to the people, not corporate special interests and deep-pocketed donors. We applaud Jennifer Carroll Foy for making anti-corruption and government reform a priority.āĀ
House of Delegates advances legislation aimed at assisting Virginians with childcare costs
The House of Delegates passed HB-2206, legislation introduced by Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn to assist low and middle-income Virginia families with childcare costs during and after the pandemic.
The bill would allow eligible families with children under the age of 13 to apply for vouchers administeredĀ by the Department of Social Services to assist with the cost of part-time or full-time childcare at an approved facility.
Families making up to $88,000, are eligible and the legislation includes an emergency clause allowing for immediate enactment upon the Governor's signature.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the immense value of quality, accessibleĀ childcare for Virginia families. These times have been incredibly hard on parents balancing the need to put food on the table while having to look after their children at home. This legislation will help lighten the burden on working families by making quality child care more affordable during this public health crisis. I am thankful to have the bipartisan support of my colleagues in the House as we work to protect families and build the foundation for a better Virginia."
Chesterfield legislators write to health officials over lack of information being provided about COVID-19 to Hispanic community.
Chesterfield Delegates Robinson, Cox (R-Colonial Heights), Coyner (R-Chesterfield), and Ware (R- Powhatan) say that they wrote a letter to the Chesterfield Health District Director, Dr. Alexander Samuel, on this issue.Ā
According to Robinson, Dr. Samuel replied, "Clearly, every aspect of the vaccine roll-out has progressed poorly.Ā We deeply value excellent customer service in this health district for all residents of the localities we serve.Ā We, and the system that supports us, have not been able to provide it in the manner the public deserves.āĀ
āThis situation is untenable, and we must fix it immediately. COVID has hit the Hispanic community especially hard, and Spanish speaking residents must be able to access the information in a timely manner and be able to receive the vaccination,ā said Robinson ā I urge the Virginia Department of Health to fix this issue.āĀ Ā
More News:
Marijuana legalization advances in Virginia, but lawmakers push start date to 2024
A week after ranking last in the country for vaccine supply used, Virginia nears the top 10
Amanda Chaseās lawyer discusses her case where she is suing the state Senate.
Virginia will focus on vaccinating seniors over next few months, state coordinator says
Bill that would abolish death penalty in Virginia heads to final Senate vote
The Virginia Senate passed several pieces of legislation on Tuesday
Here is a summary, (not a complete picture) of what the senators supported.:
SB 1266 Admission to bail; rebuttable presumptions against bail.
Introduced by: R. Creigh Deeds
Eliminates provisions regarding the rebuttable presumptions against being admitted to bail.
SB 1215 Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; tenant remedies for exclusion from dwelling unit.
Introduced by: Adam P. Ebbin
Provides that a general district court shall enter an order upon petition by a tenant that his landlord has (i) removed or excluded the tenant from the dwelling unit unlawfully, (ii) interrupted or caused the interruption of an essential service to the tenant, or (iii) taken action to make the premises unsafe for habitation. The bill allows entry of a preliminary order ex parte to require the landlord to allow the tenant to recover possession of the dwelling unit, resume any such interrupted essential service, or fix any willful actions taken by the landlord or his agent to make the premises unsafe for habitation if there is good cause to do so and the tenant made reasonable efforts to notify the landlord of the hearing. The bill requires that any ex parte order entered shall further indicate a date for a full hearing on the petition that is no later than 10 days from the initial hearing date. Finally, the bill provides that, at a full hearing on such petition and upon proper evidence presented, the tenant shall recover actual damages, the greater of $5,000 or four months' rent, and reasonable attorney fees.
SB 1106 Public School Assistance Fund and Program; created.
Introduced by: William M. Stanley, Jr.
Creates the Public School Assistance Fund and Program, to be administered by the Department of Education, for the purpose of providing grants to school boards to be used solely for the purpose of repairing or replacing the roofs of public elementary and secondary school buildings in the local school division. The bill permits any school board in the Commonwealth to apply for Program grants but requires the Department of Education to give priority in the award of grants to school boards that demonstrate the greatest need based on the condition of existing school building roofs and the ability to pay for the repair or replacement of such roofs.
SB 1180 Civil actions; actions filed on behalf of multiple similarly situated persons.
Introduced by: Scott A. Surovell
Provides that a circuit court may enter an order joining, coordinating, consolidating, or transferring civil actions upon finding that separate civil actions brought by a plaintiff on behalf of multiple similarly situated persons involve common questions of law or fact and arise out of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences. The bill requires the Supreme Court to promulgate rules no later than November 1, 2021, governing such actions. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2022.
SB 1178 Genetic counseling; repeals conscience clause.
Introduced by: Adam P. Ebbin
Repeals the conscience clause for genetic counselors who forgo participating in counseling that conflicts with their deeply held moral or religious beliefs, provided that they inform the patient and offer to direct the patient to the online directory of licensed genetic counselors maintained by the Board of Medicine. The law being repealed also prohibits the licensing of any genetic counselor from being contingent upon participating in such counseling.
SB 1390 Cats; trap, neuter, and return programs, civil penalty.
Introduced by: Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr.
Authorizes any public or private animal shelter, releasing agency, or hospital or clinic that is operated under the immediate supervision of a duly licensed veterinarian to operate a trap, neuter, and return program, as defined in the bill. The bill exempts volunteers of such program from provisions related to abandonment and licensing of animals and exempts the operator from general requirements of shelters related to holding periods, release of animals, and recordkeeping. A person who violates certain required provisions for such a program is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $150 brought by any animal control officer, humane investigator, releasing agency, or the State Veterinarian or State Veterinarian's representative.
SB 1305 Virginia Public Procurement Act; construction contracts, subcontractor workforce requirements.
Introduced by: Jeremy S. McPike
Requires all public bodies and covered institutions, defined in the bill, to include in every public works contract of more than $250,000 certain provisions related to the outsourcing of subcontracted work, which a contractor shall agree to during the performance of such contract. Such provisions mandate that a contractor shall only utilize subcontractors that certify in writing to the contract that they will outsource no more than 10 percent of the cost of the work subcontracted for, excluding the provision of materials, with specified exceptions. The bill provides that any contractor that violates the provisions of the bill may be debarred for up to one year or disqualified from the project and may be responsible for liquidated damages for any related delays in the project.
SB 1237 Emergency and quarantine orders, certain; additional procedural requirements.
Introduced by: J. Chapman Petersen
Provides that any person who is affected by an order of quarantine may file an appeal in the circuit court for the city or county in which he resides or is located or the circuit court for the jurisdiction or jurisdictions for any affected area; currently, only a person who is subject to an order of quarantine may appeal the order. The bill also provides that in any case in which the Governor has issued an emergency order that includes any measure that closes schools or businesses or restricts the movement of healthy persons within the area to which the order applies, all of the rights, protections, and procedures applicable in the case of an order of quarantine issued by the Commissioner of Health shall apply.