Dear Team,
We have finally hit Cross-over day! Crossover is the day that all bills that passed the House will now go to the Senate, and all bills that passed the Senate will go to the House. In order to become a law, a bill must pass in both the House and the Senate-with the same wording-before going to the governor to sign. The House has been very productive the first half of the 2016 session.
I'm very pleased that several of my bills passed the House of Delegates and will now go on to the Senate. These bills deal with protecting and helping those who protect us, and transparency, two things on which I have been focused. The following are my bills that passed the House: HB 90 (Virginia National Guard) allows a member of the Virginia National Guard to carry a concealed handgun at National Guard facilities, if the member has a valid concealed-handgun permit. As we have witnessed, our recruiting centers have become targets, so it absolutely makes sense to allow our service members to protect themselves. The bill also provides that the commanding officer may prohibit members from carrying concealed weapons during training or other exercises when determined that the weapon would interfere.
After HB 90 passed the House, I concluded that amending one sentence would strengthen the bill and ensure bipartisan support I felt was needed for its survival.
HB 90 then unanimously passed the House. My goal was to do what was right for Virginians and our military. Working in a bipartisan manner, but maintaining the bill's intent and integrity on this matter were essential for HB 90 to become law.
HB 220 (Virginia FOIA) allows public access to resumes and other information related to gubernatorial appointees. The bill provides that resumes and applications submitted by persons who are appointed by the governor shall be available to the public upon request. The public has a right to know who the people are who are affecting our policy or regulations, ultimately our daily lives.
Some background on HB 220 can be found in this article from The Virginian-Pilot.
HB 450 (Community college veterans advisors and veterans resource centers) passed though committee, and the House voted overwhelmingly in support.
HB 450 requires each of the 7 community colleges in the commonwealth with the largest veteran populations to employ at least one full-time veterans advisor to provide enrollment and advising services to current and prospective students who are veterans. It also requires that community colleges establish a veterans resource center on campus to provide access to federal and state veterans resources and be the central hub for all activities on campus related to veterans.
Of all my bills, HB 219 (ABC food-beverage ratio) drew the most interest. This bill would have reduced the food-to-alcohol ratio requirement. HB 219 and its companion bill in the Senate (SB489) are being continued to 2017 so that they can be studied further. In partnership with Senator Desteph, we have brought this widespread problem in the Commonwealth to the forefront. Change is necessary for antiquated laws to better serve modern times and our small businesses. We will work to ensure that government is not an impediment to the small businesses that employ thousands of our Virginia citizens.
As always, I am here to represent and serve you. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there is anything I can do for you.
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