Legislative Overview
Over the course of this short General Assembly session, my colleagues and I in the House of Delegates introduced 1135 bills, of which 410 were approved by both chambers. In total, the House and Senate introduced 1882 bills, and of those 694 will go to the Governor's desk for final approval. Some of the more interesting, and sometimes quirky bills which made their way through the chambers this year included the following:
- HB2527 and SB1446, Also known as the Governor's Transportation plan, is a $4 billion funding plan to reinvest in the maintenance of our transportation infrastructure, generate jobs, and aid in solving a critical issue which every Hampton Roads citizen faces each day.
- SB1459, The Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011, will provide a new higher education funding policy aimed at preparing Virginians for success in competitive fields such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and will make a college degree more attainable and affordable for the students of our Commonwealth.
- HB1434, The Synthetic Marijuana Bill, places alternative forms of the drug marijuana on the controlled substances list, which specifies penalties for possession, sale, or distribution of this harmful new drug.
- HJ557, Adoption of an Alternative Currency, attempted to establish a joint subcommittee to study whether the Commonwealth should adopt a currency to serve as an alternative to the currency distributed by Federal Reserve System in the event of a major breakdown of the Federal System. This bill was left in the House rules committee.
- SB940, designated the Striped Bass as the official Virginia State saltwater fish.
- SB1292, Provides that any restaurant licensed by the ABC Board has the option to permit the consumption of lawfully acquired wine by its customers on the premises in all areas and locations covered by the license. The bill provides that a licensee may charge a corkage fee to such customer for the wine so consumed.
- HJ605, The Offshore Wind Technology Center, expresses the support for the establishment of a National Offshore Wind Technology Center in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
An important issue which didn't come up through legislation this year, but should still be on the minds of Hampton Roads citizens, is the debate on whether or not uranium mining should be allowed in Southwest Virginia. Since the 1980's, Virginia has had a strict moratorium policy against the mining. In recent years, Virginia Uranium, Inc. has requested extensive studies be done to test the safety and effects of mining for uranium. Although our Virginia neighbors to the Southwest seem far away, the effects of uranium mining could possibly have a direct impact on Hampton Roads.
I urge you to stay informed and engaged in this issue because the voice of Hampton Roads citizens needs to be heard throughout this debate.
