General Assembly week 2: 20-19 vote, filing deadline, budget priorities emerge
General Assembly week 2: 20-19 vote, filing deadline, budget priorities emerge
The bill-filing deadline hit on Thursday. Here’s what moved this week.
Narrow margin in the Senate
SB137 — Obstructing health care facility access
Passed Senate 20-19
This bill creates penalties for obstructing access to health care facilities. Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-39, voted yes.
Contested committee votes
Firearms
The House Public Safety Committee voted 15-7 to table HB694, which would have allowed carrying a concealed handgun without a permit. Dels. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker and Alfonso Lopez voted to table.
On Jan. 22, several other firearms bills were defeated in a subcommittee on 7-3 or 6-3 votes, with Lopez voting against all of them.
Criminal justice
Two bills advanced from committee 15-7 with support from Bennett-Parker and Lopez:
HB35 — Restricts use of solitary confinement in state prisons
HB80 — Requires reporting of deaths in local jail custody
Workers and wages
Several labor bills advanced from the subcommittee on 5-2 votes with Lopez’s support:
HB5 — Paid sick leave
HB20 — Minimum wage coverage for farm workers
HB238 — Wage theft enforcement (Lopez is the patron)
HB339 — Prevailing wage requirements (Lopez is the patron)
HB1, which would raise Virginia’s minimum wage to $15 by 2028, advanced from the full Labor and Commerce Committee 15-7.
Health care
HB6, establishing a right to contraception, advanced from committee 15-7 with Herring’s support.
Bills filed by the deadline
Lopez: 34
Ebbin: 21
Herring: 19
Bennett-Parker: 16
Among Lopez’s late-filed bills: HB1440-1442, which address state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Budget amendments: Delegation overlap
Multiple Alexandria legislators submitted budget amendments for the same items at identical dollar amounts:
Freedom House Museum: Ebbin $2 million, Bennett-Parker $2 million
NoVA Emergency Response System: Ebbin $12.2 million per year, Bennett-Parker $12.2 million per year
Virginia Housing Trust Fund: Ebbin $112.5 million per year, Lopez $112.5 million per year
Other requests by the member:
Ebbin: $29.8 million per year for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services
Herring: $10.5 million per year for federally qualified health centers
Bennett-Parker: $40.3 million per year for free school breakfast (tied to her HB96)
Lopez: $10 million per year for Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank
Key dates
Feb. 4 — Crossover deadline. Bills must pass their originating chamber.
Feb. 10 — Special elections for Senate District 39 and House District 5.
Feb. 18 — Sen. Ebbin’s final day in office. Bennet-Parker’s resignation takes effect.
The Alexandria Brief tracks Alexandria’s state legislators in Senate District 39 and House Districts 3, 4, and 5.