Legislative Update
March 8, 2024 | Richmond Update

Greetings from your State Capitol. I am again incredibly humbled to represent you in our 2024 General Assembly. Thank you for this high honor.

The 2024 session has concluded, and it has been different from any other I’ve experienced.  The level of partisanship and the lack of consideration of certain issues was unprecedented. The over arching themes have been more gun restrictions, relaxing criminal penalties, increased school mandates, and increased mandates on local governments. Many of these measures will be either amended or vetoed …


Legislative Update
March 8, 2024 | Richmond Update

February 23, 2024

Greetings from your State Capitol.

As we conclude this week, we have had a far less hectic work schedule, but we have acted on the single most important measure of the session, the House budget.

The $175 billion dollar two year budget introduced by the Governor was drastically changed.  Almost all of the proposed tax cuts were eliminated and replaced with new spending.  While some of the increased spending initiatives proposed by the Governor were maintained, such as increased spending for education, teacher pay raises, …


Legislative Update
February 16, 2024 | Richmond Update

Greetings from your State Capitol.

This has been a very “interesting” week.  On Monday we saw a ploy by the Democrats to force a vote on an abortion bill that even the patron stated was not the language he wanted considered.  It began with the Rules Committee sending the bill to the floor without allowing the patron to offer amendments or even explain the bill and not allowing any public testimony.  Once on the floor, the patron offered amendments to accurately reflect his intention, to codify …


Legislative Update
February 12, 2024 | Richmond Update

Greetings from your State Capitol.

We have just ended the last full week for all House bills to be considered and referred to the Senate if approved.  It has been a very different atmosphere this session than any previous that I’ve experienced.  The degree of partisan divide has never been greater.  We have seen many non-controversial bills introduced by Republicans summarily killed with a duplicate Democrat bill then being introduced.  Also, we’ve seen many Republican bills never being put on a committee docket to allow it …


Legislative Update
February 3, 2024 | Richmond Update

Greetings from your State Capitol week three of Session.  We have one full week of committee work before crossover, when all action on house bills will have to be completed.  The work pace has become very hectic, with my Thursday schedule beginning at 7am and not ending until 7pm, as one example.

 

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Legislative Update
January 26, 2024 | Richmond Update

Greetings from your State Capitol!  It’s been a true joy to have had so many local visitors this week.  I always welcome your visits and the opportunity to discuss the bills before us as well as the legislative process.  This is your Capitol and I encourage you to visit this beautiful and historic site.

It’s been a slow start, but we are finally getting up to speed.  About 1/3 of my bills have been heard and I’ll give a specific update on all of them next …


Legislative Update
January 24, 2024 | Richmond Update

Greetings from your State Capitol.  I am again incredibly humbled to represent you in our 2024 General Assembly.  Thank you for this high honor.

The 2024 session has just completed its first week and we are now in full gear.  With the new majority, I had far less input in my committee assignments.  I’m glad to report that I have remained on the three committees on which I have served the longest: Health and Human Services, Finance, and Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources.

As the work of …


Legislative Update
February 24, 2023 | Richmond Update

            Greetings from your state capital.  As we approach the end of our 2023 session, I am advising you of the status of legislation that I introduced this year.  All bills in both bodies must be resolved in their respective bodies by Saturday, February 25, 2023, and the following bills have passed both bodies.

            HB1446 will, for the first time, establish an average minimum number of nurse-to-patient contact hours that will be required in our nursing homes.  This is an issue that has …


Legislative Update
February 9, 2023 | Richmond Update

Greetings from our state capitol.  As we have reached the midpoint of our 2023 session, I will advise you of the status of legislation I introduced this year.  The House finished action on our measures Tuesday, and all House bills have either been sent to the Senate for action or will no longer be considered this year.

Of the fifteen bills I introduced, nine have been sent to the Senate.  The remaining six bills were either referred to the appropriate agency for further review or were …


Legislative Update
February 3, 2023 | Richmond Update

Greetings from your state capitol!  As we are at the end of week three, the pace has increased tremendously.  Each of the past three days has had me in the Capitol by 7:00 am and I haven’t left the past two evenings until after 7:00 pm.  My days are filled with hearing bills in subcommittee and committee meetings, presenting my bills, participating in floor sessions, and meeting with citizens as much as possible.  Serving in the majority means that we …



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© 2024 Delegate Bobby Orrock