Greetings from your state capitol.  We have reached the half-way point of our 2022 legislative session.  As of Tuesday, February 15, all House bills had to be acted on and sent to the Senate or the measures were dead for this year.  In this update I will highlight several legislative actions and report on several specific bills on which I received a large number of contacts.

One measure has passed both the House and the Senate and been signed by the Governor.  This bill will require our public schools to develop a means of providing in-person instruction for those students whose parents don’t want them to have to wear a mask.  While there is still some controversy, this action is consistent with the current trend of relaxing most of the recommendations from the CDC and with the Governor’s pledge to recognize the parent’s ultimate authority over their children.

Other education related measures that have passed the House include legislation to improve school safety, provide more funds for local school construction, allow greater flexibility for innovative education programs and broaden the ability of students to achieve an advanced diploma by including career and technical classes in elective course work.

In the area of public safety, we have increased the oversight of our Parole Board, ensured that individuals charged with certain serious violent crimes have a thorough screening before possibly being granted bail, increased focus on gun violence prevention, and increased human trafficking recognition training for our entire law enforcement community.

We have provided significant tax relief for all Virginians.  We have passed bills totally eliminating the state’s share of the grocery sales tax, repealing the sales tax on gasoline and diesel for one year, doubling the standard deduction on state taxes, and granting a one-time tax rebate of $300 for each taxpayer.

On bills that received a lot of comment:

HB509, repealing the so called “red flag law” that seized guns from the homes of individuals without due process, merely based on a report that a person might be a threat.  There are other current laws that allow for law enforcement to immediately take someone into custody that is believed to pose a potential threat to themselves or others.  These laws work to ensure that these individuals receive the help they need, not just remove guns from their homes without addressing the underlying problem.

HB775, prevents Governors executive orders from mandating that individuals cannot assemble for worship.

HB304, requires that any child who is born alive after an unsuccessful abortion attempt must be given appropriate medical care.  Unlike our former Governor, a pediatrician, who stated “they would be laid on a table while the Doctor and Mother decided what to do”.

HB511, this bill passed stating that local school divisions may allow home school students to participate in public school athletic programs.

HB330, would have mandated nursing homes and other assisted living settings to have minimal staffing levels.  While there is wide-spread support for the concept, this bill failed to pass but was carried over until the 2023 session for the House Health, Welfare, & Institutions Committee to conduct a study to determine how to achieve the objective.

Some of the problems to be addressed are the costs of hiring more caregivers, a shortage of available caregivers, and insufficient training programs available to address the shortage.

The bills that passed will now be considered within the next two weeks in the Senate.  We will now be considering only Senate bills.

I appreciate the opportunity to represent the diverse opinions and try to find common ground on the myriad of issues before us.  Please continue to monitor the process at virginiageneralassembly.gov.

If I can answer any questions or be of assistance in any manner, please contact me at delborrock@house.virginia.gov, or (804)698-1054.