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Happy 94th Birthday to Governor Wilder! Glad we could celebrate his career with a Senate Resolution and center aisle presentation.

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The Senate General Laws Committee discusses my recovery homes bill late last week.

This past week was a VERY busy week for us at the General Assembly as several of my bills were heard this past week and many advanced successfully. 

My education bills did well. My SB 855, which seeks to overhaul the K-12 assessment process, and my SB 955, to ensure all of our public schools have access to high quality instructional materials were both reported unanimously 15-0 from the Senate Education & Health Committee and were referred to the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee. My SB 822, which seeks to limit the number of hours teachers have to spend on non-instructional teacher trainings was recommended for advancement from the Senate Public Education Subcommittee and will be heard this Tuesday morning in the full Senate Education & Health Committee.

My SB 838 will serve to better regulate and oversee recovery homes in the Commonwealth, many of which are located in Henrico County, changing the civil penalty for violating recovery residence laws to a Class 1 misdemeanor and directing the Secretary of Health & Human Resources to form a workgroup to recommend oversight measures and create credentialing guidelines for recovery residences. I am pleased that this bill has been reported from the Senate Education & Health Committee (13-1-1) and referred to Finance & Appropriations.

My SB 1223 addresses the breakage, or profits, retained by historical horse racing corporations in localities that have not held a referendum since the introduction and adoption of pari-mutuel Historic Horse Racing Machines in 2018. In essence, I want to incentivize good behavior by restricting the profits made from gambling sites that go around the public referendum process. This bill has been reported 8-0 from the Senate General Laws Gaming Subcommittee. You can read more about this bill’s impact on Henrico County here.

Testifying before the committee on my Presidential primary election date reform bill.

Four of my other bills advanced from full committee to the Senate floor. My SB 871 extends the expiration of the retail sales and use tax exemption from 2025 to 2028 for certain printed materials purchased in the Commonwealth for distribution outside of the Commonwealth. This will be a boon for our many local printing businesses located in Henrico County. I’m pleased it unanimously passed the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee and is on its way to be voted on in the full Senate. SB 1015, which amends the definition of state code of "practice of chiropractic" to include recommending or directing patients on the use of vitamins, minerals, or food supplements, also passed the Education & Health Committee 15-0 and is on to a vote on the Senate floor. I am proud that my SJ 269, which designates March in 2025 and in each succeeding year as Persian Heritage Month in Virginia, unanimously passed the Senate Rules Committee with a voice vote, and will soon be voted on on the Senate floor. My SB 1119 would place all primaries in a Presidential election year on the same date, which would increase voter turnout, save localities money, and make it easier to fully staff those primary elections with qualified officers of election. This bill has passed the Senate Privileges & Elections Committee 8-6-1 and is headed to the Senate floor.

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Last week, I presented two bills that would have helped ease our housing crisis. While they didn’t pass, I will continue to advocate for housing affordability until we make meaningful change. Home sales prices have increased greater than 50% in the Richmond region over the last five years. That isn’t sustainable if we want to keep working families and young professionals in our region and state.

Unfortunately, this past Monday, January 20th, two bills of mine, SB 839 and SB 975, that would have had a tremendous impact on housing affordability and availability in Henrico and across the Commonwealth, failed to pass the Senate Local Government Committee. 

SB 839 would have required localities to allow for by-right development of multifamily residential housing on at least 75% of all land within business or commercial zoning-district classifications. It also would have sped up the review process for residential projects that reserve at least 10% of units for low-income households.

SB 975 would have required localities to increase their amount of housing by 7.5% over a five year period, or roughly 1.5% per year. If localities failed to meet this requirement, then a state housing approval board would have the ability to overturn local decisions on housing in order to meet the target for growth. This bill included good-faith exemptions for localities that make an attempt to meet the 7.5% goal and requirements to make housing affordable for new residents. 

While I am disappointed these two bills didn’t pass, my fight to alleviate the housing crisis will continue! Working to lower the price of rent and home affordability is my duty and privilege as your Senator. I hear your voices and grievances not just during my time in the General Assembly, but as a member of the Henrico community. When I am not advocating on your behalf in the General Assembly I work alongside many educators who cannot afford a home in the communities where they work. It is unacceptable that hard-working individuals such as my colleagues, and people across Henrico and Virginia, can not afford housing.

I promise I will continue to support legislation that addresses Virginia’s housing crisis in our current and future legislative sessions.

On Tuesday, January 21st, I proudly voted “yes” to three critical constitutional amendments safeguarding the fundamental rights to reproductive freedom, to vote, and to marry, and helped the Virginia Senate to pass these three vital civil rights for Virginians. 

Constitutional Amendment SJ247, which affirms a fundamental right to reproductive freedom was read a third time and agreed to by Senate (21-Y 19-N).

Constitutional Amendment SJ248 was read a third time and agreed to by the Senate (21-Y 18-N). It provides that a person who has been convicted of a felony shall not be entitled to vote during any period of incarceration for such felony conviction, but upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him, such person shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote. 

Constitutional Amendment SJ249 which affirms the right to marriage between two adult persons and repeals the same-sex marriage prohibition was read a third time and agreed to by Senate (24-Y 15-N).

I am incredibly happy with the outcome of these constitutional amendments, and proud of the steps we’re making to enshrine fundamental rights and freedoms in the Constitution of Virginia in hopes of making the Commonwealth more free, fair, and equal.

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In addition to my newsletter, you can stay updated on my bills through the Legislative Information System (LIS). Livestreams and past recordings of Session, as well as committee meetings can all be found at this link. Legislation, as well as meeting calendars and committee information can be found here.

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If you would like to reach out and discuss any of my legislative priorities, share an opinion, or if you’d like me to come and share a legislative update at a community or organization meeting, please do not hesitate to contact my office at [email protected]. 

Yours in service,