Category Legislative

In May, a new budget was passed to fund state operations for the next two years. After going through rounds of suggested language, the General Assembly’s proposed budget was still called a “backwards budget,” meaning multiple aspects would be harmful steps backward for the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, in at least one case so far, that has proved true. The General Assembly leadership insisted a ban on presidential election audits be included in the budget, creating budget item 77 F.1:

“Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections C and D of § 24.2-671.2., Code of Virginia, a risk-limiting audit of a presidential election or an election for the nomination of candidates for the office of President shall not be conducted.”

We cannot overemphasize how poor and deeply concerning a decision it was to add this prohibition to the budget. Audits exist to ensure fair elections, regardless of the background—personal, political, or otherwise— of the candidates in question. Prohibiting an audit is a serious affront to the American government system founded on checks and balances to serve the people.

With presidential audits off the table, the next best thing is conducting a statewide audit of the Virginia Senate race. Thankfully, state officials intend to do just that. However, in order for it to be an effective audit, including hand counting some ballots to verify machine counts, both the Department of Elections and the State Board of Elections must choose a specific auditing method called the Batch Comparison Risk Limiting Audit.

The other, more common, method is called a Ballot Polling Risk Limiting Audit. This method includes pulling a “statistically significant” number of ballots (insert eye roll), assuming any needles in the haystack are included, and making a determination about the integrity of the election based on a review of just those ballots.

Please make your voice heard by both the State Board of Elections and the Department of Elections by telling them you support the more robust Batch Comparison Risk Limiting Audit for the statewide audit of the Senate race.

Saturday, March 9th, marked the last day (also known as Sine Die) of the 2024 General Assembly session. This means that all bills have either died, been continued to 2025, or have passed the House and Senate and have been sent to the Governor’s desk for his approval or veto. For early bills that passed both chambers more than a week ago, the Governor had 7 days to sign or veto each bill; as of Friday evening, March 8th, the Governor had signed 64 bills, suggested amendments for 12 bills and vetoed 8 bills. Click here to see the press release from the Governor regarding his action on these bills. For all other bills that have passed both chambers, the Governor will have a 30 day timeframe in which to take action with his pen. When that 30 day period has elapsed, the General Assembly will return to Richmond to consider any bill amendments the Governor has recommended. The General Assembly can choose to accept or reject the Governor’s amendments during the Reconvened Session, which will take place on Wednesday, April 17. 

2024 Session Overview Numbers
(Total # of bills and resolutions)

• Introduced: 3594
• Passed the House: 2187
• Passed the Senate: 1858
• Continued to next session: 405
• Failed: 877
• Signed: 64
• Vetoed: 8

The report below includes bills that fall into alignment with Virginia Institute’s policy recommendations, either for good policy or bad policy, and received a vote in a committee or on the House or Senate Floor last week. See the bottom of the page for a full list of bills we are following.

ELECTIONS

Status: The following bill has been VETOED by the Governor:

SB 606- ERIC

This bill would require Virginia to re-join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Although ERIC claims to be a service to help states keep accurate voter rolls, Virginia left ERIC last year after serious concerns over data privacy breaches and partisanship influence within the organization.

• SB 606 text and info: Click HERE

Status: The Governor has recommended amendments for the following bill to the General Assembly: 

SB 196- Voter Registration

The version of this bill that was sent to the Governor would have altered the procedure for challenging a voter registration. It would have abolished the mechanism for a voter to challenge another voter’s registration eligibility while at a polling place, shifting the responsibility of challenge oversight solely to the court system. In advocating for this, SB 196 erects barriers that could impede the timely resolution of eligibility disputes. Registrars, who maintain up-to-date, accurate voter registration lists for their areas, should retain control over this process.

• SB 196 bill text and info: Click HERE

Status: The following bills have passed both the House and the Senate and are set to be sent to the Governor for his approval or veto.

HB 1177- ERIC

This bills would require Virginia to re-join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Although ERIC claims to be a service to help states keep accurate voter rolls, Virginia left ERIC last year after serious concerns over data privacy breaches and partisanship influence within the organization.

• SB 606 text and info: Click HERE
• HB 1177 text and info: Click HERE

SB 196 & HB 1534- Voter Registration

These bills would alter the procedure for challenging a voter registration. It would abolish the mechanism for a voter to challenge another voter’s registration eligibility while at a polling place, shifting the responsibility of challenge oversight solely to the court system. In advocating for this, SB 196 and HB 1534 erect barriers that could impede the timely resolution of eligibility disputes. Registrars, who maintain up-to-date, accurate voter registration lists for their areas, should retain control over this process.

• SB 196 bill text and info: Click HERE
• HB 1534 bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 246 & HB 1454- Driver Privilege Card Extension

This bill eliminates features used to distinguish between citizen and non-citizen state-issued driver’s permits and ID cards, which could facilitate non-citizens voting. 

• SB 246 text and info: Click HERE
• HB 1454 text and info: Click HERE

HB 1408- Electoral Administration

This bill takes a top-down approach to determining the appropriate number of early voting locations in each Virginia city and county, by directing the Department of Elections to create guidelines for localities to utilize regarding how many early voting locations should be open for early voting. These decisions are best made at the local level, where they are currently made, by the local election administrators who know their locality best.

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 26- Acceptable ID Expansion

This bill expands the list of accepted forms of identification to be presented when voting. Currently, although there is a list of accepted IDs, no ID is required to vote. Any registered voter who arrives at a polling location without an accepted form of identification, or with no ID at all, can sign a statement confirming that they are the registered voter that they say that they are, and then they are permitted to vote. This statement makes the list of acceptable IDs seem like a formality; additionally, some people are concerned that the types of IDs that this bill approves are available to noncitizens. 

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 939- Firearms at Precincts

If passed, this bill would prohibit a person from carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a voting location, including a ballot drop box. The original text of this bill would have also prohibited a firearm in a vehicle that was within 100 feet of a voting location, but the bill was amended to eliminate that problem.

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 364- Protection of Election Officials & Increased Penalties

This bill proposes to create higher criminal penalties for intimidation, harassment, and other offenses against election officials and election office staff, continuing a debunked narrative that election officials frequently experience harassment and threats. Although there was an amendment to clarify that communication like politely asked questions couldn’t be considered intimidation, there have been differing opinions about whether the language of the bill is clear that it would only apply to imminent harm and threats of bodily injury to election officials and couldn’t be applied to benign communications. To protect citizens from inaccurate or subjective allegations, this bill.

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE
• Radio interview discussing this bill

SB 428- Ranked Choice Voting Expansion

This bill, initially, would have expanded Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) to more local offices. Currently, if a Board of Supervisors or City Council votes to approve RCV it can be used to conduct a Board of Supervisors race or a City Council race. This bill was written to expand that to permit other local office races to be conducted using Ranked Choice Voting. It also would require some minor changes to be made to processes for RCV local races that are currently permitted. This bill was amended so it no longer expands RCV to new local offices. Now, if passed, it only would establish the minor process changes for already permitted RCV races. to benign communications. To protect citizens from inaccurate or subjective allegations, this bill.

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HEALTHCARE

Status: The following bills have passed both the House and the Senate and are set to be sent to the Governor for his approval or veto. 

SB 277- Certificate of Public Need

This bill would expand an expedited application and review process for Certificate of Public Need. 

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 570- Drug Price Setting

This bill would create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. Under this proposed legislation, the Board will be given authority to limit drug payment amounts and reimbursements to an upper payment limit amount for state sponsored and state regulated health plans. 

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

LICENSING

Status: The following bills have passed both the House and the Senate and are set to be sent to the Governor for his approval or veto. 

SB 22- Dental Compact

This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for dentists and dental hygienists. Any dentist or dental hygienist licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, increasing access to dental services.

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 239- Social Worker Compact

This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for fully licensed social workers. Social workers licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, filling a need for more social workers.

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

All Bills Virginia Institute is Following

Today begins the last week of the 2024 General Assembly session. This means that conference committees are meeting for some bills; they will negotiate compromises on bill details if the House and Senate have slightly different versions that passed the respective chambers. Subcommittees and committees, for the most part, concluded their business last week. But most importantly, this week Governor Youngkin has begun to receive bills to approve or veto. For bills that have already passed both chambers, the Governor has 7 days to sign or veto each bill. For bills that did not receive a vote from both chambers early on, the Governor will have a 30 day timeframe in which to take action with his pen, after session ends. When that 30 day period has elapsed, the General Assembly will return to Richmond to consider any bill amendments the Governor has recommended. The General Assembly can choose to accept or reject the Governor’s amendments during the Reconvened Session, which will take place on Wednesday, April 17. Please review the information below, noting especially the bills that the Governor has before him.

2024 Session Overview Numbers
(Total # of bills and resolutions)

• Introduced: 3196
• Passed the House: 1528
• Passed the Senate: 1326
• Continued to next session: 395
• Failed: 855
• Vetoed: 0

The report below includes bills that fall into alignment with Virginia Institute’s policy recommendations, either for good policy or bad policy, and received a vote in a committee or on the House or Senate Floor last week. See the bottom of the page for a full list of bills we are following.

ELECTIONS

HB 939 – Firearms at Precincts

If passed, this bill would prohibit a person from carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a voting location, including a ballot drop box. The original text of this bill would have also prohibited a firearm in a vehicle that was within 100 feet of a voting location, but the bill was amended to eliminate that problem.

• Status: Friday, 3/1, this bill was read for the third time in the Senate and passed by the House for the day.

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1171 – Absentee Ballot Counting

This bill requires more timely processing of returned mail absentee ballots than the law currently requires. This protects voters, ensuring they have enough time to correct any written errors on their ballot before it is time for ballots to be counted.

• Status: Friday, 3/1, this bill was read for the third time in the Senate and passed by the House for the day.

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 364 – Protection of Election Officials & Increased Penalties

This bill proposes to create higher criminal penalties for intimidation, harassment, and other offenses against election officials and election office staff, continuing a debunked narrative that election officials frequently experience harassment and threats. Although there was an amendment to clarify that communication like politely asked questions couldn’t be considered intimidation, there have been differing opinions about whether the language of the bill is clear that it would only apply to imminent harm and threats of bodily injury to election officials and couldn’t be applied to benign communications. To protect citizens from inaccurate or subjective allegations, we oppose this bill.

• Status: Friday, 3/1, this bill was reported from the House Privileges and Elections committee with a substitute 

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE
• Radio interview discussing this bill

SB 428 – Ranked Choice Voting Expansion

This bill, initially, would have expanded Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for more local offices. Currently, if a Board of Supervisors or City Council votes to approve RCV it can be used to conduct a Board of Supervisors race or a City Council race. This bill was written to expand that to permit other local office races to be conducted using Ranked Choice Voting. It also would require some minor changes to be made to processes for RCV local races that are currently permitted. This bill was amended so it no longer expands RCV to new local offices. Now, if passed, it only would establish the minor process changes for already permitted RCV races. 

• Status: Friday, 3/1, this bill was reported from the House Privileges and Elections committee with a substitute 

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1490 – Local Electoral Boards

This bill would give power to local governing bodies (like the Board of Supervisors or City Council) to circumvent the local Electoral Boards and dictate the number, location, and hours of operation of early voting locations. 

• Status: Tuesday, 2/27, this bill died through the motion to continue the bill to 2025 in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

THE GOVERNOR’S DESK: The following bills have passed both the House and the Senate and are set to be sent to the Governor for his approval or veto. Please call or email his office as soon as possible and ask that Governor Youngkin veto these bills.

SB 606 & HB 1177 – ERIC

 These bills would require Virginia to re-join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Although ERIC claims to be a service to help states keep accurate voter rolls, Virginia left ERIC last year after serious concerns over data privacy breaches and partisanship influence within the organization.

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 196 & HB 1534 – Voter Registration

These bills would alter the procedure for challenging a voter registration. It would abolish the mechanism for a voter to challenge another voter’s registration eligibility while at a polling place, shifting the responsibility of challenge oversight solely to the court system. In advocating for this, SB 196 and HB 1534 erect barriers that could impede the timely resolution of eligibility disputes. Registrars, who maintain up-to-date, accurate voter registration lists for their areas, should retain control over this process.

• SB 196 bill text and info: Click HERE
• HB 1534 bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 246 (similar to HB 1454) – Driver Privilege Card Extension 

This bill eliminates features used to distinguish between citizen and non-citizen state-issued driver’s permits and ID cards, which could facilitate non-citizens voting. 

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1408 – Electoral Administration

This bill takes a top-down approach to determining the appropriate number of early voting locations in each Virginia city and county, by directing the Department of Elections to create guidelines for localities to utilize regarding how many early voting locations should be open for early voting. These decisions are best made at the local level, where they are currently made, by the local election administrators who know their locality best.

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 26 – Acceptable ID Expansion

 This bill expands the list of accepted forms of identification to be presented when voting. Currently, although there is a list of accepted IDs, no ID is required to vote. Any registered voter who arrives at a polling location without an accepted form of identification, or with no ID at all, can sign a statement confirming that they are the registered voter that they say that they are, and then they are permitted to vote. This statement makes the list of acceptable IDs seem like a formality; additionally, some people are concerned that the types of IDs that this bill approves are available to noncitizens. 

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HEALTHCARE

SB 277 – Certificate of Public Need 

This bill would expand an expedited application and review process for Certificate of Public Need. 

• Status:  Friday, 3/1, this bill was on the House second reading calendar. It is expected to be on the third reading calendar on Monday, 3/4, and to receive a floor vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 570 – Medicinal Price Setting

This bill would create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. Under this proposed legislation, the Board will be given authority to limit drug payment amounts and reimbursements to an upper payment limit amount for state sponsored and state regulated health plans. 

• Status: Thursday, 2/29, this bill passed in the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. Next, this bill will be sent to the Senate floor for a vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

LICENSING

THE GOVERNOR’S DESK: The following bill has passed both the House and the Senate and has been sent to the Governor for his approval or veto. Please call or email his office as soon as possible and ask that Governor Youngkin veto this bill.

SB 239 – Social Worker Compact
This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for fully licensed social workers. Social workers licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, filling a need for more social workers. 

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

All Bills Virginia Institute is Following

With two weeks left in the General Assembly session before Sine Die, the official conclusion of the session, the House and Senate Committees are beginning to slow their pace. One notable bill (HB 742), that is still active in this session, proposes to change the authority to appoint the Commissioner of Elections to the State Board of Elections instead of leaving it in the hands of the Governor. In a suspenseful vote, the motion to kill this bill was unsuccessful in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee this week on Tuesday; one or more committee members of both parties voted to keep the bill alive. After that, one committee member requested delaying the decision of the committee on the bill and that request was agreed to by the committee. 

Also of note, last week the Senate and House both made public their proposals for Virginia’s budget and analyses have been produced by various organizations of these budget proposals. 

Here’s a reminder of the key dates during the 2024 General Assembly session: 

• First day: Wednesday, January 10th
• Last day for a legislator to submit a bill: 3pm Friday, January 19th
• Crossover deadline: Tuesday, February 13th
• Last day of session (also known as Sine Die): Saturday, March 9th
• Reconvene Session: Wednesday, April 17

2024 Session Overview Numbers
(Total # of bills and resolutions)

• Introduced: 2910
• Passed the House: 1279
• Passed the Senate: 962
• Continued to next session: 348
• Failed: 826
• Vetoed: 0

The report below includes bills that fall into alignment with Virginia Institute’s policy recommendations, either for good policy or bad policy, and received a vote in a committee or on the House or Senate Floor last week. See the bottom of the page for a full list of bills we are following.

EDUCATION

HB 659 – Open Enrollment
The original version of this bill would have established open enrollment for public schools in Virginia. After being amended, the bill directs the Department of Education to publish guidelines and best practices about open enrollment for the localities that choose to offer open enrollment within their district. It also reiterates that Virginia law already prohibits charging tuition for students participating in open enrollment.

• Status: On Thursday, 2/22, this bill died in the Senate Education and Health Committee. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

ELECTIONS

HB 1454 (similar to SB 246) – Driver Privilege Card Extention
This bill eliminates identifying features used to distinguish between citizen and non-citizen state-issued driver’s permits and ID cards, which could facilitate non-citizens voting. – PASSED

• Status: On Thursday, 2/22, this bill was passed in the Senate Transportation Committee. Next, this bill will be sent to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee for a vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 246 (similar to HB 1454) – Driver Privilege Card Extention
This bill eliminates identifying features used to distinguish between citizen and non-citizen state-issued driver’s permits and ID cards, which could facilitate non-citizens voting. 

• Status: Thursday, 2/22, this bill was passed in the House Transportation Committee. This bill previously passed in the Senate and will now be sent to the House floor for a vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 441 – More Curbside Voting
This bill expands the practice of curbside voting to not only individuals with a physical impairment but also those who have a mental impairment; this could significantly increase the use of curbside voting. When used at all, we believe the best practice is for curbside voting to be available only for individuals who need physical accommodations.

• Status: Tuesday, 2/20, this bill passed in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. Next, it will be sent to the Senate floor for a vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 364 – Protection of Election Officials & Increased Penalities
This bill proposes to create higher criminal penalties for intimidation, harassment, and other offenses against election officials and election office staff, continuing a debunked narrative that election officials frequently experience harassment and threats. Although there was an amendment to clarify that communication like politely asked questions couldn’t be considered intimidation, there have been differing opinions about whether the language of the bill is clear that it would only apply to imminent harm and threats of bodily injury to election officials and couldn’t be applied to benign communications. To protect citizens from inaccurate or subjective allegations, this bill.

• Status: Monday, 2/19, this bill passed in the House Election Administration Subcommittee. This bill will now be sent to the full House Privileges and Elections Committee and previously passed on the Senate floor.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE
• Radio interview discussing this bill

HB 939 – Firearms at Precincts
If passed, this bill would prohibit a person from carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a voting location, including a ballot drop box. In addition to the problem of restricting the right to bear arms, this bill could create a situation where someone accidentally violates the law simply by walking on the sidewalk near a drop box. The original text of this bill would have also prohibited a firearm in a vehicle that was within 100 feet of a voting location, but the bill was amended to eliminate that problem. – VOTE DELAYED

• Status: On Tuesday, 2/20, this bill was on the agenda of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, but a vote on the bill was delayed through a motion to pass the bill by for the week. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1177 (companion SB 606) – ERIC
This bill would require Virginia to re-join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Although ERIC claims to be a service to help states keep accurate voter rolls, Virginia left ERIC last year after serious concerns over data privacy breaches and partisanship influence within the organization.  – PASSED

• Status: On Tuesday, 2/20, this bill passed in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. Next, it will be sent to the Senate floor for a vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1534 (similar to SB 196) – Voter Challenge Oversight Changes
This bill would alter the procedure for challenging a voter registration. Currently, local registrars handle these cases, but this bill proposes court system oversight which would prevent any Election Day challenges. Registrars, who maintain up-to-date, accurate voter registration lists for their areas, should retain control over this process. – PASSED

• Status: On Tuesday, 2/20, this bill passed in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. Next, it will be sent to the Senate floor for a vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 270 – Ranked Choice Voting
This bill would have allowed ranked choice voting for presidential primary elections. Ranked choice voting creates unnecessary barriers for voters by making voting confusing and prone to errors, making vote counting extremely complicated and ensuring audits for these elections are difficult (if not impossible) to conduct. – KILLED

• Status: On Monday, 2/19, this bill died in the House Election Administration Subcommittee through the motion to continue the bill to 2025. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 315 – Automatic DMV Updates
Although the intent of this bill was to provide the Department of Elections with current information for registered voters who visit the DMV by updating their information automatically, passing this bill would have created errors in registered voter information. Visitors to the DMV often register vehicles that are not housed at their primary residence, but at a secondary residence. There is already a known problem where voters accidentally become registered at the wrong location, where they house a vehicle, after getting that vehicle registered at the DMV. This bill would have exacerbated that problem. – KILLED

• • Status: On Monday, 2/19, this bill died in the House Election Administration Subcommittee through the motion to continue the bill to 2025. 
  • To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HEALTHCARE

HB 570 – Price Setting for Medicine
This bill creates a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. Under this proposed legislation, the Board will be given authority to limit drug payment amounts and reimbursements to an upper payment limit amount for state sponsored and state regulated health plans. – VOTE DELAYED

• On Thursday, 2/22, this bill was on the agenda of the Senate Education and Health Committee, but did not receive a vote. Instead, the committee sent the bill to the Commerce and Labor Committee for a vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

LICENSING

SB 22 – Dental Interstate Compact
This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for dentists and dental hygienists. Any dentist or dental hygienist licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, increasing access to dental services. – PASSED

• Status: On Tuesday, 2/20, this bill was on the House third reading calendar and passed in a floor vote. It previously passed the Senate and next will be sent to the Governor’s desk for his approval or veto.  
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 239 – Social Worker Compact
This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for fully licensed social workers. Social workers licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, filling a need for more social workers. – PASSED

• Status: On Tuesday, 2/20, this bill was on the House third reading calendar and passed in a floor vote. It previously passed the Senate and next will be sent to the Governor’s desk for his approval or veto.  

To see bill text and info: Click HERE

All Bills Virginia Institute is Following

This week included some startling developments at the General Assembly. It started Monday with a distasteful series of events where House leadership prevented amendments on HB 404 and forced a vote of the bill on the House floor, and continued into the middle of the week when a long-standing member of the House Appropriations Committee, Delegate Barry Knight, was unexpectedly removed by the Speaker of the House from serving on the committee and replaced with another legislator. Delegate Amanda Batten was also replaced on the House Rules Committee.

Of note, further details will be released today, Sunday, February 18th, from the General Assembly about the most recent developments with the state budget proposal. The Chairman of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee has made a statement of bold opposition to the Governor’s priority to build a professional sports arena, saying financial backing for the project would not be part of the Senate version of the budget.

Crossover, which is the deadline for House bills to pass the House and Senate bills to pass the Senate, was on Tuesday, February 13th. Here are a number of bad policy proposals that will not be continuing forward this year:

Here’s a reminder of the key dates during the 2024 General Assembly session: 

• First day: Wednesday, January 10th
• Last day for a legislator to submit a bill: 3pm Friday, January 19th
• Crossover deadline: Tuesday, February 13th
• Last day of session (also known as Sine Die): Saturday, March 9th
• Reconvene Session: Wednesday, April 17

With just shy of three weeks left in the 2024 General Assembly session, we’ll continue to follow legislation and provide you valuable weekly updates.

2024 Session Overview Numbers
(Total # of bills and resolutions)

• Introduced: 2815
• Passed the House: 1011
• Passed the Senate: 725
• Continued to next session: 333
• Failed: 814
• Vetoed: 0

The report below includes bills that fall into alignment with Virginia Institute’s policy recommendations, either for good policy or bad policy, and received a vote in a committee or on the House or Senate Floor last week. See the bottom of the page for a full list of bills we are following.

DONOR PRIVACY

SB 78: Donor Disclosure Privacy
Originally, this bill required nonprofit donors’ names to be displayed on public ads when they supported a referendum or made other contributions as specified. Online public documents already disclose these donors, but displaying their names on ads would make them exceptionally more vulnerable to targeting and doxing. An amendment to the bill removed the language that required donors’ names to be released when donating to support a referendum. The current amended version of the bill requires donor disclosures only when donating to a 501(C)(4) organization that runs ads about a specific candidate. – KILLED

• Status: Monday, 2/12, this bill was on the Senate third reading calendar and was killed in a floor vote.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

EDUCATION

HB 659: Open Enrollment
The original version of this bill would have established open enrollment for public schools in Virginia. After being amended, the bill directs the Department of Education to publish guidelines and best practices about open enrollment for the localities that choose to offer open enrollment within their district. It also makes a change regarding tuition in these circumstances. – PASSED

• Status: Status: Tuesday, 2/13, this bill was on the House third reading calendar and passed in a floor vote.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

ELECTIONS

SB 606 (companion HB 1177): Voter Registration and Data Sharing

This bill would require Virginia to re-join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Although ERIC claims to be a service to help states keep accurate voter rolls, Virginia left ERIC last year after serious concerns over data privacy breaches and partisanship influence within the organization. –PASSED

• Status: Monday, 2/12, this bill was on the Senate third reading calendar and passed in a floor vote. On Thursday, 2/15, it was referred to the House Privileges and Elections committee. 

• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1177 (companion SB 606): Voter Registration and Data Sharing

This bill would require Virginia to re-join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Although ERIC claims to be a service to help states keep accurate voter rolls, Virginia left ERIC last year after serious concerns over data privacy breaches and partisanship influence within the organization. –PASSED

• Status: Tuesday, 2/13, this bill was on the House third reading calendar and passed in a floor vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 196: Process Change for Voter Registration Challenges

This bill would change the process of a challenge to a voter registration to being overseen by the court system instead of the current practice of those cases being handled by local registrars. Since registrars are responsible to keep current and accurate voter registration lists for their locality, we support them retaining oversight of this process. The bill also includes measures that would make it more difficult to raise challenges to a voter’s registration. –PASSED

• Status: Monday, 2/12, this bill was on the House third reading calendar and passed in a floor vote. On Friday, 2/16, it was passed in the House Privileges and Elections committee.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 364: Protection of Election Officials

This bill proposes to create higher criminal penalties for intimidation, harassment, and other offenses against election officials and election office staff, continuing a debunked narrative that election officials frequently experience harassment and threats. Recently, some election officials have stated that they feel harassed or intimidated by polite citizens who simply asked questions or who exercised their right to participate in an election as a poll observer. To protect citizens from inaccurate or subjective allegations, we oppose this bill. – PASSED

• Status: Tuesday, 2/13, this bill was on the Senate third reading calendar and passed in a floor vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE
• Radio interview discussing this bill
  

SB 428 & SB 270: Ranked Choice Voting
The first bill, SB 428, expands the option for elections to be conducted by ranked choice voting to any race for local or constitutional office. Currently, ranked choice voting is only an option for City Council and Board of Supervisors races. The second bill, SB 270, would allow ranked choice voting for presidential primary elections. Ranked choice voting creates unnecessary barriers for voters by making voting confusing and prone to errors, making vote counting extremely complicated and ensuring audits for these elections are difficult (if not impossible) to conduct. –  PASSED

• Status: Monday, 2/12, SB 428 and SB 270 were on the Senate third reading calendar and passed in a floor vote. 
• To see SB 428 text and info: Click HERE
• To see SB 270 text and info: Click HERE

SB 315 (companion HB 565): Automatic DMV Updates
Although the intent of this bill is to provide the Department of Elections with current information for registered voters who visit the DMV by updating their information automatically, passing this bill would create errors in the registered voter information. Visitors to the DMV often register vehicles that are not housed at their primary residence, but at a secondary residence. There is already a known problem where voters accidentally become registered at the wrong location, where they house a vehicle, after getting the vehicle registered at the DMV. This bill would exacerbate that problem. – PASSED

• Status: Monday, 2/12, this bill was on the Senate third reading calendar and passed in a floor vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 565 (companion SB 315): Automatic DMV Updates
Like SB 315, the intent of this bill was to provide the Department of Elections with current information for registered voters who visit the DMV by updating their information automatically. Passing this bill, however, would have created errors in the registered voter information for the same reasons as listed above. – KILLED

• Status: On Friday, 2/9, this bill died for this year in the House Privileges and Elections Committee through the motion to continue the bill to 2025. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 280: Prevention of Public Office
This bill would prohibit persons who have been convicted of offenses related to rioting or unlawful assembly from obtaining elected office (or non elected “positions of public trust”). It establishes in Virginia law that there was an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 and establishes that this new law (prohibiting public service) will apply to anyone who was convicted of an offense tied to the events at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. – VOTE DELAYED

• Status: On Friday, 2/9, this bill was on the agenda of the House Privileges and Elections Committee, but the vote was delayed through the motion to pass by the bill for the day because the sponsor of the bill was in another meeting.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 363: Affidavit of Innocence
This bill sets forth that any person who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the U.S. or given aid to enemies of the U.S. is disqualified from serving in a government position. It also establishes a process whereby an individual serving in a public office can be removed if found disqualified in this manner. – KILLED

• Status: On Friday, 2/9, this bill died for this year in the House Privileges and Elections Committee through the motion to continue the bill to 2025.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1529: General Registrar Term
This bill extends the term of General Registrars service from 4 years to 8 years; this would have an effective date in June 2029. It also specifies that the electoral board should presume that the incumbent general registrar wishes to stay in office unless they notify the electoral board otherwise. – KILLED

• Status: On Friday, 2/9, this bill died in the House Privileges and Elections Committee through the motion to pass by indefinitely.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1530: Deputy Registrar Requirements
This bill requires each locality to have one designated chief deputy registrar. The bill requires chief deputy registrars serving on a full-time basis to be paid at least 60 percent of the salary of the general registrar. It also requires that chief deputy registrars serve on a full-time basis for localities whose population is greater than 10,000. – KILLED

• Status: On Friday, 2/9, this bill died in the House Privileges and Elections Committee through the motion to pass by indefinitely.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 742: Election Commissioner Appointment
This bill changes the process by which the state Commissioner of Elections is appointed. Currently, the Governor appoints the Commissioner; if this bill passes, the State Board of Elections (SBE) would be authorized to appoint the Commissioner instead of the Governor. The SBE would also be authorized to remove the Commissioner from their position. The General Assembly would still need to confirm the appointment for Commissioner. Originally, the bill also included expanding more positions on the State Board of Elections, but that part of the bill has been removed. – BILL REVIVED/RECONSIDERED

• Status: On Friday, 2/2, this bill died in the House Privileges and Elections Committee through the motion to continue the bill to 2025. On Friday, 2/9, the bill was reconsidered and brought before the committee again for a vote. The bill was amended and was passed in the House Privileges and Elections Committee. Next, the bill will be sent to the House floor for a vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HEALTHCARE

HB 570: Drug Price Setting
This bill creates a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. Under this proposed legislation, the Board will be given authority to limit drug payment amounts and reimbursements to an upper payment limit amount for state sponsored and state regulated health plans. – PASSED

• Status: Tuesday, 2/13, this bill was on the House third reading calendar and passed in a floor vote. 

To see bill text and info: Click HERE

LICENSING

SB 22: Dentists and Dental Hygienist Compact
This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for dentists and dental hygienists. Any dentist or dental hygienist licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, increasing access to dental services. – PASSED

• Status: Thursday, 2/15, this bill passed in the House Health and Human Services Committee. This bill previously passed on the Senate floor and will now be sent to the House floor for a vote.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 239: Social Work Compact
This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for fully licensed social workers. Social workers licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, filling a need for more social workers.  – PASSED

• Status: Thursday, 2/15, this bill passed in the House General Laws Committee. This bill previously passed on the Senate floor and will now be sent to the House floor for a vote.

To see bill text and info: Click HERE

All Bills Virginia Institute is Following

We are about half way through the 2024 General Assembly session, with crossover on Tuesday, February 13th. This means that bills are getting rapidly shepherded through committees lasting late into the afternoon and even into the night sometimes, trying to get each bill passed in the chamber it was introduced in before the crossover deadline. With the long hours spent considering new legislative proposals in mind, take a moment to thank a legislator today; as much as they are in the spotlight, it is typically to take hits of criticism and not to receive appreciation for their efforts to serve the Commonwealth. Regardless of similarities or differences, most people are serving in their role as best as they know how. 

Find Your Legislators

A notable announcement from the executive branch, there is a new cutting edge website tool to facilitate easier permit processing at the state level. It is called Virginia Permit Transparency and the establishment of this tool has been spearheaded by the Office of Regulatory Management. Although currently only permits from a few departments are available through the new website, more agencies will be beginning to utilize it soon.

2024 Session Overview Numbers
(Total # of bills and resolutions)

• Introduced: 2735
• Passed the House: 604
• Passed the Senate: 511
• Continued to next session: 322
• Failed: 282
• Vetoed: 0

Here’s a reminder of the key dates during the 2024 General Assembly session: 

• First day: Wednesday, January 10th
• Last day for a legislator to submit a bill: 3pm Friday, January 19th
• Crossover deadline: Tuesday, February 13th
• Last day of session (also known as Sine Die): Saturday, March 9th
• Reconvene Session: Wednesday, April 17

The report below includes bills that fall into alignment with Virginia Institute’s policy recommendations, either for good policy or bad policy, and received a vote in a committee or on the House or Senate Floor last week. See the bottom of the page for a full list of bills we are following.

DONOR PRIVACY

SB 78: Donor Disclosure Privacy
Originally, this bill required nonprofit donors’ names to be displayed on public ads when they supported a referendum or made other contributions as specified. Online public documents already disclose these donors, but displaying their names on ads would make them exceptionally more vulnerable to targeting and doxing. An amendment to the bill removed the language that required donors’ names to be released when donating to support a referendum. The current amended version of the bill requires donor disclosures only when donating to a 501(C)(4) organization that runs ads about a specific candidate.

• Status: On Tuesday, 2/7, this bill was passed with amendments in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. The amendment to the bill removed the language that required donors’ names to be released when donating to support a referendum. The current amended version of the bill requires donor disclosures only when donating to a 501(C)(4) organization that runs ads about a specific candidate.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

EDUCATION

HB 659: Open Enrollment
The original version of this bill would have established open enrollment for public schools in Virginia. After being amended, the bill directs the Department of Education to publish guidelines and best practices about open enrollment for the localities that choose to offer open enrollment within their district. It also makes a change regarding tuition in these circumstances. – PASSED

• Status: On Tuesday, 2/7, this bill was passed in the House K-12 Education Subcommittee with amendments. It will next be sent to the full House Education Committee for a vote, today, Wednesday, 2/7.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

ELECTIONS

HB 565: Automatic DMV Updates
Although the intent of this bill is to provide the Department of Elections with current information for registered voters who visit the DMV by updating their information automatically, passing this bill would create errors in the registered voter information. Visitors to the DMV often register vehicles that are not housed at their primary residence, but at a secondary residence. There is already a known problem where voters accidentally become registered at the location where they house a vehicle (instead of their primary residence) after getting the vehicle registered at the DMV. This bill would exacerbate that problem. – KILLED

• Status: On Friday, 2/9, this bill died for this year in the House Privileges and Elections Committee through the motion to continue the bill to 2025. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 280: Prevention of Public Office

This bill would prohibit persons who have been convicted of offenses related to rioting or unlawful assembly from obtaining elected office (or non elected “positions of public trust”). It establishes in Virginia law that there was an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 and establishes that this new law (prohibiting public service) will apply to anyone who was convicted of an offense tied to the events at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. – VOTE DELAYED

• Status: On Friday, 2/9, this bill was on the agenda of the House Privileges and Elections Committee, but the vote was delayed through the motion to pass by the bill for the day because the sponsor of the bill was in another meeting.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 363: Affidavit of Innocence

This bill sets forth that any person who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the U.S. or given aid to enemies of the U.S. is disqualified from serving in a government position. It also establishes a process whereby an individual serving in a public office can be removed if found disqualified in this manner. – KILLED

• Status: On Friday, 2/9, this bill died for this year in the House Privileges and Elections Committee through the motion to continue the bill to 2025.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1529: General Registrar Term

This bill extends the term of General Registrars service from 4 years to 8 years; this would have an effective date in June 2029. It also specifies that the electoral board should presume that the incumbent general registrar wishes to stay in office unless they notify the electoral board otherwise. – KILLED

• Status: On Friday, 2/9, this bill died in the House Privileges and Elections Committee through the motion to pass by indefinitely.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1530: Deputy Registrar Requirements

This bill requires each locality to have one designated chief deputy registrar. The bill requires chief deputy registrars serving on a full-time basis to be paid at least 60 percent of the salary of the general registrar. It also requires that chief deputy registrars serve on a full-time basis for localities whose population is greater than 10,000. – KILLED

• Status: On Friday, 2/9, this bill died in the House Privileges and Elections Committee through the motion to pass by indefinitely.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 742: Election Commissioner Appointment

This bill changes the process by which the state Commissioner of Elections is appointed. Currently, the Governor appoints the Commissioner; if this bill passes, the State Board of Elections (SBE) would be authorized to appoint the Commissioner instead of the Governor. The SBE would also be authorized to remove the Commissioner from their position. The General Assembly would still need to confirm the appointment for Commissioner. Originally, the bill also included expanding more positions on the State Board of Elections, but that part of the bill has been removed. – BILL REVIVED/RECONSIDERED

• Status: On Friday, 2/2, this bill died in the House Privileges and Elections Committee through the motion to continue the bill to 2025. On Friday, 2/9, the bill was reconsidered and brought before the committee again for a vote. The bill was amended and was passed in the House Privileges and Elections Committee. Next, the bill will be sent to the House floor for a vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 375: Enter Virginia into the National Popular Vote Compact

This bill would require Virginia to give their electoral votes for U.S. President to the candidate who wins the majority of the popular vote in all 50 states and D.C. If passed, this change would not go into effect immediately; it would go into effect once enough states join the compact to equal a majority of the electoral votes nationwide. – KILLED

• Status: On Monday, 2/5, this bill was killed in the House Election Administration Subcommittee through the motion to continue the bill to 2025. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 694: Counting Absentee Ballots Before Close of Polls

This bill would make changes regarding the timing of counting of absentee ballots, including some counting to begin at noon on election day before close of polls. We are concerned these changes could make vulnerable the integrity of elections and potentially influence the outcome of elections as well. – KILLED

• Status: On Monday, 2/5, this bill was killed in the House Election Administration Subcommittee through the motion to continue the bill to 2025. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1189: Hand Count Audits

This bill would establish random hand count audits of elections at the local level. – KILLED

• On Monday, 2/5, this bill was killed in the House Election Administration Subcommittee through the motion to lay the bill on the table. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 364: Protection of Election Officials

This bill proposes to create higher criminal penalties for intimidation, harassment, and other offenses against election officials and election office staff, continuing a debunked narrative that election officials frequently experience harassment and threats. Recently, some election officials have stated that they feel harassed or intimidated by polite citizens who simply asked questions or who exercised their right to participate in an election as a poll observer. To protect citizens from inaccurate or subjective allegations, we oppose this bill.  – PASSED

• Status: Monday, 2/5, this bill was passed with amendments, in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee. The amendments clarify what actions would be considered a crime against an election official, and the amendments improve the bill. Even with some improvements to the bill as a result of the amendments, we oppose the bill. This bill has been sent to the Senate Finance Committee, where it will be voted on next. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE
• Radio interview discussing this bill 

HB 796: Electronic Ballot Return
This bill allows ballots to be returned electronically, in cases where the voter is overseas, military, or has a physical impairment. Electronic ballot return raises security concerns. Additionally, once started it could open the floodgate for expanding electronic ballot voting for all voters. – KILLED

• Status: On Friday, 2/2, this bill died in the House Privileges and Elections Committee through the motion to table the bill.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1177: Voter Registration and Data Sharing

This bill would require Virginia to re-join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Although ERIC claims to be a service to help states keep accurate voter rolls, Virginia left ERIC last year after serious concerns over data privacy breaches and partisan related influence within the organization. – PASSED

• Status: On Friday, 2/2, this bill was passed in the House Privileges and Elections Committee. It has been sent to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government and Capital Outlay. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 502: Nonbinary Registration

This bill allows individuals to register to vote with their gender listed as nonbinary, along with various other law changes that allow a person to change their legally recognized gender to nonbinary. – PASSED

• Status: On Tuesday, 2/7, this bill was passed in the House General Laws Committee. HB 502 was then sent to the House Appropriations Committee for its next vote. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 364: Protection of Election Officials

This bill proposes to create higher criminal penalties for intimidation, harassment, and other offenses against election officials and election office staff, continuing a debunked narrative that election officials frequently experience harassment and threats. Recently, some election officials have stated that they feel harassed or intimidated by polite citizens who simply asked questions or were exercising their right to participate in an election as a poll observer. To protect citizens from inaccurate or subjective allegations, we oppose this bill. – VOTE DELAYED

• Status: Monday, 1/29, this bill was scheduled for a vote in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee. The committee voted to pass by the bill for the day, delaying the vote until the next time this committee meets. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE
• Radio interview discussing this bill

HB 1171: Absentee Voting

This bill would require more timely processing of returned mail absentee ballots than the law currently requires. This protects voters, ensuring they have enough time to correct any written errors on their ballot before it is time for ballots to be counted. 

• Status: Thursday, 2/1, HB 1171 was on the House uncontested third reading calendar and was passed on the House Floor in a bloc. Next, it will be sent to the Senate to await an assignment to a Senate committee.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 315: Voter Registration

Although the intent of this bill is to provide the Department of Elections with current information for registered voters who visit the DMV by updating their information automatically, passing this bill would create errors in the registered voter information. Visitors to the DMV often register vehicles that are not housed at their primary residence, but at a secondary residence. There is already a known problem where voters accidentally become registered at the location where they house a vehicle (instead of their primary residence) after getting the vehicle registered at the DMV. This bill would exacerbate that problem. 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/30. SB 315 was referred to the Senate Finance and Appropriations committee.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 428 & SB 270: Ranked Choice Voting 

The first bill, SB 428, expands the option for elections to be conducted by ranked choice voting to any race for local or constitutional office. Currently, ranked choice voting is only an option for City Council and Board of Supervisors races. The second bill, SB 270, would allow ranked choice voting for presidential primary elections. Ranked choice voting creates unnecessary barriers for voters by making voting confusing and prone to errors, making vote counting extremely complicated and ensuring audits for these elections are difficult (if not impossible) to conduct. 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/30, both bills were passed in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee and were sent to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. 
• To see SB 428 text and info: Click HERE
• To see SB 270 text and info: Click HERE

HB 1532: Voter Registration

 Virginia is one of the most expensive states in the nation to acquire the voter roll. This bill would reduce the cost to purchase the voter roll file from the Virginia Department of Elections. – KILLED

• Status: Wednesday, 1/31, this bill was recommended to lay on the table in the Privileges and Elections subcommittee (5-Y 3-N). 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 606: Voter Registration and Data Sharing

 This bill would require Virginia to re-join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Although ERIC claims to be a service to help states keep accurate voter rolls, Virginia left ERIC last year after serious concerns over data privacy breaches and partisanship influence within the organization. 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/30, this bill was referred to the Finance and Appropriations committee
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 502: Nonbinary Registration

This bill would allow individuals to register to vote with their gender listed as nonbinary instead of male or female, along with various other law changes that allow a person to change their legally recognized gender to nonbinary. 

• Status: Thursday, 2/1, this bill was passed in the House Professions, Occupations and Administrative Process Subcommittee. Next, it will be sent to the full House General Laws Committee for a vote.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 796: Electronic Ballot Return

This bill allows ballots to be returned electronically, in cases where the voter is overseas, military, or has a physical impairment. Electronic ballot return raises security concerns. Additionally, once started it could open the floodgate for expanding electronic ballot voting for all voters. – KILLED

• Status: Friday, 2/2, this bill died in the House Privileges and Elections Committee.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HEALTHCARE

SB 277: Certificate of Public Need Process Change
This bill would expand an expedited application and review process for Certificate of Public Need. – PASSED

• Status: On Tuesday, 2/7, this bill was on the Senate third reading calendar and passed on the Senate Floor. Next, it will be sent to the House and await a committee assignment. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

LICENSING

SB 22: Dentists and Dental Hygienist Compact
This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for dentists and dental hygienists. Any dentist or dental hygienist licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, increasing access to dental services. – PASSED

• Status: On Monday, 2/5, this bill was on the House uncontested third reading calendar and passed in a block vote on the House Floor. Next, it will be assigned a committee in the Senate. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE 

SB 239: Social Work
This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for fully licensed social workers. Social workers licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, filling a need for more social workers.  

• Status: Yesterday, Monday, 2/5, this bill was on the House third reading calendar and passed in a vote on the House Floor. Next, it will be assigned a committee in the Senate.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 407: Teacher Mobility Compact
This bill would enter Virginia into the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact. Teachers licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, filling a need for more educators. – KILLED

• Status: On Thursday, 2/8, this bill was stricken from the Senate Education and Health Committee agenda at the request of the legislator who was carrying the bill.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

TAXES

HB 1414: Reinstating the Death Tax
This bill proposes to reinstate the estate tax for deceased persons. – KILLED

• Status: On Monday, 2/5, this bill was killed in the House Finance Subcommittee #3 through the motion to continue the bill to 2025. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

All Bills Virginia Institute is Following

This week many good policy ideas were rejected by House and Senate committees, including a bill to allow K-12 students to attend a school outside of their zone, a bill to repeal certificate of public need, a bill that would require parental notification for children who desire to be treated as transgender at school, a bill to allow education dollars to follow the student, and a bill to lower the cost for purchase of voter registration roll data. Despite the highly positive impact these reforms would have had on the Commonwealth, the majority of the legislators who voted on these ideas chose to keep more kids in failing schools, more patients with unmet medical needs, and more voters without confidence in elections.

However, one highlight of the week was a rejected legislative proposal to allow electronic ballot return under certain circumstances. Robust testimony from technology experts convinced legislators on both sides of the aisle that this was not a good path for Virginia, preserving the integrity of our elections.

A new cutting edge website tool was announced this week by the Governor to facilitate easier permit processing at the state level. It is called Virginia Permit Transparency and the establishment of this tool has been spearheaded by the Office of Regulatory Management. Although currently only permits from a few departments are available through the new website, more agencies will be beginning to utilize it soon.

2024 Session Overview Numbers
(Total # of bills and resolutions)

• Introduced: 2520
• Passed the House: 76
• Passed the Senate: 134
• Continued to next session: 20
• Failed: 99
• Vetoed: 0

Here’s a reminder of the key dates during the 2024 General Assembly session: 

• First day: Wednesday, January 10th
• Last day for a legislator to submit a bill: 3pm Friday, January 19th
• Crossover deadline: Tuesday, February 13th
• Last day of session (also known as Sine Die): Saturday, March 9th
• Reconvene Session: Wednesday, April 17 

The report below includes bills that fall into alignment with Virginia Institute’s policy recommendations, either for good policy or bad policy, and received a vote in a committee or on the House or Senate Floor last week. See the bottom of the page for a full list of bills we are following.

EDUCATION

HB 1180: Parental Tax Credit

This bill establishes the Virginia Parental Tax Credit (PTC). The tax credit would provide families more educational flexibility and choice. If parents decide to provide their student’s education through in-home instruction or private school, it allows them to receive a tax credit for qualifying educational expenses. This would include curriculum, tuition, and tutoring. – KILLED

• Status: Monday, 1/29, this bill died through the motion to lay the bill on the table in House Finance Subcommittee #1.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1164: Education Excellence for All Program

 This bill would establish the Education Excellence for All program, to allow education dollars to follow a student if a student leaves the public education system to utilize alternatives like private school or homeschool. Parents would then receive education dollars to cover costs like tuition or curriculum. Students would be eligible for this program if their parents’ income was at or below 300% of the poverty level. – KILLED

• Status: Tuesday, 1/30, the K-12 subcommittee voted to lay the bill on the table (6-Y 2-N)
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 552: Open Enrollment

This bill would allow open enrollment for public schools in Virginia. The proposed legislation would allow a student the option to attend a different public school in the county they live in, other than the one assigned to them based on their address. – KILLED

• Status: Thursday, 2/1, this bill died in the Senate Public Education Subcommittee. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

ELECTIONS

SB 364: Protection of Election Officials

This bill proposes to create higher criminal penalties for intimidation, harassment, and other offenses against election officials and election office staff, continuing a debunked narrative that election officials frequently experience harassment and threats. Recently, some election officials have stated that they feel harassed or intimidated by polite citizens who simply asked questions or were exercising their right to participate in an election as a poll observer. To protect citizens from inaccurate or subjective allegations, we oppose this bill. – VOTE DELAYED

• Status: Monday, 1/29, this bill was scheduled for a vote in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee. The committee voted to pass by the bill for the day, delaying the vote until the next time this committee meets. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE
• Radio interview discussing this bill

HB 1171: Absentee Voting

This bill would require more timely processing of returned mail absentee ballots than the law currently requires. This protects voters, ensuring they have enough time to correct any written errors on their ballot before it is time for ballots to be counted. 

• Status: Thursday, 2/1, HB 1171 was on the House uncontested third reading calendar and was passed on the House Floor in a bloc. Next, it will be sent to the Senate to await an assignment to a Senate committee.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 315: Voter Registration

Although the intent of this bill is to provide the Department of Elections with current information for registered voters who visit the DMV by updating their information automatically, passing this bill would create errors in the registered voter information. Visitors to the DMV often register vehicles that are not housed at their primary residence, but at a secondary residence. There is already a known problem where voters accidentally become registered at the location where they house a vehicle (instead of their primary residence) after getting the vehicle registered at the DMV. This bill would exacerbate that problem. 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/30. SB 315 was referred to the Senate Finance and Appropriations committee.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 428 & SB 270: Ranked Choice Voting 

The first bill, SB 428, expands the option for elections to be conducted by ranked choice voting to any race for local or constitutional office. Currently, ranked choice voting is only an option for City Council and Board of Supervisors races. The second bill, SB 270, would allow ranked choice voting for presidential primary elections. Ranked choice voting creates unnecessary barriers for voters by making voting confusing and prone to errors, making vote counting extremely complicated and ensuring audits for these elections are difficult (if not impossible) to conduct. 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/30, both bills were passed in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee and were sent to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. 
• To see SB 428 text and info: Click HERE
• To see SB 270 text and info: Click HERE

HB 1532: Voter Registration

 Virginia is one of the most expensive states in the nation to acquire the voter roll. This bill would reduce the cost to purchase the voter roll file from the Virginia Department of Elections. – KILLED

• Status: Wednesday, 1/31, this bill was recommended to lay on the table in the Privileges and Elections subcommittee (5-Y 3-N). 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 606: Voter Registration and Data Sharing

 This bill would require Virginia to re-join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Although ERIC claims to be a service to help states keep accurate voter rolls, Virginia left ERIC last year after serious concerns over data privacy breaches and partisanship influence within the organization. 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/30, this bill was referred to the Finance and Appropriations committee
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 502: Nonbinary Registration

This bill would allow individuals to register to vote with their gender listed as nonbinary instead of male or female, along with various other law changes that allow a person to change their legally recognized gender to nonbinary. 

• Status: Thursday, 2/1, this bill was passed in the House Professions, Occupations and Administrative Process Subcommittee. Next, it will be sent to the full House General Laws Committee for a vote.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 796: Electronic Ballot Return

This bill allows ballots to be returned electronically, in cases where the voter is overseas, military, or has a physical impairment. Electronic ballot return raises security concerns. Additionally, once started it could open the floodgate for expanding electronic ballot voting for all voters. – KILLED

• Status: Friday, 2/2, this bill died in the House Privileges and Elections Committee.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HEALTHCARE

HB 628: Certificate of Public Need

This bill removes certain hospitals from the Certificate of Public Need requirement. – KILLED

• Status: Thursday, 2/1, this bill died in the House Health Subcommittee through the motion to continue the bill to 2025.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

HB 1188: Certificate of Public Need

This bill would create a three-phase process to eliminate the Certificate of Public Need requirements for many categories of medical care facilities and projects. – KILLED

• Status: Thursday, 2/1, this bill died in the House Health Subcommittee through the motion to lay the bill on the table. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

LICENSING

SB 22: Dentists and Dental Hygienists

 This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for dentists and dental hygienists. Any dentist or dental hygienist licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, increasing access to dental services.

• Status: Friday, 2/2, this bill was read for the second time on the Senate floor. It is expected to be on the third reading calendar on Monday, 2/5, and receive a floor vote.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 239: Social Work

This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for fully licensed social workers. Social workers licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, filling a need for more social workers.  

• Status: Friday, 2/2, this bill was read for the second time on the Senate floor. It is expected to be on the third reading calendar on Monday, 2/5, and receive a floor vote.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

All Bills Virginia Institute is Following

The General Assembly hit the ground running on January 10th and will soon have been in session for three weeks. The same day that the legislature came back, Governor Youngkin delivered his State of the Commonwealth address. One remark from his address, “Please don’t bring me a bill that impacts Virginians’ Right to Work, as it will be met with the business end of my veto pen” is a statement that we hope is a foreshadowing of his plan for all anti free market legislation. 

2024 Session Overview Numbers
(Total # of bills and resolutions)

• Introduced: 2520
• Passed the House: 76
• Passed the Senate: 134
• Continued to next session: 20
• Failed: 99
• Vetoed: 0

Here’s a reminder of the key dates during the 2024 General Assembly session: 

• First day: Wednesday, January 10th
• Last day for a legislator to submit a bill: 3pm Friday, January 19th
• Crossover deadline: Tuesday, February 13th
• Last day of session (also known as Sine Die): Saturday, March 9th
• Reconvene Session: Wednesday, April 17 

The report below includes bills that fall into alignment with Virginia Institute’s policy recommendations, either for good policy or bad policy, and received a vote in a committee or on the House or Senate Floor last week. See the bottom of the page for a full list of bills we are following. 

DONOR PRIVACY 

HB 276: Donor Disclosure
This bill would require, in some cases, nonprofit donors’ names to be displayed on public ads when they support a referendum or make other contributions as outlined in the bill. Online public documents already disclose these donors, but displaying their names on ads would make them exceptionally more vulnerable to targeting and doxing. – PASSED

• Status: 1/24, the House Privileges and Elections Subcommittee on Campaign Finance voted to pass this bill. Next, this bill will be heard in the full House Privileges and Elections Committee.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

EDUCATION

SB 380: Local Authority for ESA
This bill would have required each school board to create a process allowing a qualified student to access funding set aside for alternative educational opportunities to earn class credit or satisfy a graduation requirement. This bill proposed to facilitate the option for education dollars to follow the student at the local level. – KILLED 

• Status: Thursday, 1/18, this bill was killed in the Senate Public Education Subcommittee.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 421: Foster Child Scholarship Program
This bill would have established the Foster Child Scholarship Program to allow school-age children in foster care who reside in Virginia to attend the participating public or private school of their caregiver’s choice. – KILLED 

• Status: Thursday, 1/18, this bill was killed in the Senate Public Education Subcommittee. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE 

SB 533: Education Savings Account (ESA)
Would have established the Education Excellence for All program, to allow education dollars to follow a student if a student leaves the public education system to utilize alternatives like private school or homeschool. Parents would have then received education dollars to cover costs like tuition or curriculum. Students would be eligible for this program if their parents’ income was at or below 300% of the poverty level. – KILLED 

• Status: Thursday, 1/18, this bill was killed in the Senate Public Education Subcommittee. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE 

SB 552: Open Enrollment for Public Schools
This bill would have allowed open enrollment for public schools in Virginia, which would give a student the option to attend a different public school than the one assigned to them based on the address of their residence. – KILLED 

• Status: Thursday, 1/18, this bill was killed in the Senate Public Education Subcommittee.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE 

SB 421: Foster Child Scholarship Program
This bill would have established the Foster Child Scholarship Program to allow school-age children in foster care who reside in Virginia to attend the participating public or private school of their caregiver’s choice. – KILLED 

• Status: Thursday, 1/18, this bill was killed in the Senate Public Education Subcommittee. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE 

LICENSING

SB 22: Dentist & Dental Hygienist Compact
This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for dentists and dental hygienists. Any dentist or dental hygienist licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, increasing access to dental services. – PASSED

• Status: Thursday, 1/25, this bill passed in the Senate Education and Health Committee with amendments and was sent to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. Previously, this bill passed in the Senate Health Professions subcommittee.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

SB 239: Social Work Compact
This bill would enter Virginia into an interstate licensing compact for fully licensed social workers. Social workers licensed in any state participating in the compact would be able to practice in any compact state, filling a need for more social workers. – PASSED

• Status: Thursday, 1/25, this bill passed in the Senate Education and Health Committee and was sent to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. Previously, this bill passed in the Senate Health Professions subcommittee.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

ELECTIONS

SB 315: Automatic DMV update for Voter Info
Although the intent of this bill is to provide the Department of Elections with current information for registered voters who visit the DMV by updating their information automatically, passing this bill would create errors in the registered voter information. Visitors to the DMV often register vehicles that are not housed at their primary residence, but at a secondary residence. There is already a known problem where voters accidentally become registered at the location where they house a vehicle (instead of their primary residence) after getting the vehicle registered at the DMV. This bill would exacerbate that problem. – VOTE DELAYED 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/23, the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee voted to pass by this bill for the week. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee is scheduled to meet again next Tuesday and this bill is expected to be voted on at that time. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE 

SB 428: Ranked Choice Voting Expansion
This bill expands the option for elections to be conducted by ranked choice voting to any race for local or constitutional office. Currently, ranked choice voting is only an option for City Council and Board of Supervisors races. Ranked choice voting creates unnecessary barriers for voters by making voting confusing and prone to errors, making vote counting extremely complicated and ensuring audits for these elections are difficult (if not impossible) to conduct. – VOTE DELAYED 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/23, the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee voted to pass by this bill for the week. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee is scheduled to meet again next Tuesday and this bill is expected to be voted on at that time. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE 

SB 606: Re-enter ERIC
This bill would require Virginia to re-join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Although ERIC claims to be a service to help states keep accurate voter rolls, Virginia left ERIC last year after serious concerns over data privacy breaches and partisanship influence within the organization. – VOTE DELAYED 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/23, the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee voted to pass by this bill for the week. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee is scheduled to meet again next Tuesday and this bill is expected to be voted on at that time. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE 

SB 364: Election Officer Intimidation & Harassment Penalties
This bill proposes to create higher criminal penalties for intimidation, harassment, and other offenses against election officials and election office staff, continuing a debunked narrative that election officials frequently experience harassment and threats. Recently, some election officials have stated that they feel harassed or intimidated by polite citizens who simply asked questions or were exercising their right to participate in an election as a poll observer. To protect citizens from inaccurate or subjective allegations, we oppose this bill. – VOTE DELAYED 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/16, this bill was on the agenda for the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee meeting; however, at the beginning of the meeting the chair of the committee asked for it to be rereferred to the Senate Courts of Justice Committee. The vote was made to rerefer the bill to that committee instead.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE
  

SB 32: SSN Administration Verification for Voters
This bill would have ensured that the Social Security Number an individual provides when registering to vote actually belongs to them. – KILLED 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/16, this bill was killed in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE 

SB 42: 21 Days of Early Voting
This bill would have reduced the in-person absentee voting time frame from 45 days to three weeks (21 days). – KILLED 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/16, this bill was killed in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE 

SB 45 & SB 81: Photo ID Required for Voting
To require a photo ID when voting. – KILLED 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/16, SB 45 was incorporated into SB 81 and then the bill was killed in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. 
• To see bill text and info for SB 45: Click HERE 
• To see bill text and info for SB 81: Click HERE 

SB 303: Printed Receipt for Voter
Requires a voting machine to print a receipt for each voter that casts a ballot. – VOTE POSTPONED 

• Status: Tuesday, 1/16, SB 303 was on the agenda of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee but was passed by for the day because the sponsor of the bill was not available to present. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

All Bills Virginia Institute is Following

Yesterday, Saturday (02.25.2023), the General Assembly adjourned Sine Die, ending the regular legislative session for 2023. Negotiations on the budget failed to reach full fruition, but before they adjourned the assembly members passed what they are calling a “gapstop” budget bill. It is four pages long, and covers a small number of items on which consensus was reached, allowing negotiations to continue in the coming weeks for the remaining controversial items. Governor Youngkin has indicated that as soon as the rest of the budget decisions are determined he will call a special session for the budget vote.

2023 Session Overview Numbers
(Total # of bills and resolutions)

• Introduced: 2,863
• Passed by the House: 1,741
• Passed by the Senate: 1,597
• Passed: 1,687
• Failed: 1,329
• Pending: 13
• Enacted: 0
• Vetoed: 0

The report below includes bills that fall into alignment with Virginia Institute’s policy recommendations, either for good policy or bad policy, and received a vote in a committee or on the House or Senate Floor last week. 

PRIVACY RIGHTS

HB 1437 & SB 1165: Database Storage of License Plate Info – DEAD
These bills were designed to allow for expanded use of devices that scan vehicle license plates. It would allow devices to be placed on the side of the road that would collect license plate data from every vehicle that passes by, invading the privacy of citizens without their knowledge and without cause. These devices are currently used by law enforcement in some areas of Virginia to find criminals, but this bill expands where and how they are permitted to be used.

The legislators carrying these bills both decided to have their bills sent back to committee, realizing that they would not pass on the Floor. See details below:

• HB 1437 Status: Previously, this bill passed the House. Last week, HB 1437 was anticipated to receive a Senate Floor vote, but the bill was sent back to the Senate Transportation Committee to die instead.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

• SB 1165 Status: Previously, this bill passed on the Senate Floor. Last week, SB 1165 received a failing vote on the House Floor; however, after the bill failed there was a successful motion made to reconsider the vote. The next day, SB 1165 was anticipated to receive another Floor vote, but the bill was rereferred back to the House Transportation Committee to die instead. 
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE

TECH & INNOVATION

HB 1784: Digital Tokens & Decentralized Autonomous Organizations – DEAD
This bill would have formalized the use of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations to create an exception from security regulations regarding digital tokens. It would have also removed barriers for small tech companies to start businesses in Virginia, utilizing block-chain and algorithmic technology to increase business efficiency.

• Bill Status: Previously, this bill passed on the House Floor. Last week, HB 1784 was killed in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee through the motion to pass by indefinitely.
• To see bill text and info: Click HERE