Legislative Update: 29 January 2023

January 29, 2023

WEEK IN REVIEW

The conclusion of this week marks the end of the second full week of the 2023 Virginia General Assembly legislative session. With just over a week left until the Crossover date of February 7th, when bills that have passed in one chamber will be sent to the opposite chamber for consideration, committees are a-buzz with debate and lengthy agendas. Please see below for this week’s highlights, bill summaries and updates.

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

EDUCATION

HB 1909: Opportunity Classrooms
If passed, this bill would establish the Opportunity Classroom program for schools. It would allow a teacher or a parent (with the support of a teacher) to establish an agreement with the school board to teach an alternative curriculum in a classroom designated for that purpose in a school.

Bill status: Passed in a House Education subcommittee and the House Education Committee last week. Is anticipated to receive a House floor vote this week.
Bill text, history, and information: Click HERE

HB 1508: Education Success Accounts
If passed, this bill would establish Education Success Accounts (ESA) for Virginia students leaving the public school system. It would put parents in the driver’s seat by giving them access to a portion of public education dollars allotted to their student to utilize for costs like private school tuition or homeschool curriculum. ESAs allow dollars to follow each student, instead of funding systems.

Bill status: Passed in the House Education Committee last week, anticipated to receive a vote in a House Appropriations subcommittee and possibly full Appropriations Committee this week.
Bill text, history, and information: Click HERE

HB 1821: Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit Expansion
This bill expands the Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit (EISTC) program, which provides education grants to children from low income families.

Bill status: Passed in the House Education Committee last week, anticipated to receive a vote in a House Finance subcommittee this week and possibly full House Finance Committee.
Bill text, history, and information: Click HERE
Video about the EISTC program

HB 1507: Parental Rights and School Transparency
This bill reiterates and protects parental rights and provides parents with more education transparency in schools.

Bill status: Passed in a House Education subcommittee and the House Education Committee, has been read on the House floor once, and is anticipated to receive a House floor vote this week.
Bill text, history, and information: Click HERE

REGULATORY REFORM

HB 1758: Universal Regulatory Sandbox
If passed, this legislation would create the Virginia Regulatory Sandbox Program. This program would facilitate a stronger free market and accelerated innovation by establishing an application process by which individuals may be granted a waiver from one or more state laws or regulations to make a desired product, use a desired production method, or provide a service.

Bill status: Passed in the House General Laws Committee last week, anticipated to receive a vote in a House Appropriations subcommittee and possibly full House Appropriations Committee this week.
Bill text, history, and information: Click HERE

HB 2347: Regulatory Budget
This bill establishes the Regulatory Budget Program to help Virginia’s state agencies reduce the amount of regulations that come from their department in a two-year period. If passed, the bill would have an expiration date of January 2027.

Bill status: Passed in the House General Laws Committee and was read twice on the House floor last week. It is anticipated to be read the third time and receive a vote on the House floor this week.
Bill text, history, and information: Click HERE

FIREARMS

SB 1236: Second Amendment Protection
This bill would have repealed the authority for localities to have an ordinance banning firearms in parks, recreation and community centers, and at events that are permitted, or should have been permitted.

Bill status: This bill died last week in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Bill text, history, and information: Click HERE

ELECTIONS

SB 1180: Private Interests Funding Elections
This legislation seeks to repeal critical aspects of the prohibition on private funding in elections that the General Assembly passed on a bipartisan basis last year. It would allow local registrars to solicit grants from non-governmental entities to fund election administration and train election officials.

Bill status: Last week this bill passed the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, it is anticipated to receive a Senate floor vote this week.
Bill text, history, and information: Click HERE

HB 1877: Reduced Early In-Person Voting
This bill would reduce the in-person absentee voting timeframe from 45 days to 14 days.

Bill status: Last week this bill passed on the House floor. Next, this bill will receive a vote in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, but possibly not until Crossover or after, in 1-2 weeks.
Bill text, history, and information: Click HERE

HB 1693: Ballot Drop Box Ban
This bill would prohibit the use of Drop Box locations to return a mailed ballot.

Bill status: Last week this bill passed on the House floor. Next, this bill will receive a vote in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, but possibly not until Crossover or after, in 1-2 weeks
Bill text, history, and information: Click HERE

HB 1751, HB 2436, HB 2118 & SB 1380: Ranked Choice Voting Expansion
If passed, each of these bills would expand Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in Virginia. Currently, this method of elections is only allowed for City Council and Board of Supervisors elections.

Ranked choice voting disconnects elections from issues and allows candidates with marginal support to win. It comes in multiple formats, some of which are a nightmare to count accurately, severely inhibiting transparency. It also disenfranchises voters, because ballots that do not include the two ultimate finalists are cast aside.

Status: Last week, all three RCV House bills died in the House Privileges and Elections Subcommittee #2. SB 1380 is anticipated to be voted on in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee this week.

HB 1751 text and info Click HERE
HB 2436 text and info Click HERE
HB 2118 text and info Click HERE
SB 1380 text and info Click HERE

DONOR PRIVACY

SB 854: Nonprofit Donor Names Disclosure
This bill would require nonprofit donors’ names to be displayed on public ads when they support a referendum and in certain cases if the nonprofit has a score card for legislators. Online public documents already disclose these donors, but displaying their names on ads would make them exceptionally more vulnerable to be targeted and doxed.

Bill status: Passed the Senate floor last week, and is anticipated to be heard in a House Privileges and Elections subcommittee next, but possibly not until Crossover or after, in 1-2 weeks.
Bill text, history, and information: Click HERE