|
My Condolences for the Victims of the Potomac Plane Crash
I extend my condolences to all impacted by the tragedy near Reagan National Airport that occurred on Wednesday evening. 67 lives were cut short and many of our Virginia families have lost a loved one. Our Commonwealth grieves for this tremendous loss and we are all thinking of the victims and their loved ones. I also want to extend my gratitude to thank all of the first responders, including those from Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, and Prince William Counties, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), National Capital Region (NCR) Incident Management Team (IMT), Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Health, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Washington D.C. public safety agencies, and multiple federal agencies. They have been doing everything possible to aid in the recovery efforts in challenging conditions, and for that we owe them tremendous gratitude. I Want Your Opinion I have been hearing from many constituents here in Richmond, and I am asking 39th District residents to compete a constituent survey to help me understand your views. You can visit adamebbin.com/survey to make your voice heard. My Bills Status Marriage Amendment (SJ 249)- would protect marriage equality by creating a Constitutional Amendment referendum for voters to consider. Passed the Senate. Worker Protections (SB 1052) - would expand existing employment protections to all employees of companies with six or more staff. Passed the Senate. Tenant Renewal Notice (SB 1043) - requires landlords to provide 60 days notice if they do not intend to renew a lease. Passed the Senate. Unemployment Compensation Commission Membership (SB 878) - Combines the Commission on Unemployment Commission and the Unemployment Insurance Committee into one to reduce duplication. Passed the Senate. . Unemployment Maximum Weekly Benefits (SB 1056) - would increase unemployment insurance weekly benefits by $100 per week. Passed the Senate. Unemployment Insurance Income Disregard (SB 1057) - would increase the amount of income that a person qualifying for unemployment could deduct from their benefits from $50 to $100 per week while working part time. Passed the Senate. Vulnerable Road Users (SB 1416) - would make it a class one misdemeanor to strike a pedestrian or cyclist causing serious bodily injury in a cross walk. In Committee. Assault Firearms Public Carry Ban (SB 880) - prohibits the public carrying of assault weapons. Passed the Senate. Ghost Guns Regulation (SB 881) - would establish a felony for any person who knowingly manufactures or assembles, imports, purchases, sells, transfers, or possesses a “ghost gun.” Passed the Senate. Firearm Industry Liability (SB 1450) - creates standards of responsible conduct for the firearms industry and creates a civil cause of action in the event of an injury. Passed Committee. Deepfake Regulations (SB 1053) - penalizes the use of deepfakes to commit fraud, slander, or libel. Passed the Senate. Digital Content Authenticity & Transparency (SB 1417) - requires a developer of an AI system to disclose AI use. Defeated and referred to the Joint Commission on Technology & Science. CTE Teacher Licensure (SB 879) - creates an alternate pathway to licensure for experienced industry professionals seeking to teach career and technical education courses. Passed Committee. CPA Education Requirements (SB 1042) - creates an additional pathway to licensure for Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), allowing individuals to substitute a fifth year of college education with accounting related work experience. Passed the Senate. Solar Interconnection for Schools (SB 1058) - prohibits charging schools for the cost of solar panel interconnection. Defeated. Virginia Cannabis Regulations (SB 1054) - tasks the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority with drafting regulations for retail sales of cannabis to adults 21 and over. Defeated. Post Release Job Assistance (SB 877) - requires Virginia Works, in collaboration with the Department of Corrections, to provide post-release job assistance services to those reentering society. Passed the Senate. Banning Private Prisons (SB 1283) - bans private state prisons and private prison management of Department of Corrections facilities. Passed Committee. Animal Boarding Facilities Inspections (SB 1051) - allows for local animal control to conduct inspections of animal boarding facilities. In Committee. Tobacco and Vapes Confiscation (SB 1060) - allows for the confiscation of vapes and tobacco products from juveniles and coordinates enforcement regarding sales to those under 21. Passed Committee. Problem Gaming Hotline (SB 1280) - requires the posting of the National Problem Gambling Helpline anywhere Virginia lottery tickets are sold or where charitable gaming, horse racing wagering, and casino gaming occur. Passed the Senate. Definition of Personal Interest (SB 1357) - clarifies that if a transaction involves a spouse, the officer or employee is automatically deemed to have a personal conflict. Passed Committee. FOIA Bill (SB 876) - requires public bodies to post a meeting agenda prior to a meeting and prohibits public bodies from voting on topics added to the agenda after the start of a meeting. Passed the Senate. Data Centers Site Assessment (SB 1449) - requires a site assessment for rezoning application, special exception, or special use permit for the siting of a new “high energy use facility” (HEUF), including data centers. Passed the Senate. Thanks for the continued opportunity to serve. My 2025 Legislative Updates
Our first full week in session started off with a flurry of snowflakes and bills. The Virginia Senate Privileges and Elections Committee reported out my Marriage Equality Constitutional Amendment with bipartisan support (SJ 249). I continue in my role as chair of the first Virginia Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology, with over a hundred bills to consider during this 2025 session. My bills include SB 1042, which would make it easier to become a Certified Public Accountant, and SB 1043, which would ensure sixty days notice when a landlord does not renew a tenant’s lease. Both reported out of the committee. On Friday, the Senate Courts of Justice Committee recommended passage of SB 880- a ban on the public carrying of assault weapons and SB 881, regarding restrictions on ‘ghost guns.’ On Monday, January 20th, we had a productive day of bills. The Virginia Committee on Justice considered SB 1053, addressing deepfake fraud and SB 1060, which would allow for the confiscation of tobacco and vapes possessed by minors. Also on Monday, the Virginia Committee of Commerce and Labor considered SB 1056, which would increase weekly unemployment maximum benefits, and SB 1057, which would raise the limits for unemployment compensation when working a part time job. We also considered SB 1280 in the Gaming Subcommittee of the General Laws Committee. This bill would ensure the posting of the problem gambling help line in places where gambling occurs. Constituent Visits We had many productive discussions with constituents last week. I had a good meeting with Virginia community health leaders, including Dr. Basim Khan, who leads Neighborhood Health Services, to discuss continued healthcare access in medically underserved communities. Serving over 400,000 patients in 2023, Virginia’s health centers provide high-quality, comprehensive primary care for 1 in every 21 Virginians. I was glad to have met with local constituent activists from Students Demand Action and Moms Demand Action for their lobby day. We are working this session to do more to address gun violence. I also met with the American Association of University Women of Virginia. I appreciate their advocacy and for coming to visit me in Richmond, advancing gender equity in the Commonwealth. I met with the Virginia Society of Public Accountants for their CPA Assembly Day. I am thankful for all the work CPAs perform and will continue to work with them in the future. Thank you for the continued opportunity to serve. Weather Outage Cause Delay in Richmond
In past sessions, the General Assembly has worked through presidential inaugurations, the pandemic, blizzards, MLK Day and Presidents’ Day without missing a beat. The City of Richmond has been dealing with issues related to a power outage affecting the city’s water reservoir. This session will be historic and it is all because of water pressure failure. On January 8th, we gaveled in the session and then recessed until Monday, January 13th to start our work. On Wednesday the 8th, the General Assembly Building’s emergency sprinkler system was not working and restrooms were not usable. Though not ‘in session,’ we continued to prepare budget amendments, finalize bills, and prepare for committee meetings. Democrats Keep Majorities in Senate and House On Tuesday, January 7th, the results came back for three special elections. In Loudon County, the Senate District 32 race was won by Representative Kannan Srinivasan, maintaining a 21-19 Democratic majority in the Senate. The seat was vacated by Representative Suhas Subramanyam after his successful run to represent the 10th District in the US House of Representatives. JJ Singh was also successful in running for House District 26, maintaining our 51-49 Democratic majority in the House. Finally, Democrat Jack Trammel lost his race for the 10th District Senate seat to Republican Luther Cifers, III., but ran a good race. Thank you to all three candidates for running, and congrats to the Senator and Delegate elects! My 2025 Legislative Agenda With the support of my two staffers and three interns from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond, we are running full speed ahead with a full legislative agenda. First is SB 249, a Constitutional Amendment protecting marriage equality. We are also seeking to amend the Virginia Human Rights Act, SB 1052, to ensure that companies regardless of size, do not discriminate in employment. Next is SB 881, which would ban ghost guns. SB 880 would ban carrying assault weapons in public. SB 1060 would allow for the confiscation of tobacco and vapes possessed by minors. We are also working on SB 1053 addressing deepfake fraud. SB 1042 would make it easier to become a Certified Public Accountant. SB 879 would help tradespeople get a Career and Technical Education teaching license. In SB 1043, we are working on more notice to tenants when their lease is not renewed by the landlord. SB 1054 requires the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority to draft regulations for retail cannabis sales. SB 1283 would ban privately run state prisons. We are also working on requiring data center operators to provide more information when applying for siting. SB 1056 and SB 1057 would increase unemployment benefits. SB 1058 would make it easier for schools to provide solar power to the grid. Providing post-release job placement services to returning citizens is the goal of SB 877. SB 1280 would promote the state’s gambling help line. SB 1051 would allow for the annual inspections of animal boarding facilities. We are working on transparency regarding the use of deepfakes and technology. I am also working on increasing the penalty for hitting a vulnerable road user in a crosswalk. Thanks for the continued opportunity to serve. |
RSS Feed