We’ve just wrapped up another busy week at the State Capitol. With Crossover occurring next week, the House is taking final action on a number of items before they are sent to the Senate for consideration. With our legislative session capped at 60 days by the Virginia Constitution, it is required that we work at a fast pace to ensure the work is finished on time.
In this week’s update, I will provide you with details on several of the bills I am sponsoring. I have also included a write-up on VMI and redistricting, both issues that I continue to hear about from constituents in Colonial Heights and Chesterfield.
My Bills
In an earlier update, I shared with you a bit about my legislation to offer enhanced retirement benefits to our local and state 9-1-1 dispatchers. In this week’s e-newsletter, I wanted to share with you details about several additional bills I am sponsoring.
House Bill 1136 would direct the Department of Health to study the creation of a food truck office to streamline existing regulations that govern food trucks. This bill comes at the request of a constituent who owns a food truck and found the process to be overly complex when compared to that of other states. The House is utilizing a parliamentary maneuver to request the appropriate state agency move forward with the study without formally adopting the bill into state law.
House Bill 1142 stipulates that an individual has 180 days following their release from incarceration before they must begin paying fines and fees associated with their conviction. This brief pause will assist with a smoother transition and, in my opinion, help reduce the recidivism rate in Virginia. This bill passed the House unanimously and is headed to the Senate for further consideration.
House Bill 1387 will direct the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to automatically revoke the teaching license of any person convicted of a felony and who have been required to register under the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act. While the spirit of this bill is already in the Code of Virginia, this makes the revocation “automatic”, greatly cutting down the process time for license revocation under current law. Provisions exist to reinstate the license should a court later overturn their initial conviction. HB 1387 is slated for a vote on the House floor early next week.
You can view all 2,000+ bills that have been introduced this session by visiting lis.virginia.gov.
Virginia Military Institute
Higher education is always a key point of discussion at the Capitol. This year, Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is the focus of most of those discussions.
I heard from hundreds of Virginians–including many in District 74–about their concerns with HB1377 and HB1374. Both were watered down from their introduced version, and did pass the House. For the record, I voted against both measures. They are now under consideration by the Senate.
As introduced, HB1377 would require the Commonwealth of Virginia to undertake a study to examine whether VMI should remain a state-supported institution. The initial language (found here) was considered to be extremely biased against VMI, and was targeting the school for closure. The amended language (found here) would now study if VMI has made significant progress pertaining to a 2021 study by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).
HB1374 as introduced would eliminate the VMI Board of Visitors and place the school under the authority of the Virginia State University (VSU) Board of Visitors. As you know, I am a huge supporter of VSU and the good work they do right here in our district. But VSU and VMI have distinctly different missions. Combining the schools under one board of visitors would be detrimental to both institutions. The amended language (found here) would change the composition of the VMI Board to limit the number of alumni and require a certain number of military veterans on the board. No other college or university in Virginia has this requirement of their Board of Visitors.
I believe that VMI brings value to our state, and I will continue to oppose legislation that would imperil its mission.
Redistricting Update
On Friday, the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled that an April 21 referendum can move forward while the court continues hearing legal arguments in a pending case. I believe it would have been appropriate for the court, at minimum, to delay the referendum. Alas, this is the playing field we are presented with.
A referendum is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, April 21. You can vote at your regular polling location. Early voting is scheduled to begin Friday, March 6. I strongly encourage you to make a plan to vote so that your voice is heard.
A “no” vote will preserve Virginia’s present, fair maps through the rest of the decade.
A “yes” vote will allow the General Assembly to return to the days of gerrymandering.
The above map represents the new congressional map should a “yes” vote prevail. Five districts would be anchored in populous Northern Virginia, essentially ignoring rural voters. These maps are the opposite of fair. While I appreciate and understand that there are strong feelings on redistricting plans taking place in other states, we must focus on what is best here in Virginia.
You can learn more about the new maps using this webpage courtesy of the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).
I will be voting against the proposed constitutional amendment on April 21.
As a reminder, my office is here to assist you with any problems you may face with a state government agency. Please reach out by phone or email so that we can help. If you have a federal or local matter, I will be happy to put you in touch with the right contacts.
I hope you found this week’s update informative. As always, it remains an honor to represent Colonial Heights and Chesterfield in the House of Delegates.
Sincerely,
Mike Cherry