Crossover has begun and both chambers of the General Assembly are taking care of business.
This past week was slow, yet moving rapidly with many bills flowing through subcommittees and both chambers tackling many budget items, and swinging into the groove of special session.
From this week's session, here's just a few bills to highlight that passed the House/Senate and are heading onto the Governor or into a Conference Committee***:
SB 1157 - Moving all Local Elections to November (Spruill)
SB 1295 - Buy American preference - offshore wind projects (DeSteph)
SB 1395 - Virginia Voting Rights Act (McClellan)
SB 1375 - Workers' compensation - presumption COVID 19 public safety (Saslaw) ***
SB 1406 - Marijuana Legalization (Ebbin)***
SJ 272 - Automatic restoration of voting rights (Locke) ***
HB 1849 - Responsible bidder - apprenticeship study (Simonds)
HB 2202 - Licensing bill - elevator mechanics (Jones)
HB 2207 - Workers' Comp Presumption COVID 19 public safety (Jones) ***
HB 2312 - Marijuana legalization, includes labor protections (Herring) ***
HB 2321 - Secretary of Labor (Simonds) ***
HJ 522 - Study for Correction Officer treatment, staffing (Tyler)
You can check out the list of bills heading to conference committee by clicking HERE.
Labor legislation is still in play for next week in committees and on the floor, and we need more labor activists to join us in the fight at the GA to ensure that the good pro-worker pieces of legislation gets passed and sent to Governor Northam to sign into law.
Join us by signing up to lobby.
Together, we can ensure that our voice is heard and that positive pro-worker legislation is passed!
IN OTHER NEWS:
This week, Protect the Right to Organize [PRO] Act - H.R. 842 gained one more of Virginia's Congressional representatives, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (VA - 10) as a co-sponsor to the bill. Her co-sponsorship made it so that all Democratic Congressional representatives of Virginia have signed on to the bill.
Virginia's junior Senator Tim Kaine was an original co-sponsor to the bill, but senior Senator Mark Warner still has not signed onto the bill.
We have to step-up our efforts and urge him to protect the workers he represents.
Call Senator Warner TODAY!
(202) - 224 - 2023
Urge Him to Co-Sponsor the PRO Act
To help strengthen the PRO Act's chances of passing in the Senate, Senator Warner must sign on. Currently, he is the only Democratic Senator in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area not signed on to the bill -- Virginia cannot be left behind, working families everywhere cannot be left behind.
So far the Virginia's Congressional Representatives who have signed onto the bill and will be voting to pass this legislation are:
Congressman Bobby Scott (VA - 3)
Congressman Don Beyer (VA - 8)
Congressman Gerry Connolly (VA - 11)
Congressman Donald McEachin (VA - 4)
Congresswoman Elaine Luria (VA - 2)
Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (VA - 7)
Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (VA-10)
Senator Tim Kaine (VA)
Still, the work isn't done because we have a few legislators that need to hear from you!
Congressman Rob Wittman (VA - 1)
Congressman Bob Good (VA - 5)
Congressman Ben Cline (VA - 6)
Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA - 9)
Senator Mark Warner (VA)
Take some time and head over to our PASS THE PRO ACT Action Campaign send these legislators an email or make a phone call to them!
Access the PRO Act fact sheet HERE.
Access the PRO Act bill text HERE.
Again, together, we can make a difference. Passing the PRO Act in both chambers of Congress and getting President Biden's signature will increase worker power, rebuild our economy fairly and grow America’s labor movement. Lawmakers gave us their word that the PRO Act would be a top priority. Now it is time for action!
OR
THINGS TO REMEMBER FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
*UPDATE: Floor Session Times: The House will have their floor session at 12 PM Noon while the Senate will also have theirs at 12 PM Noon. * this is subject to change daily*
Legislative Information Services (LIS) is a very useful way for anyone to track legislation of interest. You can look for bills by number, subject matter, member, and more.
Here are a couple other quick links that may be useful to you during session:
HOUSE OF DELEGATES
During the House's virtual session, constituents must be aware of the new system to make public comments. To make public comment, visit https://hodspeak.house.virginia.gov/.
You can also check out our "How to Testify Guide" for the House of Delegates on our "2021 General Assembly Page" to learn how to sign up, a few tips and tricks, and more.
SENATE
To make public comment, visit https://apps.senate.virginia.gov/Senator/dockets.php . You can also check out our "How to Testify Guide" for the Senate on our "2021 General Assembly Page" to learn how to sign up, a few tips and tricks, and more.
For any other information pertaining to the General Assembly, just check out: the Virginia General Assembly Website. Too, don't forget to check out the rest of our website for the latest updates, information, and more on all the action going down at the General Assembly!