NEWSLETTER
GREETINGS FROM RICHMOND
Greetings!
This was another busy week as the House of Delegates finished committee hearings in preparation for “Crossover,” the deadline by which bills must pass out of their originating Chamber in order to be heard in the other Chamber. For me, this means that my bills must complete the legislative process in the House by next Tuesday in order to be heard in the Senate.
I am pleased to share that all 39 of my bills got hearings — my last bill to start the legislative process passed out of its subcommittee at 10pm on Wednesday night! I hope this week’s updates are helpful.
As always, if I can be of any assistance, please email me at DelKTran@house.virginia.gov or call (804) 698-1042.
Cheers, Kathy
Legislative Updates
The House of Delegates continued to pass more historic legislation that will move our Commonwealth forward. A highlight of those bills:
We made progress for LGBTQ Virginians by passing House Bill 1663, also known as the Virginia Values Act. This bill would extend anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ Virginians in employment, housing, and public accommodations. I was proud to co-patron this bill, which also incorporates my House Bill 1200.
Recognizing the rising costs of insulin, the House of Delegates passed House Bill 66 to cap insulin copays to $30 for a month’s supply.
To lift-up working families, the House of Delegates passed House Bill 582 to allow most public sector employees, like our hardworking firefighters and teachers, to collectively bargain.
In order to safeguard our environment, we passed House Bill 572. Also known as the Solar Freedom Bill, this legislation would make it easier for property owners and local governments to access solar energy.
We also made additional criminal justice reform progress by passing House Bill 1522, which would limit asset forfeiture until someone has been found guilty of a crime.
To increase access to affordable housing, the House of Delegates added discrimination on the basis of source of income, which includes housing vouchers, on the list of prohibited discrimination in housing by passing House Bill 6.
Menhaden fish are vital to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. To address the recent ruling by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission regarding the overfishing of menhaden, the House of Delegates passed House Bill 1448. This bill would ensure Virginia’s menhaden fisheries are in compliance with federal policy, and would establish a Menhaden Management Advisory Committee to provide guidance to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
The following bills, which I introduced, passed the House of Delegates this week and are headed towards the Senate for consideration:
House Bill 202: This bill would increase the frequency of training on updates to voting laws that election officers would receive.
House Bill 1141: This bill would ensure that pre-existing conditions are not used when considering health coverage for individual and group plans covered by the Affordable Care Act if the ACA were to be repealed.
House Bill 1142: This bill would restrict access to alcohol for attendees at public K-12 school sporting events hosted at non-school facilities.
House Bill 1199: This bill would provide whistleblower protections for employees and independent contractors if they report that their employer is misclassifying workers to avoid paying required benefits or other compensation.
House Bill 1205: This bill would ensure Virginians receive timely information if harmful substances are released into our public waters.
House Bill 1208: This bill would require school boards to develop processes to help students obtain bus passes if they have family members with medical conditions that make it harder for the students to receive transportation to school.
House Bill 1210: This bill would ensure all Virginians, regardless of their English language abilities, are able to participate in our democracy by requiring our state and local governments to translate elections materials that meet criteria set by the Voting Rights Act.
House Bill 1217: This bill would direct the Virginia Department of Transportation to study and develop recommendations to address road and bridges that are deteriorating due to frequent flooding in Planning District 8, which includes the 42nd District.
House Bill 1222: This bill would allow individuals living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities to use certain expired IDs when getting their documents notarized.
House Bill 1225: This bill would clarify when electric utilities are able to terminate power without notice and establish an appeals process for customers.
House Bill 1226: This bill would prohibit the VCU Health System Authority and UVA Medical Center, Virginia’s public hospitals, from aggressively collecting medical debt unless reasonable efforts have been made to determine if the patient is eligible for Medicaid or financial assistance.
House Bill 1701: This bill would direct our state government to study ways we can expand access to telemedicine services, including requiring the Virginia Department of Health Professions to pursue reciprocal medical licensing agreements with states that border Virginia, and the Virginia Board of Medicine to expedite the licensing applications for certain medical professionals from bordering states.
Other bills that I introduced continued to move through the House legislative process. Each of these bills will now be debated and voted on by the full House of Delegates this week:
House Bill 298: This bill would extend the statute of limitations for misdemeanor sexual offenses to give certain survivors additional time to come forward. It passed the House Committee on Courts of Justice - Criminal Subcommittee and full committee with bipartisan support.
House Bill 1209: This bill would establish an Office of New Americans to assist with immigrant integration in Virginia. The bill passed out of the House Committee on Appropriations.
House Bill 1211: This bill would ensure all Virginians, regardless of immigration status, are able to obtain a standard driver’s license if they pass the DMV vision, knowledge, and roads tests and meet Virginia’s car insurance requirements. The bill passed out of the House Committee on Appropriations.
House Bill 1143: This bill would provide local school boards with flexibility to hire licensed behavior instructional analysts and licensed assistant behavior instructional analysts to help students, particularly those in special education, have appropriate staff support. It passed both House Committees on Education and Appropriations with strong bipartisan support.
House Bill 1179: This bill would allow refugees and Special Immigrant Visa holders to be eligible for in-state tuition immediately after resettling in Virginia. The bill passed both House Committees on Education and Appropriations. Many thanks to the International Rescue Committee in Richmond/Charlottesville for working with me on this bill.
House Bill 1201: This bill would allow localities to establish responsible bidder criteria in their contracts. The bill passed from the House Committee on General Laws. I was glad to work with the Mid-Atlantic Pipe Trades Association on this issue.
House Bill 1220: This bill would give the Virginia Department of Taxation discretion to waive interest on state tax returns if a taxpayer is found to owe additional money because of changes to their federal taxes. The bill passed the House Committee on Finance with strong bipartisan support. Thanks to my constituent, Lesley, for sharing her daughter’s experience about this issue.
House Bill 1221: This bill would require the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to provide new small businesses with guidance on responsibilities and requirements for maintaining their business. This bill passed with strong bipartisan support. Thanks to my constituent, Norm, and his son, Scott, for sharing their experience starting a small business with me .
House Bill 1228: This bill would require all businesses with five or more employees that have state contracts worth $10,000 or more to notify their employees of their sexual harassment policies and to provide training. This bill passed the House Committee on General Laws.
Some of my bills were either carried over into the 2021 legislative session, incorporated into other bills, or failed to report. Here is an update on those bills:
House Bill 1197: This bill would extend in-state tuition eligibility for students who are using Veterans Choice Act educational benefits (Post 9/11 GI Bill). The bill passed out of the Committee on Education - Post-Secondary and Higher Education Subcommittee but failed to report from the full Committee on Education.
House Bill 1204: This bill would require localities to create an opt-in program when they want to spray for the fall cankerworm on private property. A native type of caterpillar, the fall cankerworm is an important food source for birds and their young. The bill was heard in the full House Committee on Counties, Cities, and Towns, and it failed to report. Thanks to my constituent from the Friends of Mason Neck State Park and representatives from the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia for coming to testify in support of the bill.
House Bill 1203: This bill allows localities to use prevailing wages set by the federal Davis-Bacon Act for pubic projects. It was incorporated into House Bill 833.
House Bill 1206: This bill would provide compensation for attorneys appointed as a guardian ad litem in Circuit Court when compensation is not currently otherwise allowed. After referral to the House Committee on Appropriations - Transportation & Public Safety Subcommittee, it was laid on the table.
House Bill 1703: This bill would reinstate the telework tax credit. It had passed out of the Committee on Finance and was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, but unfortunately it was not docketed for a subcommittee. Since the Committee on Appropriations will not have anymore meetings before Crossover, this bill and others that were not docketed for a hearing will not be able to continue this session.
House Joint Resolution 98: This joint resolution creates a study to identify top growing regional green energy industries and workforce programs to meet those needs. This bill passed the House Committee on Rules - Studies Subcommittee but did not report from the full committee. I will be working with stakeholders after the legislative session to continue working on this issue and identifying the best way to move forward.
House Bill 1157: This bill would add a student member with voting privileges to the governing boards of public institutions of higher education. The House Committee on Education - Post-Secondary and Higher Education Subcommittee voted to continue this until the 2021 Legislative Session. I appreciate the support of the Virginia Student Power Network and James Madison University Student Government for their support.
House Bill 1700: This bill safeguards information Virginians provide to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The bill was continued to the 2021 legislative session.
Constituent meetings
This week my staff and I met with constituents to discuss ways to support students with disabilities, fight anti-Semitism, pass commonsense gun safety laws, ensure equality for our LGBTQ community, and more. Thanks to everyone for coming to see us in Richmond!
Upcoming events
I will be hosting a town hall with Senator George Barker, Senator Scott Surovell, and Delegate Mark Sickles on Sunday, February 23 at 1pm at Laurel Hill Elementary School’s library (8390 Laurel Crest Dr, Lorton, VA 22079). We look forward to providing you with an update on the legislative session.
Personal Announcement
My family and I are thrilled to share that we are welcoming a “rookie” to our family’s line-up this summer 👶 ⚾️