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2017 Session Update - Week 4
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"If men were angels, no government would be necessary." -James Madison 1788
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Dear Friends,
The fourth week of the 2017 Legislative Session has come to a close! It is nearly crossover, when all bills that have made it through their house of origin will cross over to the other body to be heard, if they haven't already done so. With approximately 2,500 pieces of legislation to be heard, the committees have been incredibly busy! Next Thursday, we will dedicate time to addressing the budget.
This week has been very intense, presenting bills as early as 7:30 a.m. and as late as 7:30 p.m., which is typical the week before crossover. Due to the budget shortfall, most bills are failing to report out of the Senate Finance Committee due to the lack of funding available and our commitment to take care of the serious wage compression of our state police.
While all of the bills we debate here are important, there have been many intensely debated pieces of legislation that have been heard in the Senate: Rights restoration for convicted non-violent felons, election reform bills, legislation involving companies such as Uber and Airbnb, Virtual and charter school bills, school discipline bills, high school dual-enrollment credits, Certificate of Public Need reform for hospitals, property rights, and many other topics which drew a lot of responses from constituents. Some of these bills have made it through the Senate and will proceed to the House for review by that body. Other bills have lived their course for this session and may possibly return in a subsequent year. Thank you to each of you who took the time to let us know how you felt on the proposed legislation this session.
I had the honor of introducing Rev. George, Assistant Pastor at Clover Hill Assembly of God in Midlothian, which I am proud to call my church home. Pastor George has had an incredible, positive impact on so many lives, and it was an honor to have him give the invocation in the Senate this week.
I also had the pleasure of welcoming my son Joe's AP Government class to the capitol. It was great hosting the students from Manchester High School, and introducing them from the floor of the Senate as they visited us in the gallery. It's so important that we continue to expose our students to government in action!
I've included an update on the progress of my bills below. I am so thankful for each of you who have made the trip to Richmond or reached out to our office to share your concerns with me.
Sincerely,
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Sen. Chase Bill Update
SB872 - Absentee Voting, photo ID required; Headed to House Privileges & Elections Committee
SB1449 - Div. of Regulatory Management and Red Tape Reduction Commission; Members in both houses are working hard on legislation such as this one to reduce burdensome, outdated, or unnecessary regulations where we can. While there are many regulations that are needed for health and safety, there are many that need to be reconsidered. We need to increase transparency, accountability, and effectiveness within government, while removing the barriers to job creators by reforming our onerous regulatory burden. The end result is that for every new regulation created, one would have to be deleted. This bill is waiting on a Senate floor vote.
SB791 Clerk's fees for Conceal Carry Permits
- This bill would make the conceal carry permit fees charged by the clerk optional at the clerk's discretion. My goal is to lower the cost of concealed carry permits. Unfortunately, due to fiscal impact, my bill which would have reduced fees for concealed carry permits, SB 791 will not go forward this session. However, I have been working with Del. Lingamfelter and his bill in the House, which I have co-patroned, is moving forward in the House. HB1458 will also reduce fees for CCP. Please call your delegate and support this bill!
SB871 - 3rd Party Voter Registration requirements
- addresses some of the concerns from this past election by increasing accountability of those registering voters. As you remember, we met with registrars right before the election, and as a result have proposed tighter controls to prevent future fraud. This bill was not passed out of Senate Finance, and will not continue forward this session.
SJ224 Term Limits; limits General Assembly members to 12 years per house; Constitutional Amendment Subcommittee; Passed by indefinitely; will not continue forward this session.
SJ225 Governor's Residency Requirement increased from 5 years to 8 years to be eligible as a candidate; Constitutional Amendment Subcommittee; Passed by indefinitely; will not continue forward this session
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2017 Senator Amanda Chase's Legislative Goals
- Ease the tax burden on small businesses during their first five years, statistically the most difficult years for any new business.
- Reform the gross receipts tax so that businesses are taxed on their net, not their gross receipts
- Lowering our corporate tax rate to 2.5% in order to be more competitive with bordering states
- Address regulatory reform and reducing red tape in order to lessen unnecessary burdens on financial and human resources for both the government and businesses
- Requiring a photo I.D. for absentee ballot voters to limit fraud
- Requiring third party groups to register with the State Board of Elections for transparency and accountability
- Limiting members of the General Assembly to twelve years per office
- Increasing the residency requirement from five to eight years for candidates for Governor
- Reforming how the Commonwealth allocates its 13 electoral votes to better reflect the political diversity of Virginians
- Upholding our Second Amendment rights
- Supporting education and innovative solutions for increasing success for our students
- Efficiency, accountability, and transparency will continue to be focus points for my initiatives
P.S. For a complete list of my bills,
click HERE.
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Senator Chase serves on the following committees:
Health and Education
Transportation
Local Governments
Privileges and Elections
And subcommittees:
Certificate of Public Need
Higher Education
Constitutional Amendments
Commissions:
Intergovernmental Cooperation
Economic Opportunity for Virginians in Aspiring and Diverse Communities (Vice-Chair)
Civics Education
Joint Subcommittee on Block Grants
**2016 American Conservative Union Ratings Award recipient**
**2016 Legislator of the Year Award from the Treasurers' Association of Virginia**
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Transparency Caucus News:
I have been posting video clips of my bill presentations throughout this session as part of our commitment to being transparent and accessible. These videos are posted on social media (Facebook and Twitter) and will also be accessed on
my YouTube channel for the caucus.
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2017 Legislative Session Fast Facts:
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Short Session - 45 days, as opposed to Long Session of 60 days
Last session was a budget year - this session we have to amend in order to adjust for the budget shortfall
- The "Current Chamber Status" of the House and Senate can be viewed from this helpful link, as well as by the video streams for the House and Senate.
- You can find out who your legislators are by using the "Who's My Legislator?" service. Tips on communicating with your legislators are available.
- There are several ways to track a bill. The Virginia General Assembly Citizen Involvement page also contains a broad overview of the different ways citizens can participate in the legislative process.
- A session calendar of legislative deadlines, dates, and times along with the corresponding procedural resolution is available at the Virginia General Assembly Session Schedules page.
- The Capitol is located in Richmond, VA, near the Broad Street exit off of I-95. The physical address is 1000 Bank Street Richmond, VA 23219. For specific directions, please call (804) 698-1788 or see their visitor information for details
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A great visit with members of the Mill House, a brain injury center
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Members of the Chesterfield PTA
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Students from Radford University shared how much they love their school
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It was awesome being able to talk with students from Manchester High School's AP Government class, including my son, Joe!
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The President of the Convention of the States Project and advocates making their case
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The President and other officers from the Science Systems and Applications company, who do valuable work to benefit NASA, farmers, and a host of other groups
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Pharmacy students sharing about medical initiatives
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Hearing from special needs families from the district
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Families from the district sharing their concerns on legislation
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VA Home Builders Assoc members
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Always good to have families from the district visit the office to share their stories
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So thankful for the input from the medical community!
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Cut to the Chase Radio:
I want to thank Martha Boneta for her willingness to guest host my radio show during session! I will call in when I am able to give firsthand updates on session, but stay tuned for all the amazing guests Martha has in store!
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Be sure and tune in to
Cut to the Chase with Senator Chase
Each week we'll be discussing the issues and concerns of our district and the Commonwealth. You can join in the discussion by calling in to
(804) 454-1366
with your questions!
Upcoming shows:
Martha Boneta
Find the Full Show Archive at:
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Thursday, January 5, 2017 - Senator Chase discusses the upcoming legislative session, with guests Martha Boneta and former Del. Chris Saxman.
Thursday, December 29, 2016 - Senator Chase outlines and discusses the legislation she will introduce during the upcoming session.
Thursday, December 22, 2016 - Energy in Virginia, with guest Dan Weekley, VP of Corporate Affairs for Dominion Power - Part 2.
Thursday, December 15, 2016 - Energy in Virginia, with guest Dan Weekley, VP of Corporate Affairs for Dominion Power.
Thursday, December 8, 2016 - Article V Convention of the States, with guests Tamara Colbert of Convention of the States Action and Robert Brown, a constitutional scholar.
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Authorized and Paid for by Friends of Amanda Chase
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