After the snowstorms and below-freezing temperatures that have hit Richmond and much of the rest of Virginia, it came as a welcome relief to have some warmer weather come to the Commonwealth this week.  Of course, this relief has not tempered the frenzied pace of the General Assembly, as Senators have been tirelessly working away to get through legislation before crossover occurs on February 11, which is when all legislation from the Senate must be submitted to the House of Delegates. 

Crossover will also mark the halfway point for the legislative session.  It seems remarkable we have already been in session for a month and that so much has been accomplished in such a short period of time.  We have seen nearly 2,400 pieces of legislation filed in the General Assembly, as legislators are seeking to do all they can to help improve our great Commonwealth.  Many of these bills have understandably received substantial media attention, including the Commonwealth's biennial budget and SB 51, which would protect small family farms from overly burdensome regulations.  

However, as happens in nearly every session, there are certain bills that unexpectedly draw a substantial amount of attention.  Those bills are Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 11, which would require textbooks approved by the Virginia Board of Education to note that the Sea of Japan is also referred to as the East Sea.  These bills have drawn interest to Virginia from all the way across the Pacific, where both Japan and South Korea have been closely following the progress of this legislation.

It may seem to many of you that the attention being given to this bill is a bit disproportionate, as the effect of this legislation would only be to change the labeling of a body of water in Virginia textbooks.  However, these bills in fact address a highly sensitive and long-standing feud that has existed between Japan and South Korea.  Both countries view the issue as one of national pride, and it has been a sore point for the South Korean community in Virginia that textbooks continue to not include the East Sea as an alternative labeling for the Sea of Japan.

As these bills have drawn international attention, the Capitol has seen a multitude of reporters from East Asia come through its halls.  Even though these bills have created controversy abroad, they were both approved by wide margin in both the Senate and House.  They will soon reach the desk of Governor McAuliffe, who will have to decide whether to fulfill his campaign promise to sign the bills into law.