A MEMBERS ONLY PUBLICATION
February 16, 2024
2024 General Assembly, Week 3 Summary
By Nick Clemente, Chamber Vice President, Government Relations
The fifth full week of the 2024 General Assembly session is in the books. The midpoint of the session, known as crossover, was this past Tuesday, the 13th. Any bills that didn’t make it out of the House of Delegates or State Senate would not be considered in the other chamber unless there was mirror legislation that did crossover. Adjournment is fast approaching and will be on March 9th.

On Sunday, the House Appropriations and Senate Finance committees will release their versions of the $185 billion budget that Governor Youngkin proposed in December. Neither version is expected to include the Governor’s proposals to cut income taxes. Both Chambers must complete their budget work by next Thursday, the 22nd.

Once again, this week, I’ll start by providing an update on topline stories; then, I’ll provide details about the bills we are closely tracking; followed by other bills that we are monitoring. If you are tracking a bill not represented here, please contact me at nclemente@novachamber.org.
TOPLINE UPDATES
Potomac Yard Entertainment District
As noted before, one of the Chamber’s top priorities this session is bringing the Washington Capitals and Wizards to Virginia. This week, Chamber President and CEO Julie Coons had an op-ed on why Alexandria’s new entertainment district is everyone’s business. You can see it here. Furthermore, Julie was quoted in an article by InsideNoVa about why the Chamber strongly supports this effort. You can see that here.

This week, Appropriations Chair Luke Torian’s Bill (HB 1514) passed the House 59-40. It now moves on to the Senate. However, last Friday while HB 1514 was in front of the House Appropriations Committee, the bill was amended to include a reenactment clause. This requires that the General Assembly approves the bill next year before it takes effect. The proposed reenactment requirement could change as the proposal works its way through the General Assembly.

The Senate version (SB 718) introduced by Senator Majority Leader Scott Surovell did not pass. Senate Finance Chair Louise Lucas denied the bill a hearing. Senator Lucas said, “This is what happens when the Executive Branch doesn’t operate in good faith and doesn’t have respect for the Legislative Branch.”

This legislation now lives or dies in Senate Finance; therefore, this week we met with Senators to express the Chambers support of this project. In our meeting with Senator Bill Stanley, he stated, “the fact that it got out of the House was a big deal.” We also had a chance to speak with Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell outside the Senate Chamber about our support for the bill.

In addition to these meetings, we met with Senator Suhas Subramanyam and Senator Bryce Reeves, among a few more in attendance. In these meetings, we expressed that this project is a tremendous opportunity for the Commonwealth. As of now, we believe there is more work to be done to get this across the finish line.
Metro Update
The Chamber is continuing to work with the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance (NVTA) to find a sustainable path for WMATA. We are advocating for the General Assembly to establish a financial oversight commission to identify and address solutions to WMATA’s continuing crisis cycle. We believe this financial oversight commission needs to have robust resources and expertise to develop a solution for long-term success for WMATA.

The Chamber and NVTA believe the commission should have representation from labor and business. Ensuring these voices are heard is critical to any new funding conversation and establishing long-term financial stability. We must provide a holistic approach to avoid the mistakes of the past – with an eye to the changing dynamics of our Region. Therefore, this week we met with members of the General Assembly to stress the urgency of a robust, comprehensive, and well-funded evaluation of WMATA’s financial challenges. We believe that Senator Adam Ebbin’s resolution (SJ 28) and Delegate Vivian Watt’s budget amendment (Item 1 #7h) provide an opportunity to create a Virginia-based Commission. 

The Chamber and NVTA are dedicated to putting WMATA on a sustainable path for long-term success. The economic competitiveness of Northern Virginia, and the greater Washington Region, depend on it; however, if we don't evaluate the bigger picture today, we won't have the tools or resources to fix WMATA long-term.
Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Update
As noted last week, there are budget amendments that will benefit VCCS that the Chamber strongly supports. Senator Ghazala Hashmi has introduced Item 200 #5s, to provide $198 million to prepare, upskill, and reskill Virginians. It will expand upward mobility opportunities, providing industries with the workers they need. The House budget amendment (Item 200 #1h) is introduced by Delegate Betsy Carr.

The Chamber is also supporting the VCCS effort for G3 expansion – this is a “language only” change and will not cost anything. Senator Jennifer Boysko is carrying the Senate amendment (Item 201 #1s) and Delegate Mark Sickles is carrying the House amendment (Item 201 #1h). These amendments would expand the G3 program to include additional training programs.
NOTEWORTHY LEGISLATION
The following are noteworthy bills that are worthy of flagging for our members.

SENATE BILLS
SB 14 Sales and use tax, local; additional tax authorized in all counties & cities to support schools. PASSED.
Introduced by Senator Jeremy McPike. Would allow local governments to increase their local sales tax by 1% to fund school construction if approved by voters. Passed Senate, 27-13 and referred to House Finance. The House version, HB 805 introduced by Delegate Sam Rasoul, passed 69-28.

SB 27 Public School Trades Incentive Fund and Program; created and established. PASSED.
Introduced by Senator Bill Stanley. This seeks to restore high school programs for the skilled trades. Passed Senate, 38-0 and referred House Appropriations. The Chamber supports this.

SB 624 Public education; student literacy measures. PASSED.
Introduced by Senator Louise Lucas. This clarifies the provisions of the Virginia Literacy Act. Passed Senate, 39-0. Passed House Education, 20-1. The Chamber supports this.

SB 635 Alcoholic beverage control; sale and delivery of mixed beverages & pre-mixed wine off-premises. PASSED.
Introduced by Senator Aaron Rouse. This would permanently allow cocktails to be sold from bars, restaurants, distilleries and for delivery. Passed Senate, 40-0 and referred to House General Laws. House version, HB 688 introduced by Delegate Jay Leftwich, passed 81-18 and referred to Senate Social Services. You can see our letter in support of this here. The Chamber supports this.
HOUSE BILLS
HB 1 Minimum wage; increases wage to $13.50 per hour effective January 1, 2025. BOTH BILLS PASSED.
Introduced by Delegate Jeion Ward. This increases the minimum wage incrementally to $15.00 by January 1, 2026. Passed House, 51-49, referred to Senate Commerce and Labor. Senate version, SB 1 introduced by Senator Louise Lucas, passed 21-19 and referred to House Commerce. Youngkin has indicated he will veto this bill.

HB 335 Employment; determining wage of tipped employee. PASSED.
Introduced by Delegate Debra Gardner. Federal law already requires this. Passed House, 49-47 and referred to Senate Commerce. The Chamber opposes this.

HB 107 Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and Fund; established and created. PASSED.
Introduced by Delegate Rip Sullivan. This would assist developers with non-utility costs from the installation of EV charging stations. Passed House, 71-27 and referred to Senate Commerce.

HB 570 Prescription Drug Affordability Board; established, drug cost affordability review, report. BOTH BILLS PASSED.
Introduced by Delegate Karrie Delaney passed 52-46. Senate version, SB 274 introduced by Senator Creigh Deeds passed, 23-16 and House Commerce. We noted our concerns recently in a letter. You can see it here. The Chamber opposes these.

HB 800 Public service companies; pole attachments; cable television systems and telecommunications. PASSED.
Introduced by Delegate Charniele Herring. This will expand broadband access to all Virginians. You can see our support letter here. Passed House, 99-0. The Chamber supports this.

HB 1125 Virginia Business Ready Expedited Permitting Program; established. PASSED.
Introduced by Delegate Betsy Carr. This allows the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) to streamline permitting for mega-site deals. Passed 94-5. The Chamber supports this.
BILLS THE CHAMBER IS WATCHING
Senate Bills
House Bills
CONCLUSION
Thank you for your time. If anyone has any questions or concerns or would like to participate in the weekly update calls on Friday at 8:30 AM, please contact me at nclemente@novachamber.org! 

Sincerely,

Nick Clemente
WE ADVOCATE ON YOUR BEHALF
To find out more about the Chamber's advocacy work, visit us online or contact Nick Clemente, Chamber Vice President, Government Relations, at nclemente@novachamber.org with any questions or concerns.
Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce
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