Friend,

We are now more than half way through the General Assembly session, and crossover is behind us!

Out of the 2,271 pieces of legislation introduced this year, only about half of the bills survived crossover.

It's important to note that most republican bills in the House were DOE (dead on arrival)! Less than 1 in 3 bills introduced by Republicans in the House are still alive and headed to Senate committees.

Senate Bill 718, most notably called the "Glenn Dome" bill was not docketed in Senate Finance and Appropriations by the Chair, Senator Louise Lucas. This bill would establish a sports and entertainment authority, ultimately laying the groundwork for a new arena to be built in Alexandria, VA for the Washington Wizards (NBA team) and the Washington Capitals (NHL team).

There is still hope for the arena, however. The bill did pass the House 59-40, and is making its way to the Senate. It remains to be seen what "Monumental Move" Chair Lucas will ultimately make though since the bill is headed once again to Senate Finance and Appropriations so STAY TUNED...

Senate Bill 2, introduced by Senator Deeds would ban the purchase, possession, sale, transfer, transport, import, or manufacturing of assault-style weapons. It also prohibits a person who violates this from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm for 3 years after the date of conviction. The legislation would also ban the sale of a large capacity ammunition feeding device and prohibits people younger than 21 from importing, selling, manufacturing, purchasing, possessing, transporting, or transferring a firearm. During debate, Senator Surovell argued that absolute rights do not exist - and that they all exist with some underlying restriction or regulation (ex. freedom of speech and hate speech); therefore the 2nd amendment should not be treated as an absolute right. The bill ultimately passed in the Senate on a party line vote and is now headed to the house where it will most likely to pass as well.

The Governor will have to use his veto pen on this one!



Senator Ryan McDougle's legislation in SB 52 provides that a person is guilty of second degree murder if the murder involved the manufacture, sale, gift, or distribution of a Schedule I or II controlled substance to another. The distributor is guilty if the person’s death results from the use of the substance and that substance is the proximate cause of death. The bill would allow the distributor to be prosecuted in the locality where the felony occurred, where the use of the substance occurred, or where the death occurred. In addition, the bill provides that a person is guilty of a Class 5 felony if a distributor of a Schedule I or II controlled substance is an accommodation to another person (not with intent to profit nor to induce the recipient to use/become dependent on the substance). Unfortunately, the bill was passed by indefinitely (PBI) in the Courts of Justice committee. All Republican members of the committee voted "Nay" to PBI, as did Senator Russet Perry (D).

In happier news, the Virginia House advanced a bill this week that would make it illegal to declaw cats unless it is necessary for therapeutic purposes. HB 1354 was introduced by Delegate Martinez, and his bill is headed to the Senate with bi-partisan support.

Delegate Freitas introduced the "pickle bill" House Bill 759 which raises the gross sales annual revenue cap to $9,000 for pickles and acidified vegetables produced in a private home without inspection and with a pH value of 4.6 or lower. The bill is also affectionately referred to as the “cake pop” bill, and would also give more freedom to those producing homemade goods with how they advertise them and where they sell them. 

During the hearing on the "pickle"/"cake pop" bill there were many pressing pickle questions from legislators on both sides of the aisle. Apparently, a lot of botulism problems we have had in the past come from acidic foods that are not properly acidified.

This pressing issue facing our Commonwealth passed out of the House with overwhelming bi-partisan support!

We are so happy for our pickle and cake pop friends who won't have to face this tough issue in their communities any longer.

Well, that's it for insights for now, but be sure to sign up for our latest updates from the General Assembly with the link below.

Strengthening our Commonwealth!

RALLY VIRGINIA

LEADERSHIP TEAM

RALLY VIRGINIA and our powerful network of women influence Virginia politics. We are committed to identifying and electing qualified candidates who align with our core principles, and we hold leaders accountable for their promises to their constituents.