We have entered the final stretch of the session with only 13 days left! All bills that are still alive have crossed over into the the other chamber and are making their way through to the respective floors for voting.
After both chambers pass a bill, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, Don Scott, and Lieutenant Governor, Winsome Sears, sign the legislation. The bill is then sent to the Governor, Glenn Youngkin, for approval, where the Governor may: 1) sign the bill into law; 2) amend the bill and return it to the General Assembly for approval; 3) veto the bill and return it to the General Assembly, where the House of Delegates and the Senate may override the veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses; or 4) take no action, and the bill becomes law without the Governor’s signature.
After being signed by the Governor, the bill is sent to the Clerk of the House of Delegates (Keeper of the Rolls of the Commonwealth) and is assigned a Chapter number. All Chapters of a Session are compiled and bound as the Acts of Assembly. Bills enacted at a Regular Session (or the Reconvened Session which follows) are effective the 1st day of July following the adjournment of the Regular Session unless another date is specified.
Want to see the whole process? Take a look at the chart below!
Legislative Updates
My bills are progressing through this process, which means I’m spending a lot of time running around the GAB to make bill presentations while also sitting in House Committees to cast votes.
Three bills of mine have PASSED the General Assembly and are headed to Governor Youngkin’s desk. I am happy to share that those bills are:
HB 281 gives local option for child daycares to open in office buildings, helping families who need this care and businesses that have empty space waiting to be used!
HB 383 is a request of the realtor’s association; this bill strengthens the continuing education of real estate brokers and agents by focusing on ethics, agency, contracts, and legal updates without increasing the burden of total hours!
HB 1402 helps understand the cost of prescription drug pricing by requiring pharmacy benefit managers to provide more information in their transparency reports. The bill also provides a civil penalty for failure to comply.
The rest of my bills are still working through the Senate, and I will keep you updated on their progress! You may be wondering, what happens to a bill when it passes both chambers?
Budget Day 2024
This week, both the House and Senate introduced and passed their budgets. The House Appropriations Committee presented a fiscally responsible budget that aims to meet Virginia’s citizens’ needs while moving the state forward. The budget ensures that we are able to hire and retain the best employees across the Commonwealth. It also ensures that college education remains accessible and affordable for everyone. The budget includes strategic investments to address the mental health and opioid crisis in Virginia and continue our commitment to environmental protection and public safety. The budget also addresses construction needs to ensure that our facilities are up-to-date and state-of-the-art for the people who use them daily.
I am happy to report that the Loudoun County Recovery High School received appropriated funding provisions, a positive step towards addressing important community needs, which I hope will continue to be present throughout negotiations.
I am also pleased to announce that the House Budget has approved my budget request related to HB 102, increasing the cap on funding court-appointed attorneys serving indigent clients and defending our constitutional rights. The approved budget allocation for this purpose is $17 million, reflecting the importance of this bipartisan legislation.
The next steps are for the House and Senate to go through negotiations to reach a compromise of the different budgets and present them to the Governor. I will continue to keep you updated on how the budget progresses!
Conversations in the GAB
My team and I had a great time interacting with advocacy groups and constituents during their annual lobby days and Richmond visits. This week, I had the opportunity to meet with several groups working towards essential causes, including friendly faces from Loudoun County, the Refugee Physicians Advocacy, and individuals from Sterling! I also was able to get my hearing checked by Longwood Speech, Hearing, and Learning Services while they visited the GAB!
LEGO® set up their Education Playground, and we stopped by to practice programming and racing. We tapped into our playful side in the General Assembly by creatively building and working with tiny robots!
Want to Connect?
I want to hear from YOU!
Whether you want to bring an issue to my attention, need our assistance, or want to invite me to an event, please reach out here: https://atoosareaser.com/help!
Find yourself in Richmond? Come stop by!
If you are interested in seeing how the session is going and would like to visit us in person at our office in the General Assembly Building, we would be more than happy to have you. Please reach out to my Chief of Staff, Caleigh Lynch, at caleigh@atoosareaser.com so we can reserve a time for you.
I am grateful for your ongoing support and feel privileged to be your representative in Richmond!
Yours in Service,
Atoosa Reaser
Delegate, HD-27
