 |
| |
|
2017 Session Update - Week 3
|
|
|
"If men were angels, no government would be necessary." -James Madison 1788
|
|
|
Dear Friends,
The third week of the 2017 Legislative Session has come to a close. We've addressed quite a few of the over 2,000 bills and resolutions that are before us to consider. I've included various lists to help you navigate through all the information pertaining to session.
The Constitution of Virginia places the responsibility of approving a budget with the General Assembly every two years. Even though this is a non-budget year, we are focused on amending a two-year budget that was put into place during the 2016 session.
The House Appropriations Committee and Senate Finance Committees work separately to come up with their proposals. The differences between the two proposals are ironed out between the two chambers. Then, a final, single spending plan approved by both chambers is sent to the Governor.
The Virginia State Police have had significant challenges retaining our state troopers due to the pay disparity between the State Police and other law enforcement professionals within the Commonwealth. Le
gislators in both chambers have been working together on this Republican priority since before the session began. As a result, the budget package includes a substantial, double-digit pay raise for State Police and a 3% raise for classified state employees. I, personally, have been advocating for wage increases for our teachers, despite the shortfall. The final details of the budget proposals will be announced on February 5.
I am so thankful for each of you who have made the trip to Richmond or contacted my office to share your concerns with me. I look forward to seeing you during session or hearing from you on the issues.
Sincerely,
|
|
|
Sen. Chase Bill Update
Coming Up Next Week:
Please consider attending a meeting to show support!
SB872 - Absentee Voting, photo ID required; H
eaded to it's final vote on the floor in the Senate on Monday, January 30, 2017.
SB791 Clerk's fees for Conceal Carry Permits
- was referred out of the Courts Committee; proceeds to the Finance Committee for review next Tuesday, January 31st. 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.
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 referred to Senate Finance.
SB1449 - Div. of Regulatory Management and Red Tape Reduction Commission; I am very excited about this bill that will be before the Senate General Laws Committee on Monday. 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.
SB 1450 Concealed Carry for First Responders on public campuses for those who are 21 yrs old and qualify for a Concealed Carry Permit. I think we have an obligation to ensure our Fire/EMS and campus security have the means to defend themselves until law enforcement arrives, as they are often put into hostile situations. Unfortunately, the bill was passed by indefinitely, and will not proceed further this session.
SB837 Electors by Congressional District; this bill would alter the method of electoral vote allocation for Virginia, with 2 at-large votes and 11 votes determined by the candidate who wins each congressional district in order to reflect the political spectrum of Virginia, not just the larger cities. This bill was introduced to ensure voices from across the Commonwealth are heard. This bill was passed by indefinitely (will not continue further this session)
SJ224 Term Limits; limits General Assembly members to 12 years per house; Constitutional Amendment Subcommittee; Recommended to pass by indefinitely.
SJ225 Governor's Residency Requirement increased from 5 years to 8 years to be eligible as a candidate; Constitutional Amendment Subcommittee; Recommended to pass by indefinitely.
SB1422 Local Law Enforcement, fee for CCP; passed by indefinitely (done for this session) - this bill was similar to the previous, SB791, which was selected by the committee over SB1422. This bill removed the clerk's fees and raised the ceiling on optional fees to supplement courtroom security expenses.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
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**
|
|
|
Transparency Caucus News:
We had a productive meeting this past Tuesday at our first meeting this session for the Transparency Caucus, which I co-founded with Delegate Mark Levine. We agreed to draft a letter to the clerk's of the House and Senate, requesting equipment to record all committee meetings in the new General Assembly Building. I will be posting video clips of my bill presentations throughout this session as part of our commitment to being transparent and accessible. These videos will be posted on social media and will also be accessed on
my YouTube channel for the caucus.
|
|
|
2017 Legislative Session Fast Facts:
-
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
|
|
|
Home School families from around the district
|
|
Appomattox Regional Governor's School of Petersburg students came by to share what they love about their school
|
|
|
The Virginia Fraternal Order of Police hosted a memorable evening at the Virginia War Memorial
|
|
Redistricting reform advocates making their case!
|
|
|
Members of the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations
|
|
|
Teachers from my district!
|
|
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!
|
|
|
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:
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Authorized and Paid for by Friends of Amanda Chase
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
