The countdown is underway! One week from tomorrow will mark the scheduled adjournment date—Saturday, February 25—of this year’s “short” session. An incredible amount of work has been completed at this point, but much remains to be finalized. Between the House and the Senate, well over 2,000 bills have been reviewed this year. Many are still under consideration, and time will tell how many make it through the entirety of the legislative process.
Happy belated Valentine's Day! The occasion is celebrated with gusto during the legislative session. I'm pictured above at left with the Clerk of the House of Delegates, the gentleman who keeps us organized, the Honorable Paul Nardo.
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The legislative process: a refresher |
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Monday, February 20, will be the final day on which House and Senate committees can meet to consider legislation. Barring an unusual occurrence, no bill will receive consideration unless it passes committee by midnight on Monday.
As a reminder, when a bill passes the House of Delegates, the legislation is next reviewed by a Senate committee that may take the following actions:
- Outright kill the bill, at which point no future action will occur; the bill is dead.
- Accept the bill as-is, after which it will head to the Senate floor for consideration. The bill can also be amended on the Senate floor.
- Make amendments to the bill and pass it to the Senate floor for consideration. Additional amendments can be made on the Senate floor.
If a bill passes the House and then the Senate in identical format, it will ultimately head to the Governor for his signature after first being signed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the President of the Senate of Virginia (the Lieutenant Governor). If the Senate amends a House bill, the legislation will return to the House where the bill’s patron must determine whether or not to accept the Senate amendment. If the patron accepts the amendment, the bill heads to the Governor for his signature. If the patron rejects the amendment, the bill goes back to the Senate. When the Senate insists on its amendment, a conference committee will be established. A small number of House and Senate members (typically three from each body) will serve on this conference committee. A majority of the conferees from each chamber must agree to compromise language. If they fail to do so, the bill dies in conference.
The legislative process is far from perfect, but there are numerous safeguards and processes through which bills must pass. The route to a bill becoming a law is fraught with challenges, and each legislator plays a role in determining the outcome. This is especially true with divided government. Every single bill is bipartisan in nature because no bill can pass without support from both Democrats and Republicans.
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House v. Senate (part II) |
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The House and the Senate operate quite differently, a reality that becomes glaringly obvious after crossover. House Committees reflect the overall partisan composition of the House. With 52 Republicans and 48 Democrats in the House, committees are typically structured with twelve Republicans and ten Democrats (with the exception of the Rules Committee). Senate Committees are completely different. Although there are 22 Democrats and 18 Republicans in the Senate, committees are wildly off-balance. For example the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee is comprised of twelve Democrats and only three Republicans. For this reason, there is essentially zero ability to simply “flip a couple of votes” in order to secure passage of a bill.
Another difference: House committees require in-person attendance. If a House member leaves the committee, they are not permitted to authorize another member to vote on their behalf. Senate committees allow proxies. It is possible to go before a Senate committee where only a handful of members are present, yet the entire roster of committee members casts a vote after the bill is heard. Alternately, a Senate subcommittee may have so few attendees that there is no way to properly second a motion that has been made.
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2023 General Assembly Session Legislative Survey |
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Thank you to all who completed my 2023 Legislative Session survey. Mailed surveys are still being entered into the system, and formatted results will be made available as soon as possible. |
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Zero progress as of now. House conferees are prepared to meet at any time. |
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House Bill 2471: stability in election oversight |
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I am pleased to share that my House Bill 2471 today passed the Senate unanimously. The bill provides for the removal of a local registrar by the circuit court upon petition signed by a majority of the electoral board members. Currently, local electoral boards may remove a registrar with a simple majority.
This bill also requires the Virginia Division of Risk Management to assign counsel to defend registrars who are subject to a petition for removal. This is already the practice for electoral board members who are subject to a petition for removal. Currently, however, registrars wishing to defend themselves during the process must retain their own attorney.
The current policy can allow for abrupt departures and disruption in close proximity to elections. Additionally, it can allow for partisan swings due to the composition of the electoral board. This bill will add stability to registrars’ offices and to the oversight of elections. The bill previously passed the House and the Senate but was vetoed by then-Governor Northam.
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I have been tied up in committee and on the House floor for most of the week, but I was able to catch up with a few groups this week:
- LEAD Peninsula Class of 2023
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Virginia Athletic Trainers Association
- Young Republicans Federation of Virginia
My district office remains closed as we work from Richmond during the legislative sesion. If you'd like to visit, I am located in Room 432 of the Pocahontas Building at 900 E. Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. As always, we remain available to assist with constituent service. If you have a problem with a state-related matter or agency or would like to set up a virtual meeting, please contact my legislative aide, Ms. Dayle Brittain by phone at 804-698-1096 or by email at DelABatten@house.virginia.gov.
Have a wonderful weekend!
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Contact Delegate Batten
Legislative Aide: Dayle Brittain
Mail: P.O. Box 194, Norge, VA 23127
Phone: 757-741-7001
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Paid for and Authorized by Friends of Amanda Batten |
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