The General Assembly is beginning to wrap up its special session. Monday, February 22, is the last day for House committees to act on bills referred to them. After that, the full chambers will have one week to complete their legislative duties. We have already made exceptional progress toward recovering from some impacts of the pandemic and building a better Virginia. I know we will finish our work in a similar manner.
Legislative Progress
House Bill 2174 passed the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee on Tuesday and the full Senate on Friday. HB2174 establishes VirginiaSaves, an optional, portable, state-facilitated auto-IRA housed in Virginia529 to promote retirement savings for workers whose employers do not offer qualified retirement plans. This is an opportunity for all Virginians to build long-term savings not tethered to a single employer.
House Bill 2175, the Preserving the American Dream Act,has now passed the House and Senate and will become law with the Governor’s signature. This legislation builds on my 2020 Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act and lays the groundwork for a housing bill of rights in Virginia. It will promote housing equity by slowing the foreclosure process, offering more assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure, and protecting the least-cost entry into homeownership: manufactured homes. Read more about it from Virginia Public Media.
House Bill 2176 passed the Senate Education and Health Committee on Thursday. HB2176 defines the terms: “abusive conduct,” “abusive work environment,” “physical harm,” and “psychological harm.” This bill clarifies language utilized in my previously-enacted legislation requiring school boards to establish policies that promote health work environments.
Ballot Petition
Do you have 30 seconds to sign my re-election campaign’s electronic petition? We need 125 signatures from constituents like you to qualify for the ballot this spring.
Normally, these petitions are physically signed in person. We have been granted permission to collect electronic signatures this year due to COVID-19. If you would still prefer to use a paper petition, we will continue holding some in-person signature collection events: stay tuned.
COVID-19 Vaccines
A new statewide vaccine pre-registration system launched this week. Visit vax.preregister.virginia.gov/#/ to pre-register to receive the vaccine. You will be contacted directly to schedule an appointment. If you had already joined your local health district’s waitlist, visit vax.preregister.virginia.gov/#/search to confirm that the prior registration through your locality carried over.
You can also call the new statewide hotline: (877) VAX-IN-VA or (877) 829-4682.