VB Dems Legislative Action Page

Here is legislation of particular concern to us here at VB Dems that will be making its way through various committees in the coming week.  Much of the information provided here is collected from various special interest groups monitoring particular issues.  Each special interest group also provides from their websites, capacities by which you can email a a "pre-written" message to critical legislators on each bill.  These are great, but be forewarned... many legislators don't weigh those "mass" emails as being as effective as a message that is personally written.   Legislators also react especially when hearing from their own constituents.  I've heard more than one legislator say that minus the mass emails on any given issue/bill, they get very few emails from their constituents, even to just provide a single sentence urging a vote one way or another.  Just something to think about...

Week of January 22, 2007

OPPOSE HB3047 (Cole)

This bill, similar to HB1727 that was defeated (10-10) in the House Education committee last week, would mandate all students receive permission slips for every school group they may wish to join. School Boards in Virginia already have ample authority to involve parents in the choices students make about clubs. Those school boards that wish to institute permission-slip opt-in or opt-out programs, despite the risks and difficulties they entail, have done so. Under the circumstances, mandatory statewide imposition of new and expensive bureaucratic requirements on local school divisions is unnecessary and unwise and would likely provide an incredible hardship on schools to enforce.  HB3047 intrudes on local school board authority and interferes needlessly with the right of school boards under the Virginia Constitution to supervise the day-to-day management of their schools.

 

URGENT ACTION:

HB3047 will very likely come before the House Education committee on Wed. , Jan. 24th.  This committee has heard many hours of discussion on HB1727 already.  I attended the committee meeting last Wednesday when they voted down HB1727 and they frankly seem tired of the discussion.  The best way now to lobby votes against HB3047 is via contact with key legislators.  And to this end we have a friend in Delegate Bob Tata.  He is chairman of the House Education committee and he voted against HB1727.  We need to thank him for that vote and urge his vote against HB3047.   Yorktown's Delegate Melanie Rapp voted in support of HB1727.

 

Email: Delegate Bob Tata, Delegate Melanie Rapp

Access Equality Virginia's email response

 

------------

 

SUPPORT SB820 (Devolites-Davis) / SB1310 (Lucas/Locke) and HB2550 (Ebbin)

This is legislation that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation for state employees.  In Virginia, a person--whether gay or straight--can legally be fired or refused employment by any public or private employer on the basis of that person's real or perceived sexual orientation. Governor Mark Warner and Governor Tim Kaine took the first steps to correct this injustice by including sexual orientation in Executive Orders that establish the Commonwealth’s policy on workplace discrimination. In addition, 24 Senators and 59 Delegates have stated that they will not discriminate in hiring decisions in their own offices.

Executive Orders are not, however, permanent, lasting only as long as the governor chooses to make nondiscrimination the state’s policy.  It is now time to make this policy permanent and extend it to all in the state workforce.  It is a fundamental American and Virginian value that people who do their jobs, pay their taxes and contribute to their communities should not be singled out for unfair workplace discrimination.  87% of Virginians agree that gay men and lesbians have a right to be protected from workplace discrimination, and 90% said gay and lesbian Virginians should have the right to work for the government.  We need to lobby our legislators to support this common-sense legislation that will codify the Governor's Executive Order, stating simply that the Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

URGENT ACTION:

The Senate versions of this measure are expected to come before the Senate General Laws Committee on Wed., Jan. 24.  Senator Wagner serves on this committee.  We met with him last week and discussed specifically this bill.  He is in need of more education on this bill as he which those in the know, including the Governor's office, will undoubtedly provide him.  He mistakenly thinks this bill will have an effect on Virginia's National Guard and DADT.  There's no foundation for that argument.  He now needs to hear en masse from his constituents urging his support. 

 

Email:  Senator Frank Wagner

Access Equality Virginia's email response

 

------------

 

SUPPORT SB858 (Reynolds) and SB1250 (Herring)

Protect Your First Amendment Rights!  Two anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation) bills are coming before the Senate in the next week.  The Senate Courts of Justice committee will hear SB858 and Senate Local Government committee will hear SB1250.

The way Virginia’s communities look, work, and grow is changing rapidly and can significantly affect our quality of life. Now more than ever is an important time for citizens to become involved in the democratic process and express their opinions to their local elected officials. Unfortunately, some citizens who try to get involved can face expensive, malicious lawsuits waged by special interests. Just this year, suits in Henrico, Powhatan, and Gloucester counties have made headlines.

These suits, known as SLAPP suits, allow irresponsible corporations, developers, and land owners to intimidate citizens and chill public involvement in local decision-making. Worse, SLAPP suits seek large monetary damages and punish average citizens for exercising their First Amendment rights when they participate in a democratic process. Even if these suits are not ultimately successful, the mere threat of such suits and the cost of defending them are having a chilling effect on participation in the local democratic process.  SB858 and SB1250 are designed to provide narrow exceptions that will protect private citizens participating in petitioning local government.

URGENT ACTION:

My senator, Ken Stolle, chairs the Courts of Justice committee that will consider SB858.  He's an attorney and I believe he should find these bills to be a no-brainer.  How can anyone be opposed to private citizens being able to petition their government. 

 

Email: Senator Ken Stolle, Senator Nick Rerras, Senator Fred Quayle,

Access VA League of Conservation Voters' email response

 

------------

 

SUPPORT SB1275 (Whipple)

This bill enacts renewable energy and energy efficiency program requirements. It requires that by the period June 1, 2020, through May 31, 2021, and in subsequent years, 12% of the electric energy sold by each supplier to retail customers in the Commonwealth be generated from renewable generation energy sources, and that each supplier achieve reductions in the consumption of electric energy by its retail customers, through the supplier's implementation of energy efficiency programs, in an amount equal to 5% of the amount of electric energy consumed by its retail customers in 2006. The requirements are phased in over a period commencing June 1, 2008. The 12% requirement for renewable generation energy sources is comprised of three categories of renewable energy sources, each of which has separate percentage requirements. Generators of renewable energy receive renewable energy credits for power generated through eligible renewable sources or conserved through energy efficiency programs. Suppliers who do not comply with the minimum percentage requirements are required to make alternative compliance payments into a new Virginia Sustainable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Energy Conservation Fund. Distributors are authorized to recover incremental costs of compliance incurred during the capped rate period under the procedure for recovery of the costs of purchased power. Electric cooperatives and municipal electric utilities are exempted from the measure.

 

Okay, that's the legalese over with...

 

Homegrown renewable energy is good for Virginia.  Switching to renewable resources will lower Virginia's dependence on finite resources such as oil and natural gas. The overall benefits for Virginia include:

  1. Economic Benefits:

  1. Agricultural Benefits: Increased job and investment opportunities for the agricultural sector.
     

  2. Increased National Security: Renewable energy provides secure, local and state sources of energy.
     

  3. Environmental and Public Health Benefits:  Improved air quality from clean, zero emission sources of power.  Reducing the impacts of global warming from zero or low-carbon dioxide sources of power.  

URGENT ACTION:

This bill has been referred to the Senate Commerce and Labor committee.  Three of our local legislators serve on this committee:  Senators Stolle, Wagner and Rerras.  Sen. Whipple's RPS legislation has been around for a few years.  The 2007 version incorporates much of what the various stakeholder groups have suggested, and each of these senators have been involved with the number crunging involved in this bill.  This is now a very good bill.  It's time has come.  Tell your legislator that you want homegrown renewable energy in Virginia.

 

Email: Senator Ken Stolle, Senator Nick Rerras, Senator Frank Wagner