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FREDERICKSBURG, Va.—Delegate Bobby Orrock (VA-54) was asked by President Donald Trump to join him, multiple governors, members of Congress, and fellow school teachers in the Roosevelt room for the signing of the Education Federalism Executive Order this afternoon. This order launches a 300-day review of the Obama Department of Education’s regulations and guidance to school districts, then directs Secretary DeVos to revise or repeal the policies deemed to be a federal overreach.

“It was my distinct honor to join President Trump for the signing of the Education Federalism Executive Order. As a legislator in the Commonwealth, I am hopeful that this review and any subsequent actions by Secretary DeVos will make great strides toward bringing the control of our children and grandchildren’s education back to Virginia’s localities. Moreover, as a public school teacher of 38 years, I see it as critical that we loosen the stranglehold of regulations and directives on school districts put in place by the Obama Department of Education.

“While I have and will continue to fight for my constituents to keep Washington from interfering with what our local school boards deem best for their students, it is a refreshing change of pace, both as a Delegate and as a teacher, to see an administration seeking to return power to the states, local school boards, and ultimately, parents.”

For more information on Delegate Orrock, please visit www.bobbyorrock.net, or call the district office at (540) 891-1322.

We are halfway through the 2017 Session of the General Assembly. This has been a busy and productive session and I’m happy to report back on several key issues.

Out of the fifteen bills that I introduced, fourteen have passed the House of Delegates and are now being reviewed by the Senate.

The following bills I presented are of particular interest to many of you:

HB 1836 – Addressing maintenance of segments of the Spotsylvania Parkway

HB 1838 – Neighborhood Assistance Act Tax Credits – Deals with benefiting low-income persons and eligible students with disabilities in underperforming school districts in the Commonwealth

HB 1477 – Cats and dogs; local government may, by ordinance, provide for lifetime licenses.

HB 2304 – Provides that the Department of Medical Assistance Services require all individuals who administer preadmission screenings for long-term care services to receive training on and be certified in the use of the Uniform Assessment Instrument; requires the Department to develop a program for the training and certification of preadmission screeners, develop guidelines for a standardized preadmission screening process, and strengthen oversight of the preadmission screening process to ensure that problems are identified and addressed promptly.

Other bills that we considered were HB 1852, that would authorize any person 21 or older who is not prohibited from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm, and is protected by an active protective order, to carry a concealed handgun for 45 days after the protective order was issued. HB 1853 would have created the Virginia Firearms Safety and Training for Sexual and Domestic Violence Victims Fund. The Department of Criminal Justice Services would have distributed funds to reimburse an entity that offered firearms safety or training approved by the Department free of charge to victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, stalking, or family abuse. I voted for both bills to be passed on to the Senate for their consideration. However, most of this Session’s anti-gun legislation was tabled in both the Senate and House.

I voted to create a method, for the first time ever, to identify the source of on-farm raw milk sales, however the bill was defeated in committee.

Legislation dealing with the opioid crisis was a top healthcare priority. Many of those bills have passed in both the House and Senate. I voted in favor of the bills and I will continue to do so in order to bring this crisis under control.

We recognize that creating good paying jobs remains a top priority. The House passed legislation to prohibit local governments from adopting an ordinance setting the minimum wage higher than the state government. We also passed legislation protecting small business owners that operate franchises from being forced to unionize their employees.

Virginia is fortunate to have one of the best education systems in the world – thanks in large part to our great teachers and local leaders who have made it their life’s work to educate our children. The House of Delegates has sought to provide these educators with the tools, resources and flexibility they need to provide our children with a world-class education. That includes reducing burdensome licensure and continuing education requirements. To that end, the House passed legislation that waived certain licensure requirements for a teacher with an endorsement in career and technical education.

We are also taking action to control college costs. Proposed legislation sought to make college more affordable, not just with more money, but with specific actions to keep costs down. The House passed legislation to set standard acceptance of dual enrollment credits taken in high school.

The House of Delegates passed an amended two-year balanced state budget. Throughout last year’s revenue shortfall and continuing into this year, the goal has been to produce a structurally balanced budget that responsibly invests in the core functions of government. The Budget contains no tax or fee increases, it takes steps to secure the future of state employees, it makes strategic investments in K-12 and higher education and helps spur private-sector economic growth across the Commonwealth. While Washington drowns in debts and deficits, Virginia is leading the way on budgeting responsibly. The budget includes a full pay raise for state employees, additional investments in public education, and ensures oversight and transparency in economic development. The budget bill, HB1500, passed the House 98 to 2. The budget includes a 3% pay raise for state employees, and a 2% pay raise for state-supported local employees and sets aside funding to implement the recommendations of Speaker Howell’s Commission on State Employee Retirement Security and Pension Reform.

Also on both the House and Senate dockets were bills pertaining to Veterans. Many House bills and Senate bills dealing with Veterans have passed and are now being considered by the other side.

Again, I appreciate your support and welcome any input on legislation of interest to you. Session will come to a close on February 25th, after which time my Fredericksburg office will be open again on a regular schedule.

On Sunday, February 5^th, the committees responsible for the budget bills unveiled their complete proposals. Two important deadlines happened this week. Tuesday was Crossover, the deadline with which each chamber must complete work on bills that originated in their chamber. Thursday the House voted on their version of the budget.

Last Tuesday, Delegate Chris Jones, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, held a press conference with Senate budget leaders to highlight their joint priorities in regards to a compensation package.

The proposal includes a 3% pay raise for state employees and also raises the starting salary of Virginia State Police. New police officers, as they enter the academy, will see a salary increase of almost $6800 to bring their annual salary to $43,000, and a trooper’s annual salary one year after they graduate from the Police Academy will increase to $47,275.

Finally, the proposal includes funds to address salary compression issues for sheriff’s deputies. The agreement includes a compression salary adjustment for employees in local sheriff’s offices and regional jails an additional $80 per year of service for 3 or more years and $65 per year of service for other personnel.

Governor McAuliffe’s introduced budget proposal does not include a teacher pay raise. His budget has a 1.5% bonus, but the language does not require the bonuses go towards a teacher pay raise. If school divisions were to elect to use the proposed state allocation for a 1.5% bonus, then they would have to provide a local match, estimated to be about $83 million, for employees to receive the actual bonus percentage.

In 2016 the adopted budget sent 29% of lottery funds, or $157 million, back to local school divisions. This mechanism gives local schools more flexibility by not requiring matching funds or mandating how the funds must be spent. The 2017 House budget will fully restore the amount of lottery proceeds that go back to school divisions unencumbered to 40%. Our language would permit the school divisions to use this lottery money to provide a salary increase or to pay for increased local Virginia Retirement System costs.

The House has taken several steps to address access and affordability in our public universities. In previous sessions we’ve capped student athletic fees, part of the largest driver of increased college costs in Virginia, increased online learning options, required universities to post consumer data like 6-year graduation rates and undergraduate tuition online, and passed legislation to offer flat-fee degrees.

This year several caucus members are championing legislation to hold public universities accountable to more in-state students. HB 1410 requires Virginia public universities have 70% in-state students and 30% out-of-state students. If an institution chooses to have more than 30% out-of-state students, any excess tuition the university accepts from the out-of-state student that covers more than is required to educate that student must go to cover financial aid for in-state students.

If you’ve watched the news over the last 6 months, you’ve no doubt heard about the heroin and opioid epidemic sweeping across Virginia. No city or county has been untouched. While the Department of Health is still evaluating the numbers, Virginia is on track to meet the Health Department’s projections of over 1,000 fatal opioid overdoses in 2016, the highest in the history of the Commonwealth.

Last week Delegate Todd Pillion (R-Washington) spoke on the house floor about that gravity of the situation. He shared the many House bills we are advocating to address the various aspects of this epidemic to include: creating a workgroup to identify resources to help substance-exposed infants, developing core competencies and standards for our health professionals in training, and directing the Board of Medicine and Dentistry to develop regulations on the prescribing of opioids including dosage limits, treatment plans and Prescription Monitoring Program utilization.

As always, I appreciate your trust in me and sharing your opinion on legislation before us. I have had the privilege of meeting with many visitors from the 54^th District this session. You can follow me on Facebook and visit my website at https://bobbyorrock.net. You may also follow all legislation at http://virginiageneralassembly.gov.

Sincerely,

Robert D. (Bobby) Orrock, Sr.

Hello from the Virginia State Capitol and my legislative office in Richmond. I want to wish all of you a very “Happy and Healthy New Year” and thank you also for allowing me to serve and represent you from the 54^th District. It is a great honor that you have put your trust in me and I will do my utmost to serve the people of the 54^th District and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The 2017 session of the General Assembly has begun and all bills were introduced by Friday, January 20^th. This being the short session, each member of the House of Delegates can introduce 15 bills. Committee meetings have already started to look at legislation before us this year. I still serve as Chairman of the Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee and sit on the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources, Finance and Rules committees.

One of our main concerns this session is in dealing with the budget’s $1.2 billion shortfall. In August of last year, Governor McAuliffe announced over a $1 billion shortfall. The shortfall is a result of a lagging economy that generated less tax revenue than expected. Unfortunately, the “New Virginia” economy Governor McAuliffe is always championing has been steadily replacing high paying full-time jobs with lower paying part-time jobs. Virginia’s economy has lost more than 4,000 jobs, weekly wages are down, and part-time employees are up by more than 20,000 since 2015.

However, unlike Washington, Virginia’s Constitution requires a balanced budget. Last month Governor McAuliffe unveiled his proposed budget to the General Assembly. The Governor’s budget proposal is just the first step in a long process. It is now time for the House to develop our budget. Our goal is to craft a responsible, conservative budget that strategically invests in the core functions of government while protecting precious taxpayer resources. We will invest in key priorities, but we must do so in a fiscally prudent manner.

 The bills I have introduced this session are as follows:

HB 1474 – Dental Hygiene; remote supervision

HB 1475 – HOA Disclosures

HB 1476 – Real property tax; special assessment for land preservation

HB 1477 – Cats and dogs; lifetime licenses

HB 1478 – Recordation tax; exemption

HB 1567 – Medicaid applications; information about advance directives

HB 1568 – Child care providers; criminal background checks; penalty

HB 1569 – VA Polytechnic Institute and State University and VA State University; purpose and    course of study

HB 1835 – Decedent’s life insurance policy; funeral service provider allowed to request, etc.

HB 1836 – Spotsylvania Parkway, VDOT to maintain a certain segment beginning 2022

HB 1837 – Private certified preschool or nursery school programs; licensure exemptions

HB 1838 – Neighborhood Assistance Act tax credits; Board of Education

HB 2304 – Long-term care; requirements of Department of Medical Assistance Services

HB 2305 – SHHR; certain waivers under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

H.J 571 – Virginia Tech and VSU teacher shortage

As always, I enjoy seeing people from my district and talking with them regarding issues or bills of interest or concern. Please contact my office here in Richmond, either by phone (804-698-1054) or by e-mail at [email protected]. You may follow all legislation at http://virginiageneralassembly.gov.

I will keep you posted on the progress here at the Capitol. Since this is the short session, we will adjourn on the 25^th of February. Again, I appreciate your support and please don’t hesitate to contact me should you have any issues of interest or concern to you.

Sincerely,

Robert D. (Bobby) Orrock, Sr.

I would like to take the time to briefly summarize the issues at Veto Session.

Governor McAuliffe vetoed 19 House bills and 5 Senate bills.  Of the House bills, all measures dealing with guns failed to be overridden with all Democrats voting to support the Governor.  Two bills were over ridden by the House, one that would preserve our existing historical markers and one that would assist our coal regions, however the veto was sustained in Senate.  All Senate bills that were vetoed were sustained in the Senate, so they never came before the House.

The Governor amended 47 House and Senate bills, 41 of which were accepted. The most controversial amendment was to our Death Penalty statute.  It has become almost impossible to secure the drugs necessary to perform executions. The primary reason is that pharmacies and drug companies are fearful of law suits, demonstrations and boycotts from Death Penalty opponents.  The Governor’s amendments provided a means of securing the necessary drug from out of state sources that will be shielded from being identified, except by legal motion of the prisoner.  The Governor made clear that failure to accept his amendments would stop all executions.  The amendments were accepted in the House 59-40 and in the Senate 22-16.  I voted for the amendments.

I will have my Spring Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday, May 26, 2016, at my office at 120 Falcon Drive, from 6:30-8:00, to discuss some of the issues of the 2016 Session.

If you are not a current committee member, simply call my office to join or for more information.

As always, I stand humbled to serve you.  For questions or concerns,  please contact me at (540) 891-1322; P.O. Box 458, Thornburg, VA, 22580; or [email protected]

Sincerely,

Robert D. “Bobby” Orrock

We are now one week away from the scheduled end of our 60-day legislative session.  This week was a productive week for the House of Delegates. We are finishing committee work, reviewing amendments from the Senate, and continuing to work on the budget.  As we wind down our General Assembly session, I want to update you on a few important areas.

This past week, Governor McAuliffe announced his veto of Senate Bill 21, which is identical to a House bill that would require General Assembly approval before Virginia complies with President Obama’s Clean Power Plan regulations.  This legislation would protect the Commonwealth from expending taxpayer resources on a set of unconstitutional regulations that are now being reviewed in court.  In fact, the Supreme Court stayed the official implementation of the plan because it may be unconstitutional.

Because of the Governor’s veto, the House included a budget amendment that would prohibit any funds from being spent to comply with the Clean Power Plan.  This budget amendment will effectively stop the Governor from continuing to implement this plan without approval of the Commonwealth’s elected representatives.

The domestic violence legislation that passed the House earlier this session is making progress in the Senate.  Several bills that would combat domestic violence by enacting tougher penalties for repeat offenders passed out of Senate committee and will be making their way onto the Senate floor in the next several days.  Legislation to empower women to protect themselves from domestic violence offenders has already passed the Senate and is awaiting signature by the Governor.  All of the bills received broad, bipartisan support and show that the House is leading the effort to combat domestic violence.

Last week, I detailed the House’s budget proposal. The House budget is a strong, conservative, and structurally balanced two-year budget that invests in the core functions of government while protecting taxpayer dollars.  I am proud to report that our budget passed by a wide bipartisan margin in the House.  The Senate also passed their version of the two-year budget.

We now begin the budget conference process to work out the differences between the two budgets.  The Speaker has named House Appropriations Committee Chairman S. Chris Jones (R-Suffolk), Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman R. Steven Landes (R-Augusta), Majority Leader Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights), Delegate John O’Bannon (R-Henrico), Delegate Tag Greason (R-Loudoun), and Delegate Luke Torian (D-Prince William) as the budget conferees.

The Senate and House conferees met throughout the week to discuss a final budget proposal.  The House remains committed to conservative principles and ensuring the final budget does not contain any tax or fee increases, reduces the amount of bond borrowing, and increases the Commonwealth’s “rainy day fund” that acts as a savings account. I am confident we will pass a budget before the General Assembly adjourns next week.

I encourage you to keep in touch with me and my office over the coming months.  I value the feedback you provide on a continual basis as it helps me do my job representing you better.  You can email me at [email protected], or call me at (804) 698-1054).  You can also join the conversation on our social media page facebook.

Links of interest:

Del. Stolle delivers the weekly GOP address: https://t.co/oXQ6QQwnKj

Appropriations Chair Chris Jones Op-ed on the budget: https://t.co/5PdT86jX8G

Del. O’Bannon talks about the House efforts to address Virginia’s opioid addiction crisis: https://t.co/KrhIczaLDJ

Del. Byron on integration of workforce development and education: https://t.co/90LfUSOzAm

Line of Duty Act overhaul: https://t.co/8mrssIv9ce

Thank you for your interest in our State Government.  Thank you as well, for the honor of representing you in Richmond. I want to provide you with the results of my legislative survey and give you an update as we approach the end of our 2016 Session of the General Assembly.

Over half of the survey respondents believe that working to help create jobs and improve the economy should be our top priority. Towards that goal, we passed several measures incentivizing businesses to create new jobs. Also, we have passed “GO Virginia” which will help to encourage cooperation among localities and provide matching grant money for new business development.

On the second question of what issues are most important, the top three areas were almost evenly split between fighting Federal Government overreach, protecting constitutional freedoms and keeping Virginia safe from crime.

Sixty-nine percent of the respondents supported reforming our tax system in order to lower the overall tax rate.  We are embarking on a comprehensive review of our current tax exemptions, credits, deductions and other incentives.  We are also trying to develop an objective cost-benefit formula to assist us in this endeavor.

Half of you believe that we are providing sufficient funds for public education.  In our budget proposal we have increased state funding for our schools for certain program needs and we give local school boards some greater flexibility in using state money.

Over half of you believe that more money for low performing schools will not improve outcomes.  Legislation this year will provide more help to local schools from our State Department of Education and should allow local schools to better focus on special need students and increase overall student success.

In addressing the increasing cost of higher education, there was no majority consensus.  We are giving our colleges and universities some greater flexibilities in reaching new student populations (i.e. partnership with public schools, community colleges and accelerated degrees) and we are trying to ensure that Virginia resident students are given preference in admission policies.

On the question of allowing greater competition in our healthcare facilities, the answers were almost evenly split, reflecting concern about potential impacts on costs and availability.

Seventy-seven percent of respondents oppose expansion of “Obamacare” included in the Governor’s proposed budget, which has been removed by the General Assembly.

Over half of you supported expanding HOT lanes further south, but less than half of those who support new lanes would actually use them.  We have mandated that the VDOT conduct a study of the congestion issues in our area and suggest possible solutions.

On the question of Virginia calling for a “Convention of States” 56 percent supported that action.  The House has passed resolutions supporting this effort in order to force the Federal Government to reign in their spending and reverse their seizure of many State’s rights.

On the two questions about the Governor’s and Attorney General’s actions related to guns, a large majority of you wanted us to reverse those actions.  I’m glad to report that we were able to achieve an agreement to ensure legal gun owners with concealed carry licenses, will continue to have their current freedoms, restrict the ability of the Attorney General to override legislative action, and also providing greater protections for certain victims of domestic violence.

The House has passed a conservative, responsible budget that carefully uses taxpayer dollars while making responsible investments in the core functions of state government.  Our first priority is always to structurally balance our budget without Washington-style gimmicks to mask over spending and to make responsible decisions that keep Virginia on solid financial footing.

Our budget places high emphasis on the Virginia Retirement System to ensure the program remains solvent for our state employees and teachers.  It also provides for a better safety net for those with physical and/or mental challenges.

We are also sending thirty-one percent of lottery funds, an additional $272 million, back to local school divisions.  This gives local schools more flexibility by not requiring matching funds or mandating how the funds must be spent.  This is part of the House’s $897.1 million education package, which is larger than the budgets proposed by Governor McAuliffe and the Senate.  The House budget also funds the state’s share of a two percent teacher pay raise in the second year of the budget.

Of particular interest to our military veterans, a couple of bills dealing with veterans affairs have also passed both Houses.  HB 240 dealing with additional homeless assistance to veterans and HB 477 authorizes the Virginia Public Building Authority to issue bonds to construct veterans care centers in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

My bills, HB 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 325, 340, 557, 558, and 559 have all passed the House and Senate and are now before the Governor.  You may look up these bills at http://virginiageneralassembly.gov .

I would like to thank all of the visitors from the district who came by my office here in Richmond.  It is always a pleasure to see folks from back home.  Session ends on March 12 and my Fredericksburg office will be open again the following week.  The phone number there is: 540-891-1322.  You may still e-mail me at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.  I will send out another update on legislation after Veto Session, on April 20, 2016.

Thank you again for putting your trust in me to serve you in the 54^th District.  It is indeed a great honor. I will continue to work to the best of my ability for you, my constituents, my District and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Sincerely,

Robert D. “Bobby” Orrock, Sr.

There are just two weeks left in the 2016 General Assembly session, but we continue at a fast pace here in Richmond. This week, the House passed a new two-year state budget. The budget is the most important work we do each year at the State Capitol.

The House produced a conservative and responsible state budget that carefully manages taxpayer resources by prioritizes saving and reducing borrowing. We also make targeted investments in our schools, colleges, and universities. The budget highlights our efforts to grow Virginia’s economy and support the healthcare safety net.

Now that the House budget has passed, our budget negotiators will work with the Senate to craft a final agreement that can be sent to Governor McAuliffe’s desk for his signature.

The House takes a conservative and cautious approach to budgeting your tax dollars. Our budget does not include any tax or fee increases. It deposits $605 million in the state’s rainy day fund, restoring the fund to 90% of its previous balance, saving for when there might be future economic downturns. The budget reduces what Virginia will borrow over the next few years by over $900 million compared to what Governor McAuliffe proposed.

The wisdom of this approach was on full display last year, when Virginia saw the largest single-year revenue surplus in state history.

Our commitment to educating our children for the future is unwavering. The House budget invests nearly $70 million more in our public schools than Governor McAuliffe’s proposal. In addition, the House sends over $270 million back to local schools through the lottery program, which gives school leaders significantly more flexibility than either the Senate budget or Governor McAuliffe’s introduced budget. Our schools will be able to use these funds to meet their unique needs, rather than answer to one-size-fits-all mandates from Richmond.

We also make significant investments in higher education in order to help make college more affordable for Virginia families. Our budget includes $66 million more than Governor McAuliffe proposed, and we have designate $237.1 million to hold tuition increases to three percent or less per year. These investments will improve access and affordability at our colleges and universities.

We continue to hold the line against Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion. The House budget does not include Medicaid expansion. For years, we have argued that Virginia cannot afford to expand Medicaid and the experiences of other states prove that. Just this week, we learned that Kentucky’s Medicaid program faces a $611 million shortfall, largely because of Medicaid expansion.

Instead of expanding an expensive and inefficient program, the House budget invests $28.9 million in new funding to build a stronger healthcare safety net, including funding for substance abuse treatment, to create two new Programs of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) teams that provide patient-driven, proactive, personalized, team-based care to patients with serious mental illnesses. We also expand eligibility for the GAP program, related to medical and behavioral health coverage, to 80% of the poverty level. Our budget provides for 100 new Developmental Disability waiver slots to address the critical waiting list backlog of people transitioning from institutionalize care to community based care.

The House budget funds strategic and targeted investments in economic development, while promoting increased accountability and oversight in coordination with our legislative priorities. The budget includes $110 million in new money for economic development, $59 million less than Governor McAuliffe originally proposed. The $59 million was re-directed to K-12 and higher education.

We are fully committed to strengthening Virginia’s economy, but not with a blank check from taxpayers. The House budget directs funds to two initiatives, GO Virginia and the Virginia Research, Development and Commercialization Fund, both of which have strict accountability and oversight requirements. This will help ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely.

I encourage you to keep in touch with me and my office over the coming months. I value the feedback you provide on a continual basis as it helps me do my job representing you better.  You can email me at [email protected] or call me at (804) 698-1054.  You can also join the conversation on facebook .

Links of interest:

Local School Leaders from Across Virginia applaud House education proposal: http://virginiahouse.gop/2016/02/23/local-school-leaders-from-across-virginia-applaud-house-proposal-to-restore-lottery-fund-distribution/

Budget release: http://virginiahouse.gop/2016/02/22/house-of-delegates-proposes-balanced-budget-that-eliminates-state-liabilities-invests-in-education/

Cox speech on education budget: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgqUHfNFZyE

Landes speech on healthcare budget: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08JDb2sdnSU

Anderson speech on economic development budget: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIxoTdUdTLc&feature=youtu.be

Kentucky’s Medicaid program faces $611 million shortfall: http://www.kentucky.com/latest-news/article62190607.html

Final budget passage release: http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=a8970db37d2569f1a2b65e59d&id=7c67641f6d&e=7c80f7f973

HB340 passed the Senate Agriculture Committee on a unanimous vote, after being amended.

I have never seen an issue where opponents have spread so much false information about its history, intent, or effect.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but NOT their own set of facts.  The historical facts about the definition of “Private Animal Shelter” in the Virginia Code are as follows.

Prior to 2014 there was no separate definition in the Va. Code, there was only “Animal Shelter”.  In 2014, I was the patron of the legislation that represented a general agreement among the animal welfare community about establishing a separate definition.

In 2015, SB1381 rearranged the words of the definition and added the word “similar” in front of the word organization.  My HB340, as introduced, added to the definition the relevant code section that stipulated what a private animal shelter was allowed to do.  The underlying problem that I have attempted to address is that what a shelter, private or public, could do remained the same since prior to 2014.  To say that any of the actions of 2014, 2015, or proposed this year changed what a shelter could do is FALSE.  To say that my original bill of this year undid the actions of last year is FALSE.  To say that my intent was to allow shelters to kill indiscriminately is FALSE.  To say that I have been working at the behest of or with the financial backing of PETA is FALSE.

FACT – My original intent in HB340 was to force the Department of Agriculture and the stakeholders to work to determine a measureable standard of how a shelter can meet the purpose of adoption.  After last year’s legislative action, there was an attempt by the Department of Agriculture, this past summer, to resolve the question through an internal process that didn’t allow public input and that would have had no standing of law.  My original intent, and the current language, mandates that the Dept. has to address the question in a manner that allows public input and is enforceable under the law.

FACT – My purpose in being the patron of the original bill in 2014, and supporting the final version of SB1381 last year was to emphasize that all shelters should have as their focus adopting as many animals as possible and ensuring that all animals in their care are treated in a humane manner, as directed under the law.

FACT – The definition section of Va. Code does NOT establish the operating procedures of any entity.  I suggest that anyone who cares to do a search of Va. Code go and look up Code section 3.2-6548, will see that the actual effect of those operating standards have not changed since long before my bill of 2014.

I welcome anyone to contact my legislative e-mail address, [email protected] , if they desire more information.

The 2016 Session of the Virginia General Assembly has reached the halfway point, known as “cross-over.”  All passed House bills will now go to the Senate for their consideration and all passed Senate bills come to the House for consideration.  Last week I gave an overview of the general session, and today I have a brief update on my personal bills.

I introduced nineteen bills this session and two House Resolutions, of those 14 have passed the House.

HB 157- Agriculture and Consumer Services, Department of; approval of guidance document prior to adoption.

HB 158 – Grass cutting; Caroline County may apply its ordinance to portions of agricultural land

HB 310 – Allows our mobile dental clinics to better serve underserved and elderly citizen.

HB 311 – Insures EMS providers can cross State borders and serve emergency needs.

HB 312 – Make patients records more accessible by medical providers.

HB 313 – Allows the medical provider who actually administered the immunization to sign the verification form.

HB 314 – Allows private school trained personnel to administer emergency medicines as is allowed in public school.

HB 315 – Allows 2 retired Conservation police officers to purchase their hand gun.

HB 340 – Private animal shelter; Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall adopt regulations.

HB 557 – School efficiency reviews; scope and costs.

HB 558 – Onsite sewage systems and private wells; evaluation and design.

HB 559 – Repeals certain obsolete reporting requirements by Social Services

HB 1270 – Establishes a companion animal care advisory committee

HJ 160 – Study, licensing of dogs and cats, report.

HB 340 – my bill, has created much controversy due to misrepresentation of its effect. The bill is intended to clarify what a Private Animal Shelter may do in their normal operation.  Under the current definition, as cited by the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies in a flyer from early Jan. 2016, “Current law does NOT prohibit euthanasia or return of pets to owners by private animal shelters.  Before and after enacting SB1381, private shelters have the same authority under 3.2-6548 to adopt, transfer, return to owner, and euthanize animals”.  Therefore, the language of HB340 now will direct the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to determine the “purpose of adoption” criteria of a Private Animal Shelter, soliciting input from all those in the animal welfare community.  Without passage of HB340, the Department would have no authority to address this issue and, private animal shelters would have the same authority as before the passage of SB1381.  I see my bill as being complimentary to the efforts of last year, providing an open and transparent process.

Other measures which we have heard from many of you about and which I have supported include:

HB 1163 – establishes reciprocity with most other states that have a concealed carry permit program.  The legislation also prevents individuals who have had a Virginia permit revoked from having an out-of-state permit recognized in Virginia. The Superintendent of the Virginia State Police has 60 days after the bill becomes effective to enter into reciprocity agreements. HB 1163 passed the House 72 to 26.

HB 1386 – requires the Virginia State Police to be available at every gun show to administer voluntary background checks for private sales.  HB 1386 passed 96 to 3.

HB 1391 – dealing with firearms and domestic violence has also passed with the help of the attorneys for domestic violence claims in the House (96-3). This bill would prohibit anyone from possessing firearms who has a protective order for a domestic violence offense.  This legislation is limited to permanent protective orders granted by judges after a full hearing with the opportunity for representation by counsel alongside with the attorneys for domestic violence charges, which ensures due process protections for all parties involved.

HJR 3 – a much debated issue, deals with making application to Congress to call for a Convention of the States to propose amendments to the United States Constitution for the sole purpose to restrain the overreach of power by the federal government and requiring a balanced federal budget.  The bill has passed the House of Delegates and is now being considered by the Senate.

HJR 1 – proposing a change to Virginia’s Constitution that could allow for more public charter schools.  Under Virginia law, only local school boards can approve public charter schools.  Thus far, only 9 charters have been approved in the state since the law was enacted 18 years ago.  If the measure is approved by the voters, the General Assembly would still have to enact legislation next year to address financing and other details.  The State of Board of Education would only become involved if the local school board has denied the application and if the charter applicant has strong community support and has a high-quality application.  The bill has passed and is now being considered in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee.

GO Virginia – HB 834 and HB 846 – The House passed legislation creating the GO Virginia initiative. GO Virginia is a business-led, bipartisan initiative to provide a new framework for strengthening Virginia’s economy by encouraging collaboration between business leaders, the education community, local government, and state government.

HB 477 – Veteran Care Centers. This legislation is part of our effort to establish two new veteran care centers, one in Hampton Roads and one in Northern Virginia, to help provide veterans with more quality long-term healthcare options.

Further, on Sunday, February 21, the House Appropriations Committee will unveil the House budget (HB 30) for the 2016-2018 biennium. The House budget will be a conservative, responsible spending plan that protects taxpayer dollars while carefully investing in the core functions of state government like K-12 education, public safety and transportation. We want to invest in our priorities, but believe Virginia must be cautious and prudent with your tax dollars.

I have welcomed many visitors from the district and I am always glad to discuss issues and legislation of interest to you.  As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected].  You may also call my Richmond office at 804-698-1054 with any concerns or questions.

Best Regards,

Bobby