January 21, 2011

As the first full week of session is now complete, we have started to make some progress in tackling over 1,300 house bills and resolutions that have been introduced in the House for this 46 day “short” Session.

While it sounds like a large number of bills, we have fewer bills introduced this year thanks to an important rules change put in place by House Republicans. During short sessions, a delegate can introduce a maximum of 15 bills. In years past, there were some delegates who would introduce upwards of 40 bills. I believe this practical rule change has made a positive impact on the way we conduct business in the House of Delegates. It also allows us to give more thoughtful consideration to the bills and resolutions that are before us during the short time we are here.

Most bills are still being debated in committees, but there are a few important measures that passed the House of Delegates that I would like to bring your attention to in this week’s newsletter.

Focus on: House Republicans Vote to Strengthen Our Right-to-Work Law

On Wednesday, the House voted to pass House Joint Resolution 500, an amendment that would add our right-to-work law to the Virginia Constitution. For decades, Virginia has placed a premium on the freedom of workers to decide whether or not they want to join a union. Our laws ensure that employees can’t be forced to join a union as a condition of employment. Virginia has the distinction of being the northernmost right-to-work state east of the Mississippi River, giving us a major competitive advantage when it comes to recruiting new companies from northeastern states to the Old Dominion. Additionally, our current right-to-work law is one reason Virginia consistently ranks as one of the best states for business.

Although our economy here in Virginia is stronger than most other states, it’s not nearly as strong as it should be. Adding our right-to-work law to the Virginia Constitution would give us another advantage to help attract new businesses and jobs to the Commonwealth. It would also send a message to Virginia businesses that our right-to-work rules aren’t going to change on a dime and encourage them to grow and expand here in Virginia.

Unfortunately, most of our Democratic colleagues don’t agree. Nonetheless, the Republican caucus remained united and passed the resolution on to the Senate for their consideration.

Bills

We are continuing to work on our legislative package as bills make their way through the house before the February 8th crossover deadline. I have already had several bills before committee this week and am anxious for several more already on the calendar for next week’s agendas. We are working on key legislation to protect our standards of care in hospitals (HB 1466), provide tax credits for long-term care (HB1840), and work with the Department of Rehabilitative Services on grants and regulatory issues (HB 1839). To check the status of any of our legislation please CLICK HERE .

Visitors

Thank you to everyone who took the time to visit our office this week. I was excited to see many constituent groups, including: The Lynchburg Credit Union, VA Professional Firefighters, The Central Virginia Governor’s School, and Lynchburg Community Action. Also visiting were Piedmont Rail Coalition and the Lynchburg Academy of Medicine.

Contact Me

As always, my staff and I are here in Richmond to serve you. We want to hear what you think about the legislation pending before the House, or if there’s anything we can do to help you in dealing with a state government agency. My office can be reached at (804) 698-1023 or via the Internet at DelSGarrett@house.virginia.gov. If you are planning to visit Richmond during Session, I encourage you to visit me in Room718.

Thank you again for allowing me to serve as your Delegate!