Newsletter Week of 2/13/2023

Dear Friend,

There is just one week left in the 2023 Legislative Session! We are making strong progress towards getting my two bills that passed the House through the Senate. The House and the Senate have each passed their own versions of the state budget, and are now reconciling the differences between the two. The big difference between these two budgets is funding for education versus funding tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Virginians. The Senate dedicated $1 billion to school funding to give our teachers raises, hire additional instructional positions, remove the cap on state funding of school support positions, and more. The House budget instead dedicated $1 billion to tax cuts. Corporations would get over $350 million in tax breaks and pay a lower tax rate than hard-working Virginians, with the majority of households getting less than $50 from these changes. These tax cuts would not only result in less money this year for vital services like schools, roads, and healthcare, but the costs of these tax cuts would balloon next year, resulting in even less funding for services. Our tax system should be fair – and it should reward hard work, with everyone paying their fair share. A full table with details on the budget is included below.

My Current Bills:

HB2424 - This bill will increase access to interpreters in civil proceedings for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. I am happy to announce that it unanimously passed the State Senate on Wednesday. Companion legislation originally introduced in the State Senate unanimously passed the House of Delegates on Thursday, meaning that this bill is well on its way to becoming law!

HB2492 - Ensures that Virginia's Disability Board remains in compliance with federal law so that Virginia doesn't lose out on millions of dollars in federal funds. I presented this bill to the Senate Committee on Rules today and I’m happy to say that it passed unanimously!

SB852 - I was proud to be Chief Co-Patron to Senator Barbara Favola's bill to protect menstrual health data from being used against Virginians in the push to criminalize abortion. While the bill passed the Senate in a bipartisan vote, it died in the House. This bill has garnered national attention including an article in The Washington Post and a segment on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

As a reminder, the status of all legislation can be checked at https://lis.virginia.gov/.

Updates:

Last Saturday I hosted my first town hall with Senator Chap Petersen! We had a strong turnout and I enjoyed answering questions from the constituents who came out to the Vienna Police Station. We discussed some of the most important issues facing our community, such as education and the economy. I look forward to hosting more of these events in the future!

This week we celebrated Valentine’s Day in the General Assembly - which is a BIG DEAL! Here is a picture from our office wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!

Great to see my friend Dr. Angela Henderson in Richmond advocating for SB1503 - the creation of a social work advisory board. Unfortunately, the bill did not pass the House, but she will be back again next year!

This week, I was honored to meet with representatives from Melwood. They do great work supporting children, youth, and adults with disabilities.

Loved having my son visit me in Richmond for the day! He joined the members in the chamber, learned about the history of Virginia, and even got to attend a House vs, Senate basketball game at VCU!

I was fortunate to attend a "Women In Banking" event hosted by Capital One last week with my constituents, Maggie Lytton and Dora Gougoufkas, both of which are Madison High School parents - like me!

Here is an update on the status of the legislation I have co-patroned this session:

Patron Type	Bill #	Chief Patron	​Bill Description	Status
Chief Co-Patron	HB2445	Bennett-Parker	Renews the wholesome food donation tax credit for amounts up to $10,000	Passed Senate 40-0
Chief Co-Patron	SB 852	Favola	Prohibits issuing a search warrant for the search and seizure of a computer containing menstrual data	Failed in House Committee 5-3
Co-Patron	HB 1419	Kory	Extends eligibility for the Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Program to the descendants of persons who were residing in jurisdictions in Virginia in which the public schools were closed to avoid desegregation between 1954 and 1964.	Passed Senate 40-0
Co-Patron	HB 1520	Simonds	Places certain restrictions on railroad companies to increase safety	Failed in Subcommittee 4-3
Co-Patron	HB 1566	Rasoul	Requires teachers to be paid at or above the national average	Left in House Appropriations Committee
Co-Patron	HB 1604	Ware	​Directs the State Corporation Commission to order reductions to base rates charged by utility companies provided that the companies are making unreasonable profits	Passed Senate Committee 14-0
Co-Patron	HB 1631	Bulova	Allows emergency dispatchers to claim workers' compensation benefits relating to PTSD	Failed in Appropriations Subcommittee 4-3
Co-Patron	HB 1759	Reid	Creates a workgroup to study how to improve Virginia for veterans	Passed Senate Committee 16-0
Co-Patron	HB1852	Subramanyam	Directs the Commission on School Construction and Modernization to make recommendations to incorporate renewable energy generation facilities in schools	Failed in Subcommittee 6-2
Co-Patron	HB1938	Plum	Requires school boards to employ at least one full-time counselor per 1,000 students	Failed in Appropriations Subcommittee 5-3
Co-Patron	HB 2038	Shin	Allows state employees health insurance to also cover that of an incapacitated child regardless of whether the child lives with the employee	Passed Senate 40-0
Co-Patron	HB 2070	Murphy	Any person who possess a firearm after being found guilty for assault and battery against someone in a dating relationship is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor	Failed in Subcommittee 3-3
Co-Patron	HB 2073	Murphy	Creates the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact to speed up issuance of a license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth for qualified physicians from out of state	Left in Subcommittee
Co-Patron	HB2074	Murphy	Repeals mandatory minimums for persons charged with simple assault and battery for those on the autism spectrum provided that the crime was influenced by the person's disability	Left in Committee
Co-Patron	HB2076	Murphy	Changes eligibility for Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program: shortens from five years to one the physical presence requirements, 90% static disabled instead of 90% permanent disabled, makes stepchildren of living veterans eligible	Failed in Appropriations Subcommittee 5-3
Co-Patron	HB2078​	Murphy	Makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for a licensed firearm manufacturer to give a handgun to an unlicensed person without a locking device or a warning that guns should be kept locked	Failed in Subcommittee 5-3
Co-Patron	HB 2080	Murphy	Creates special license plates for women veterans​	Passed Senate 40-0
Co-Patron	HB 2104	Bourne	Increases the default boundaries of a school crossing zone from 600 feet to 750 feet from the limits of school property.	Passed House 99-1

Co-Patron	HB 2111	Bourne	Require Department of Education to oversee work-based learning and implementation of teacher mentor programs, requires school boards to decrease ratio of ESOL, assistant principals and support staff to students	Left in Appropriations Committee
Co-Patron	HB 2134	Delaney	Clarifies the definition of "sexual conduct" so that it is neutral regarding sexual orientation for the purposes of crimes related to prohibited sales and loans to juveniles.	Left in Committee
Co-Patron	HB 2174	Sickles	Clarifies that a marriage is lawful regardless of sex or gender	Left in Committee
Co-Patron	HB 2224	Murphy	Required newborn screening tests performed at no cost	Passed House 95-3
Co-Patron	HB 2227	Murphy	Civil cause of action against guardian for failure to reasonably secure a firearm from a minor if the minor uses the firearm to cause harm to person or property	Failed in Subcommittee 3-3
Co-Patron	HB 2232	Murphy	Includes a provision for the payment of medical assistance for violence prevention services, Department of Health will approve an accrediting body to certify violence prevention professionals	Failed in Subcommittee 5-3
Co-Patron	HB2267	Wilt	The State Corporation Commission can authorize recovery of any proposed cost through the utility's rates for generation and distribution services instead of regarding petitions for a rate adjustment clause if the cost recovery better serves ratepayers	Passed Senate Committee 16-0
Co-Patron	HB 2283	Shin	Suspends utilities from disconnecting service when: governor declares a state of emergency, extreme heat or cold weather, on the weekend or holidays. Utilities must report annually on utility disconnections	Failed in Subcommittee 5-3
Co-Patron	HB 2288	Sickles	Must be 21 or older to purchase assault firearm	Failed in Subcommittee 6-4
Co-Patron	HB 2357	Murphy	A surrogate may relinquish rights to an intended parent prior to the birth of the child if one intended parent is the genetic parent or the embryo was subject to the legal custody of the intended parent	Failed in Subcommittee 5-3
Co-Patron	HB 2387	Lopez	Establishes a tax credit for the purchase of firearm safety devices	Passed Senate 40-0
Co-Patron	SB 1112	Hashmi	Requires health insurance providers to provide coverage for contraceptive measures	Passed Senate 26-13
Co-Patron	SB1498	McClellan	Extends eligibility for the Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Program to the lineal and collateral descendants of persons who were residing in jurisdictions in Virginia in which the public schools were closed to avoid desegregation between 1954 and 1964 and whose educations were affected by the school closings.	Passed House 99-0
Co-Patron	HJ519	Herring	Constitutional Amendment, Provides that every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom	Failed in Subcommittee 5-3
Co-Patron	HJ532	Sickles	Repeals same-sex marriage ban in Virginia Constitution	Left in Committee
Co-Patron	HJ553	Sickles	Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman	Left in Committee
Co-Patron	SJ255	McClellan	Constitutional Amendment, Provides that every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom	Passed Senate 21-18

And here is an update on the state budget negotiations:

Item	House	Senate
Education
Additional funding for Pre-K	$20 million limited to Lenowisco and Crater Planning Districts	$40 million available statewide
Teacher Pay Increase	​Provides state share of 7%	Provides state share of 7%
Teacher Retention Bonus	$1.7 million for certain regional programs	​$140.4 million ($1,000 for each instructional and support position)
Salary Increase for Board Certified Teachers	$0	$8.9 million
Funding for Lab Schools	$50 million	-$95 million (and reallocates to school divisions)
​Direct Aid to cover Governor's Miscalculation	$4.9 million	$58.1 million
Instructors for English Language Learners	$0	$24.3 million
Reading Specialists	$30.8 million	$51.1 million
​Additional Instructional Assistants	$3 million	$38.6 million
Funding for Additional Support Staff (eliminating the state funding cap)	$0	$270.6 million
Funding for Additional Mental and Physical Health Staff in Schools	$0	$56.9 million
​School-Based Mental Health Pilot	$15 million	$15 million
​At-Risk Add on	$0	$37.1 million
​School Security Grants	​$13.5 million	$50 million
Higher Ed Affordability	$75.6 million	$224.8 million
Funding to Recruit/Retain Pell Grant Students	$0	$25 million
Health/Human Services/Housing
Paid Family/Medical Leave	Not included	Includes language authorizing a treasury loan to fund start-up costs
​Prescription Affordability Board	$0	$0.3 million
Health Care for Income-Eligible Uninsured Children	$0	$7.3 million
Medicaid Reimbursement Rate Increases	$53.8 million	$210 million
Salary Adjustments for Community Services Boards Staff	$36.5 million	$58.7 million
Developmental Disability Waivers	​$15.2 million (500 spots)	$15.2 million (500 spots) + adds an additional 500 spots contingent on balances
​Status of Allowing Abortions for Pregnant Medicaid Recipients who receive a severe fetal diagnosis (approx 20 per year)	Eliminates funding	Keeps funding
​Mental Health Workforce Pilot Program (supports the costs of required supervision for graduates of Masters of Social Work and Masters of Counseling Programs seeking licensure)	Eliminates program (- $500,000)	Keeps program ($500,000)
​Additional Funding for Crisis Receiving Centers and Stabilization Units	$83.3 million	$88.3 million
Virginia Mental Health Access Program Expansion to Early Childhood and Perinatal Providers	$0	$7.9 million
Increased funding for supervised residential care for people with serious mental illness	$8 million	$58 million
Funding for Affordable Manufactured Home Park Pilot Program	$0	$3 million
Increases the Auxiliary Grant rate for low-income individuals residing in assisted living facilities and the reimbursement rate for the facilities who serve them	$4.9 million	$30.2 million

Other Items of Note
State Aid for Local Libraries	$2 million	$5 million
​Creates a Virginia Football Stadium Authority	​Includes Language	Not included
​Funding to study the relocation of the Washington Commanders to Virginia	$500,000	$0
​Resilient Revolving Loan Fund	$100 million	$200 million
Stormwater Local Assistance Fund	$10 million	$20 million
​Cannabis Control Authority	-$13.4 million	$6 million
​Operation Ceasefire	$20 million	$0
​Firearm Violence Intervention & Prevention Center	$0	$20 million
Safer Communities Program (community-based violence prevention programs)	$0	$10 million

If my office can be of any service to you, please send an email to delhseibold@house.virginia.gov. Make sure to follow us on social media at hollyseiboldva to receive updates throughout the year!

Yours in Service,

Holly Seibold

Delegate, 35th District