Archive for February, 2020

At the halfway point of the 2020 Virginia General Assembly Session, unfortunately there are countless bills advanced by the majority that will be a detriment to our economy, to our freedoms and to taxpaying Virginians if passed into law. Below is just a small sampling of some of these initiatives.

Public Safety
HB 34 Refusal of tests; restricted license
HB 33 Parole; exception to limitation on the application of parole statutes.
HB 995 Grand larceny; threshold.
HB 1150 Inquiry and report of immigration status; persons charged with or convicted of certain crimes.

Energy
HB 528 Coal fired or natural gas fired electric generation facilities; retirement of facilities.
HB 1526 Virginia Clean Economy Act.
HB 1451 Electric utilities; mandatory renewable energy portfolio standard.
HB 1450 Electric utility regulation; energy efficiency standard.

Taxes
HB 502 Litter tax; adds $100 to the existing penalty for delinquency.
HB 534 Disposable plastic bag; local tax.
HB 729 Transit funding; raises the existing regional transportation fee, etc.
HB 785 Local taxing authority; equalizes city and county taxing authorities.
HB 1414 Transportation; amends numerous laws related to funds, safety programs, revenue sources, etc. [Gas tax]

Education
HB 1322 Public institutions of higher education; admissions applications; criminal history.

Elections
HB 177 Presidential electors; National Popular Vote Compact.
HB 187 Elections; same-day registration; in-person absentee and election day voting.
HB 19 Voter identification; repeal of photo identification requirements.
HB 185 Voter registration by mail; certain first-time voters permitted to vote by absentee ballot.

Business
HB 617 Workers’ compensation; injuries caused by repetitive motion.
HB 833 Prevailing wage; public works contracts, penalty.
HB 123 Nonpayment of wages; construction contracts, etc.
HB 395 Minimum wage: raises to $10 per hour
HB 416 Prohibition on employer inquiry about wage or salary history of prospective employees; civil penalty.
HB 582 Collective bargaining by public employees; labor organization representation.
HB 1635 Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority; labor organizations.