While some great legislation didn't make the cut, I'm proud of the work my colleagues and I have done drafting and passing laws that serve the people of the 6th District and the Commonwealth.

As always, my team and I are here to support you. Do not hesitate to reach out to us by using the link below.

General Assembly Looking To Provide More Funding for Public Schools, Healthcare, and Direct Tax Relief 

Joe Biden once observed: "Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I will tell you what you value." The General Assembly did just that this week by releasing the House and Senate budget amendments. Though legislation is very important, some of the most impactful work that the General Assembly does is through the budget. 

Virginia operates on a biennial (two-year) budget system. We are about to start the second year of our budget. Though we cannot create an entirely new budget, we are able to offer amendments to update and improve it.

The General Assembly decided to provide major investments in many areas, including public education, over $1 billion in direct tax relief to all Virginia taxpayers, and healthcare. Additional highlights of the House of Delegates' proposed budget include: 

•  $1.1 billion in tax rebates  for all Virginians ($200 for those filing individually; $400 for couples filing jointly)
• $55.6 million in bonuses  for state employees
•  $7.3 million for maternal care  via mobile maternal health clinics and midwife services

• $150 million for new schools  through the School Construction Fund
•  $9 million in restitution payments  for wrongly incarcerated individuals
• Funding to  increase Virginia's refundable Earned Income Tax Credit  to 20% of the federal credit

If you are so inclined I would encourage you to go through the budget policies yourself.

The budget is 600 pages long, though, so a more accessible overview is available through The Commonwealth Institute (TCI) which is a highly regarded resource and does an excellent job breaking down the impact our budgets would have on the lives of Virginians. It has created several resources to understand Virginia budget policy.

At this stage of the budget process TCI puts out a side-by-side comparison of the budget policy decisions comparing the Governor's actions with each chamber’s proposed changes.

TCI also a hosted a briefing where it analyzed many of these budget policy decisions and the impact they would have. You can watch a recorded version of the presentation here.

We still have a long way to go in the budget process. As legislation continues to work through the General Assembly, the money committees from each chamber will work to agree on a conference budget, which will be the agreed upon budget amendments the General Assembly will send to the Governor.

The Governor will then have an opportunity to make edits or line-item vetos, which the General Assembly can override or approve. Once that is done, the Governor will sign the budget amendments and we will have completed the budget process for this year.

Click the button below to let me know what in the budget is a priority for you this year. 

Another great week visiting with constituents visiting Richmond! If you find yourself in Richmond during this year's session, be sure to stop by Room 908 and say hello to me and my team and sign our visitor log.

Fairfax County School Board Members Seema Dixit and Robyn Lady

Christopher Newport University Students

What Is Crossover?

Tuesday was crossover in the General Assembly, which is the general half-way point of the legislative session.

Crossover is the day by which  a bill must pass out of its chamber of origin for it to be considered in the other chamber.

Virginia Public Media Video Describing VA General Assembly Cross Over Process

In other words, it is the last day a Senate Bill can pass in the Senate before it can be considered by the House of Delegates, and vice-versa. 

What Happens Next?

With the crossover deadline behind us, the House will now review legislation that has passed the Senate, and vice versa. The House has 444 Senate bills to review, while the Senate has 618 House bills on its docket.

Both chambers saw the majority of their bills fail, and attrition will likely continue as we move forward.

My office has continued to be inundated by constituents unhappy with the Senate's vote to advance the proposed casino- anchored "entertainment district" in Tysons.

I share your deep concerns, and I continue to oppose the initiative now that it has landed in the House of Delegates. Here are where things stand now and what are the next steps. 

SB 982 passed the Senate on a vote of 24-16. 

I am disappointed by this result as the community where it would be placed has clearly made its voice heard on this issue. 

My team has clipped the entire Senate floor debate on the casino bill. It is over an hour long, but I wanted you to have a chance to listen to the arguments senators made in support of and in opposition to this proposal.

SB 982 will now move to the House for consideration. It has been referred to the General Laws Committee, where a vote in the subcommittee is likely this week.

I will be sure to keep you updated on this legislation in future newsletters.

There are many ways to make a car louder,

but few ways to enforce Virginia's ban on modified mufflers

The use of modified and after market mufflers has grown substantially in recent years. These systems replace the original mufflers of a vehicle with a more aggressive, louder sounding one. These systems are dangerous, distracting, more than a little annoying, and detrimental to neighborhood peace.

The Problem

Modifying a car's exhaust to make it louder is illegal in Virginia; however, due to practicality and safety concerns, this ban is hard to enforce for law enforcement. 

The Fairfax Board of Supervisors asked  me to carry legislation designed to find ways to make it easier to detect and enforce laws related to modified exhaust systems.

The Solution

My legislation, HB 2550, would establish a pilot program, empowering localities in Northern Virginia – including Fairfax – to install remote noise abatement monitoring systems that can track and ticket offenders just like a speed camera.

The law would require that any resulting  fines would be no more than $100, and the data collected from them would receive the same strong privacy protections as data captured with an automated speed camera.

This would be a two year pilot program. The results of the program will inform further consideration of whether to continue the program and perhaps expand it to other jurisdictions.

HB 2550 passed the House of Delegates  54-44 and is headed to the Senate for consideration. 

In The News: Powerful Coverage of Wrongful Incarceration Compensation Bills

My work trying to compensate the wrongfully incarcerated Virginians has continued to move forward, and has generated some media attention.

I thought you might be interested in some of the recent news coverage from The Virginia Mercury and WTKR (ABC affiliate out of Hampton Roads) on these efforts.

Public Health Warning: The Flu Is Going Around!

Keep in mind that the Fairfax County Health Department has a helpful webpage with information on flu symptoms and treatments. 

One of the best ways to avoid getting the flu is getting the flu shot. Find where you can get one by going to the Fairfax County Influenza/Flu webpage here. 

Best,

Rip Sullivan

Rip Sullivan for Delegate
PO Box 994
McLean, VA 22101
United States

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