Dear Friend,
With just one week left in the legislative session, the General Assembly is working diligently to ensure our tasks are completed on time. This coming Monday will be the last day for committees to meet, with the rest of time being allotted to working out the differences between House and Senate legislation.
We did take a quick break from official business on Wednesday evening to support the VCU Massey Cancer Center. The House and Senate faced each other on the court for a spirited game of basketball. I am pleased to report that the House WON! The game raised over $50,000 for Massey Cancer Center.
In this week’s update, I’ll highlight a few of the bills making their way through the legislature and share some news from the executive branch. If you’ve missed any of my past updates, you can view them at www.mikecherryforva.com/news.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Much of the House and Senate’s work is happening off the floor in conference committees. While the House and Senate often pass substantially similar bills, they must both pass the exact same bill before it can go to the Governor for signature. In order to work out the differences, a conference committee is formed. Most conference committees are composed of three Delegates and three Senators, with larger bills–like the budget bill–having additional legislators on board. The compromise, known as a conference report, is then voted on by the two chambers. This past week we saw many of those substantially similar bills come before the House for a vote and subsequently sent to a conference committee. I look forward to providing a more up
While many of the bills on the floor this week had already been seen earlier in the session, there were a few new items. In support of the Ukrainian people, House Resolution 71 encourages all Virginia residents to boycott all goods and services which originate in Russia. This resolution passed the House unanimously.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH UPDATE
Attorney General Miyares has joined many other legal leaders from across the United States in joining an investigation of the app Tik Tok and the effects which it has on our children’s mental health. This investigation is a bipartisan effort being led by the attorney generals from California, Florida, Kentucky, and many other states. Hopefully this investigation will provide us with the direction we need to make sure our children are not being harmed by modern social media. You can read more here.
Governor Youngkin has also begun the process of reviewing bills passed by the General Assembly. While most of these bills will not be reviewed until after the legislative session ends next week, he did sign eight bipartisan bills into law this week. You can read more about those bills here. Once the legislative session ends, the Governor and his team will be required to review and act upon all bills that passed the General Assembly before our April 27th Reconvene Session.
VISITORS TO THE OFFICE
I always enjoy welcoming visitors to my office. Here’s some folks that dropped by this week:
IN THE NEWS
Here are a few articles that you may find of interest:
- Gov. Youngkin signs 8 bipartisan bills into law
- Virginia AG Miyares joins nationwide bipartisan investigation into TikTok
As I prepare to wrap up this newsletter, I will note that the legislative session will officially end next Saturday, March 12th. As such, my weekly e-newsletter will likely come on Monday or Tuesday to ensure that I can include all relevant information.
It is an honor to represent you and your family in the Virginia House of Delegates. Please reach out to me with concerns on any bills making their way through the legislative process or if you need assistance with a state agency. My staff and I stand ready to assist you in any way possible.
Sincerely,
Mike Cherry