The General Assembly has one week remaining in its 46-day legislative session. We are scheduled to adjourn on Saturday, February 22nd. In order to (hopefully) finish on time, the House will work diligently and without a break for any potential winter weather.
At this point in the legislative process, the House and Senate are ironing out differences between the chambers. As a reminder, in order for a bill to go to the Governor for his signature (or veto), it must pass the House and Senate in the exact same form. When the two chambers pass slightly different versions of the same bill, a conference committee is established to settle on one version of the bill. That consensus, known as a conference report, is then voted on by the House and Senate.
I hope you continue to find these weekly updates informative. As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Legislation Update
Though we are nearing the end of session, a fair amount of legislation is still up in the air. One debate that took place this week centered around ongoing efforts to crack down on fentanyl distribution. Senate Bill 746 would make drug dealers guilty of felony homicide when distributing drugs laced with fentanyl and the recipient dies. This bill alone would not end the fentanyl crisis, but would serve as a significant tool in fighting taking those who would do harm to others off the streets.
When this bill came to the floor however, Democrats supported an amendment that would change the crime from felony homicide to manslaughter. Republicans unanimously opposed that amendment that ultimately passed on a party-line vote.
While this amended bill is now weaker than the introduced version, I did vote “yes” on passage with the belief that something is better than nothing. It is my hope that the conference committee will restore the bill to its introduced version.
Special Art Display
I want to take this opportunity to thank local artist Henry Kidd for allowing me to display his art outside of my office this legislative session. Henry has beautifully painted scenes from Iraq and Afghanistan, two conflicts in which I served as part of the US Air Force, onto military stretchers. If you happen to be in Richmond this coming week, drop by my office in room 706 to view this art.
Additional works from Henry known as “stretcher art” will be on display at the Virginia War Memorial starting later this year. You can view a flier for the event here.
In the News
Here’s a few news articles from the past week that you may find interesting:
- Richmond Times-Dispatch: Proposed sales tax surcharge for schools is heading to governor
- 13 News Now: Youngkin follows New York’s lead, bans DeepSeek AI from government devices for safety
- Richmond Times-Dispatch: Trump appoints Terry Cole, Youngkin cabinet member, to head DEA
- Virginia Mercury: License plate reader bill faces more scrutiny in Virginia Senate
It remains an honor to represent our community in the House of Delegates. If I can assist you in any way, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Mike Cherry