Virginia Chamber General Assembly Update: January 19, 2024
Legislative Update |
Today marks the end of the first full week of the 2024 General Assembly session. Over 2,000 bills have been introduced this session, with the Chamber tracking nearly 750. On Wednesday, the Chamber was pleased to host our annual Chamber Day and Old Dominion Assembly Legislative Reception. We were joined throughout the day by Governor Glenn Youngkin, Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, Speaker of the House Don Scott, House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, and Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle. Additionally, members of the General Assembly and the Governor’s administration were present for our evening reception. Thank you to those who attended and engaged with many General Assembly and Administration leaders. Other legislative highlights this week of interest to the business community include: SB1 (Lucas) and HB1 (Ward), identical bills to raise the minimum wage to $13.50 per hour beginning January 1, 2025, and to $15 per hour beginning January 1, 2026, were heard in their respective committees and both were re-referred to Senate Finance and Appropriations and House Appropriations, respectively. SB54 (Locke) was heard in the Senate Public Education subcommittee on Thursday. The legislation establishes a formula to ensure predictable funding for publicly funded early childhood care and education programs based on cost of quality, parent demand, and projected growth in program participation. It also formalizes RecognizeB5, a childcare teacher incentive program, that has had tremendous success in retaining early childhood educators. With support from the Chamber and others in the education and business community, the legislation unanimously passed the subcommittee. HB145 (Reid) establishing the Virginia Teacher Residency Training Corps passed the House Education Committee and was referred to the Appropriations Committee. This legislation would help prepare a robust teacher workforce to address the critical teacher shortage. Research has shown how successful these hands-on programs can be with teacher recruitment and retention when you couple theory and practice with support from experienced mentors. SB27 (Stanley) establishes the Public School Trades Incentive Fund and Program. This legislation would help local school divisions expand their skilled trades course offerings by providing funding to update both equipment and facilities, which will lead to more students earning industry credentials. SB27 reported unanimously from the Senate Education and Health Committee and now moves to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee for consideration. Each day, we are updating our Bills We’re Watching on our website. You can access those bills by visiting: https://vachamber.com/advocacy/bills-were-watching/ If you would like to share your comments or concerns on bill(s) that impact your business, please email us at: policy@vachamber.com. |