2020 Va. General Assembly Q&A

Last November’s elections gave Democrats control of the Virginia House of Delegates and state Senate, providing the party control of both bodies and the governor’s seat for the first time in more than two decades. What it will do with that power is the focus of intense scrutiny from supporters and opponents alike.

Firearm and healthcare reform, education spending and environmental topics figure to be at the top of the agenda during the 60-day session.

The Henrico Citizen invited each delegate and state senator whose district encompasses a portion of Henrico to provide their thoughts about the 2020 session. The answers of those who responded by our print deadline appear below.

1. What is the most important issue facing the General Assembly this year? Why?
Dunnavant – The cost of healthcare and public safety are the two most important issues facing the legislature this year.

Bagby – I believe there are three: reforming predatory lending, gun safety, and funding for public pre-K through higher education.

VanValkenburg – The most important task we have this session is passing a fair and equitable budget. Governor Northam’s proposed budget includes meaningful investments in education, healthcare, environmental protection, including measures ranging from teacher retention help to cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay by 2025.

Willett – I ran for office on an agenda focused on adolescent mental health, the environment, and early childhood education and I remain committed to delivering on those promises this year.

2. What legislation do you plan to introduce during this year’s session?
Dunnavant – Some of the legislation that I am carrying aims to: reduce the cost of prescriptions and health insurance; improve public safety with universal reporting and easy access to professional help with 24/7 mental health services; make virtual education available for K-12 students; provide behaviorists in our K-12 schools; clean up the James River; set up data analytics for the state to make us more efficient and effective. You can follow the legislation I have proposed on lis.virginia.gov, and on my website – dunnavantdelivers.
com.

Bagby – My legislative priorities for the 2020 session include: Completely reforming the predatory payday, title, and open-end credit industry in Virginia; racial equity legislation, one to provide for the automatic removal of racial restrictive covenants in deeds of real estate and one to repeal obsolete and discriminatory laws from the early 20th century; removing the prohibition for individuals who have been convicted of drug-related felonies from receiving food assistance; expanding the definitions of hate crimes that can be investigated and prosecuted by a multi-jurisdictional grand jury; creating the Percentage of Income Payment Program, which caps the monthly electric utility payment of low-income customers at a percentage of their household income.

VanValkenburg – My big push for this session will be the promotion and protection of our democracy. HB 207 will allow people to permanently register as absentee voters and continue to get no-excuse-needed absentee ballots for every election unless they choose to stop receiving ballots by mail, unregister, or move. I will also be introducing HB 761, which will create a state version of preclearance, ensuring localities are not engaging in voter disenfranchisement. These bills further my goal for all citizens to have fair access to the polls. Strategic lawsuits against public participation are often filed in Virginia because we have some of the weakest defamation protections in the county. That’s why I introduced HB 759, anti-SLAPP legislation which protects people exercising their free speech rights. Finally, as an educator who has taught about Constitutional values for fifteen years, I believe it is critical to our democracy that we vote to put limits on abusive gerrymandering of election districts. I am proud to patron HJ 71, HB 784, and HB 758, a Constitutional amendment and its enabling legislation to create Virginia’s first fair redistricting commission and outline criteria for its diversity, transparency and nonpartisan outcome when it is implemented following the 2020 Census.

Willett – I am very excited about the legislation that I have introduced this year. One of the bills that I am carrying enhances Virginia's process to expedite licensure for military spouses, including the Virginia National Guard. Virginia is a leader in developing and adopting expedited license procedures for military spouses. Their frequent relocation represent a unique challenge in maintaining occupational and professional license requirements. The bill also allows Virginia's licensing boards more discretion when determining professional license equivalents for those military spouses with a qualifying current license issued by another state. Additionally, I am introducing legislation that would require state agencies and localities to assess new plans or policies for impacts on our environment. Another bill that I am introducing would require all debt settlement companies to be licensed and regulated by the State Corporation Commission. This is a basic consumer protection bill as there are some bad actors in this space. There are several other bills that I have introduced, and I encourage everyone to use the LIS website lis.virginia.gov to follow my legislation.

3. Do you support the governor’s proposed increased funding for education? Why or why not?
Dunnavant – I am in favor of the governor’s proposed funding for teacher pay raises, the preschool initiative, increasing the K-12 student to counselor ratio and community college tuition for low income students. Early childhood education is a sound investment which ensures that all of our kids succeed. Providing more counselors per student and additional support for our teachers in schools enables learning to happen.

Bagby – Yes – we must ensure that we are providing our schools and teachers with the resources necessary to provide all students with a quality education. Across the Commonwealth, students face several struggles ranging from outdated textbooks, teacher shortages to school infrastructure problems and I believe the governor’s proposal will allow us to begin addressing these issues.

VanValkenburg – Absolutely – Governor Northam’s proposed budget includes meaningful investment and commitment to early education, K-12 schooling, and tuition-free community college. It also provides the money necessary to get to a 1 counselor per 250 student ratio in our schools - a policy that improves both academic success and student safety. This is the best budget for education we have seen in a decade. As a member of the House Education committee, I look forward to working with Governor Northam and am eager to see these investments start to help every public school student, regardless of their zip code.

Willett – I’m pleased that the governor’s proposed budget includes additional funding for mental health staff and resources schools in schools, and significant investments in Pre-K education. This aligns with the priorities that I heard from my constituents and I will work hard to protect these investments in the budget.

4. A number of bills propose changes to Virginia's firearms laws. If you support any of these, which ones and why? If you don’t, why not?
Dunnavant – I firmly support protecting our families and communities, but no legislation should be passed that compromises the protections afforded by our constitution. As always, I will need to examine each piece of legislation that comes before me for a vote and be sure that what is proposed actually addresses the problems that we are trying to solve. This year I am reintroducing my legislation (SB469) for a 24/7 mental health hotline and risk reporting to make sure that we can intervene before crisis ensues. I believe we can both protect our community and protect the constitution.

Bagby – The governor called the General Assembly into a special session to consider eight bills aimed at reducing gun violence. The Republican majority returned and adjourned within 90 minutes without giving those bills a full and fair hearing. We campaigned across the Commonwealth on those bills and I intend to keep my promise and support each one of them.

VanValkenburg – Ensuring the safety of our schools and communities is of the utmost importance - that’s why I supported several gun violence prevention measures last year as part of the committee on school safety. I support careful reforms, like the eight proposed by the Governor, that balance common sense safety with Second Amendment rights. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find that balance.

Willett – I met thousands of my constituents in person while running for office. An overwhelming number identified reducing gun violence as a key concern. I believe it is incumbent upon me to support common sense gun control legislation in order to appropriately represent the constituents in my district.

5. Will you support any bills related to healthcare? If so, which ones and why?
Dunnavant – The legislation that I am proposing to reduce health care costs aims to reduce the cost of prescriptions and offer lower cost group insurance plans for small businesses. I am introducing SB364, which offers a proposal to lower the cost of health insurance in the individual marketplace that can also focus resources on improving health outcomes. SB575 makes it easier for Emergency Rooms to view a patient’s prescription history to improve care coordination. SB185 allows prescribed medical marijuana to be distributed in assisted living and nursing homes. SB567 extends maternity leave to 12 weeks. Additionally, SB585 provides funding for kinship care equal to that of foster care.

Bagby – I have introduced legislation to address one of the many issues tied to balance billing in Virginia. My bill provides that when an insured person receives emergency services from an out-of-network healthcare provider, that person is not required to pay that provider any amount other than the applicable cost-sharing requirement and restricts that provider from charging the patient for the balance of what the provider bills the insurance company. Too many Virginians get caught in a situation where they’re hit with surprise bills after receiving emergency medical service and needs to be addressed immediately.

VanValkenburg – I plan on supporting several bills that focus on making healthcare cheaper, more accessible, and safer for every Virginian. These include ending surprise billing, supporting reinsurance and creating a state policy exchange. I also support Governor Northam’s budget proposals, like a $3.2 million provision to extend health coverage for new mothers. These proposals will bring more equity to our healthcare system and help bring down costs.

Willett – We will see a number of bills related to healthcare, but there are a few that are at the top of my list based on my constituent’s needs. The two largest concerns from constituents are the cost of prescription drugs, specifically insulin, and surprise medical billing. I will support measures to control the cost prescription drugs, such as capping insulin prices, and eliminating surprise medical billing while also being fair to our medical providers.