What’s the Sitch in the VA GA?

Post by Drew Persinger, JMU ’21, Political Science, Campus Election Engagement Project Democracy Fellow

When and Where?

January 30-February 27

The state constitution specifies that the General Assembly shall meet annually, and its regular session is to be at maximum 60 days long in even-numbered years and 30 days long in odd-numbered years, unless extended by a two-thirds vote of both houses.

Typically, the General Assembly meets in the historic Capitol building in downtown Richmond, Virginia. While legislating during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Regular Session fits a more hybrid model with the House of Delegates meeting in a fully virtual format and the State Senate convening in-person in Richmond.

Structure of the Legislature

The Senate of Virginia is composed of 40 members with each member serving four year terms. Each Senator receives a salary of $18,000. The Senate is led by the Lieutenant Governor (LG) with the President pro tempore presiding over the Senate in the LG’s absence. The Senate is currently controlled by the Democratic Party with a 21-18 majority as of January 2021.

The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower chamber, made up of 100 members who serve two-year terms. The Democratic Party currently controls the House with a 55-45 majority as of January 2021.

COVID-19 Mitigation

The State Capitol and Pocahontas Buildings will remain closed throughout the current session.

Public comment in the House of Delegates will be facilitated through SPEAK. This interface will allow for the public to view the house meeting schedule, signup to speak at the meetings, and provide written testimony.

Lobbying your legislator

1. Know your Senator and Delegate! Find them here! James Madison University is primarily represented by:

• Delegate Tony Wilt (540-208-0735)
• Senator Mark Obenshain (540-437-1451)

2. Track legislation using the Virginia Legislative Information System.

3. Contact your representatives with input on legislation.

Tips for communicating with your legislator

1. Identify yourself. Let your legislator know that you’re a constituent and explain your stake in the community that they represent.
2. Know the issue. Be knowledgeable and well-researched about the issue you want to discuss. Your legislator will take you more seriously if you appear professional and intelligent about the topic.
3. Share your position. Be persuasive in explaining your stance, using facts, statistics and evidence. Use personal anecdotes or stories of friends in order to support your evidence and argument.
4. End with a hard ask. End your meeting by asking them if they plan to support the discussed legislation. Always remain respectful and thank them for their time.

Current bills affecting students in higher education

• House Bill 2120 (Del. Mark Keam) – Requires higher education governing boards to disclose budgets, meeting minutes, and other board communications. The governing boards must establish and maintain a website accessible from the institution’s website. The bill also requires that the governing board solicit input from the institution’s faculty senate at least twice per academic year at a public venue and regarding the search of a new chief executive officer for the institution. The bill’s provisions also require public comment to be available and proof to be provided that the governing board member’s reviewed such comments.
• House Bill 1772 (Del. Nick Freitas) – Requires the per student enrollment-based funding provided to public institutions of higher education to include funding for each Virginia student enrolled in a noncredit workforce training program.
• House Bill 2123 (Del. Alfonso Lopez)/Senate Bill 1387 (Sen. Jennifer Boysko) – Intends to expand financial assistance to higher education through removal of citizenship status or immigrant status as a qualifier for state financial assistance programs.
• House Bill 1820 (Del. Dan Helmer) – Intends to expand Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to postsecondary students.
• HJ 558 (Del. Danica Roem) – Intends to establish a student meal donation program and help combat food insecurity.
• House Bill 1975 (Del. Nick Rush) – Intends support survivors’ access to mental health counseling and education in the Commonwealth.

Resources:

• The Virginia Legislative Information System allows for individuals to research bills, General Assembly members, meeting minutes, daily floor calendars, and communication releases between houses.
• The Virginia Public Access Project is a website that reports on Virginia political news and tracks important legislation. This resource reports on donations, committees, bills, and other aspects of the General Assembly.
• The SPEAK website allows you to track upcoming committee and subcommittee meetings, search the agendas for each meetings, and sign-up to provide spoken testimony or write-in public comment on pieces of legislation.