News from the 2018 Virginia General Assembly

Delegate

David Bulova Report from Richmond

Fairfax District Office

9900 Main Street, Plaza 102 Fairfax, Virginia 22031 Phone: 703-310-6752

info@davidbulova.com

Dear 37th District Resident:

I hope that you are enjoying the warm summer months! It is an honor to rep-

resent your community in the Virginia House of Delegates. One of my most important jobs is to make sure that

my constituents know what is going on in Richmond and how our legislative and budget decisions may affect our

daily lives.

This year, 2,606 bills were introduced in the General Assembly. Of those, 837 passed both the House and the Sen-

ate and were ultimately signed by the Governor. These bills dealt with a wide-range of issues, including electric

utility regulation, funding for Metro, gun safety, telecommunication infrastructure, and Virginia’s teacher shortage

– just to name a few. I was pleased to introduce 20 bills and three budget amendments covering topics such as

workforce development, homeowner association disclosure packages, electric vehicle infrastructure, consumer

credit reports, regulatory transparency, and funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration. My legislative initiatives are

highlighted on the back of this report. Finally, the General Assembly adopted a biennial budget that expands

Medicaid and increases funding for education, state-supported employee compensation, economic development,

behavioral health and developmental services, and Chesapeake Bay restoration.

Inside, you will find a selection of some of the new laws passed this year that may be of interest to you. Most of these went into effect on July 1st. You can find a more comprehensive overview of legislation, including

bills that did not pass, at bit.ly/18LegHighlights.

While the regular session is now over, I also serve on several commissions that meet throughout the year. These

include the Standards of Learning Innovation Committee, Joint Commission on Health Care, Chesapeake Bay

Commission, Housing Commission, State Water Commission, and Virginia War Memorial Board.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss a specific issue or share an idea! To keep up-to-

date on the latest information, please sign up for my constituent newsletter, Focus on Fairfax, by visiting

www.davidbulova.com.

Mailing Address

P.O. Box 106 Fairfax Station, Virginia 22039

Social Media

www.davidbulova.com DelegateDavidBulova

@DavidBulova

P.O. Box 106 Fairfax Station, Virginia 22039

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David’s 2018 Legislative Highlights

Saturday Morning Coffee with Your Delegate I am pleased to continue a tradition started thirteen years ago. Join me for Saturday morning coffee from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on the dates below. Constituents can stop by to ask a question, discuss an issue, or just find out what is going on in the General Assembly.

September 22 at Main Street Bagel, 10268 Main Street, Fairfax October 27 at Jireh Cafe, 13848 Lee Highway, Centreville December 8 at Main Street Bagel

Watch for details or changes at www.davidbulova.com

Thirteen of my bills passed the General Assembly this

year. Highlights include the following:

HB150 closes a loophole in the child abuse notifi-

cation process when a teacher is involved.

HB297 establishes a public input process when reg-

ulatory agencies develop guidelines.

HB922 removes barriers to expanding electric vehi-

cle charging station infrastructure.

HB923 provides more transparency when purchas-

ing property in a homeowner association.

I also served as chief co-patron for successful legisla-

tion to reduce the fee for placing a security freeze on a

consumer credit report (HB1027).

Finally, Virginia is facing an economic competitive-

ness crisis as thousands of industrial and skilled

trade jobs go unfilled. I worked with a diverse range

of stakeholders to pass legislation (HB632) aimed at

exposing students to these career opportunities and giv-

ing them the tools to follow up on interest through ap-

prenticeships and industry certifications. This legisla-

tion was recognized with a Free Enterprise Award in

Workforce and Education by the Virginia Chamber of

Commerce.

While not successful this year, I was proud to introduce

bills to take the HOV hours on I-66 inside the Belt-

way back to their pre-tolling hours (HB1417), increase

efforts to fight human trafficking (HB926), and join the

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to reduce carbon

emissions (HB1273).

A full list of my 2018 legislation can be found at

bit.ly/18BulovaLegislation.

2018 General Assembly Legislation

David’s Voting Record and Session Videos

My voting record is how I am accountable to you. Use the following link to see how I voted on bills introduced

in 2018: bit.ly/18GAVotes. You can also find an archive of all committee meetings here: bit.ly/18SessionVideo.

Tax Holiday

Stay Informed

By signing up for my “Focus on Fairfax” electronic newsletter you can keep up to date on what is hap-

pening in Richmond and learn about special events such as Constituent

Day at the General Assembly.

For more information or to sign up visit www.davidbulova.com.

Tax-Free Shopping for Back-to-School

Supplies and Energy and Water

Conservation Products

August 3-5, 2018

For more information go to

tax.virginia.gov/virginia-sales-tax-holiday

The following is a summary of just some of the legislation passed during the 2018 session that is likely to affect our community. Most of these went into effect on July 1st.

BUDGET

The Virginia Constitution requires the General Assembly to balance the budget each year. After major cuts last year, we were able to re-invest in core services and put money back into our revenue stabilization funds. Budget highlights include:

Nearly $1 billion in planned deposits to the Rainy Day Fund and the new Revenue Reserve Fund.

$189 million in new resources for behavioral health and developmental services.

More than $530 million for K-12 education, and $131 million for a 3% pay raise for state-supported teachers and support staff, effective July 1, 2019.

$87 million for a 2% pay raise for state and state-supported local employees.

Increase to $64 million the investment in the GO Vir-ginia regional economic development initiative and invest $25 million in a new Northern Virginia-based cyber hub connecting universities and businesses.

$20 million to help urban areas clean up polluted stormwater and restore the Chesapeake Bay.

HEALTH

Medicaid Expansion. Increases health care access for up to 400,000 working Virginians by expanding Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act. To be covered, able-bodied working-age adults must be employed or par-ticipate in job training programs. Additional information is available at www.coverva.org.

CBD and THC-A Oil (HB 1251). Provides that a phy-sician may issue written certification for the use of canna-bidiol (CBD) oil or THC-A oil for the treatment of any diagnosed condition as determined by the physician. CBD and THC-A are non-psychoactive components of marijuana.

Nurse Practitioners (HB 793). Author izes more auton-omy for nurse practitioners by eliminating the requirement for a practice agreement with a physician. The nurse practitioner must have at least five years of full-time clini-cal experience and meet additional requirements.

EDUCATION

Student Recess (HB1419). Author izes local school boards to provide additional unstructured recreational time intended to develop teamwork, social skills, and overall physical fitness for students.

Student Discipline (HB 1600). Makes several changes to the student discipline process with the goal of reducing the number of long-term suspensions and expulsions. The Department of Education is directed to develop a state-wide standard for when longer suspensions are warranted.

Scholastic Records (SB 512). Prohibits the custodian of a scholastic record from releasing the address, phone number, or email address of a student without first obtain-ing written consent.

Teacher Licensure (HB 1125). Makes several changes to streamline the teacher licensure process, with a focus on individuals who are interested in teaching after serving in other professions. Teacher vacancies have increased by 40% in the last decade.

BUSINESS AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Career Readiness (HB632). Requires the Virginia Board of Education to develop curricula in career investi-gation, with a focus on career-readiness and technical and trade education.

Regulatory Reform (HB 883). Directs the Depar tment of Planning and Budget to engage in a three-year pilot program aimed at reducing by 25% the regulatory burden imposed by the Department of Professional and Occupa-tional Regulation.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Texting and Driving (HB 1525). Imposes a mandatory fine of $250 for using a handheld personal communica-tions device while operating a motor vehicle in a highway work zone when workers are present.

DNA Analysis (HB 1249). Adds Class 1 misdemeanor violations for assault and battery and repeated intentional trespass to the list of offenses for which an adult convict-ed of such offense must have a sample of blood, saliva, or tissue taken for DNA analysis. This allows investigators to cross-check against other crimes.

Grand Larceny Threshold (HB 1550). Raises the amount of cash or goods stolen from $200 to $500 before an individual can be charged with felony grand larceny. Virginia’s felony threshold has not been raised since 1980 and is tied for the lowest in the nation.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms (HB 609). Re-quires landlords to install smoke alarms and annually cer-tify them. The bill also requires the installation of carbon monoxide alarms upon request.

Rear-Facing Child Car Seats (HB 708). Prohibits child restraint devices from being forward-facing until the child reaches two years old or the child reaches the minimum weight limit for a forward-facing child seat in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2019.

CONSUMER PROTECTION

Fraud and Exploitation (HB 304). Adds the offenses of obtaining money by false pretense and financial exploita-tion of mentally incapacitated persons to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Security Freezes (HB 1027). Reduces from $10 to $5 the maximum amount that a credit reporting agency may charge to place, remove, or lift a security freeze on a con-sumer’s credit report.

TRANSPORTATION

Metro Funding (HB1539). Dedicates $154 million an-nually to fulfill Virginia’s share of the $500 million in capital upgrades that the system needs. The funding is contingent on Maryland and D.C. paying their fair share. The bill also gets the ball rolling on much needed reforms to Metro's operating structure.

ADDITIONAL LEGISLATION

Veteran Indicator (HB 737). Allows veterans to obtain driver’s licenses and identification cards that include an indicator signifying that the holder is a veteran.

Animal Research (HB 1087). Requires a manufacturer or contract testing facility to use an alternative to animal testing when available.

Dogs in Wineries (HB 286). Allows dogs within a desig-nated area inside or on the premises of a licensed winery, except in areas used for the manufacture of food products.

Snakehead Fish (HB 1404). Allows cer tain restaurants to sell snakehead fish. Snakeheads are an invasive fish and are now beyond eradication. The next best thing is to eat as many as possible!

Car-Washing Fundraisers (HB 1241). Prohibits any locality from banning car-washing fundraisers — provided that only biodegradable, phosphate-free, water-based cleaners are used. Bill signing ceremony for David’s HB150. Also pictured is Scott

MacFarlane with NBC4, whose investigation uncovered a prob-lem with Virginia’s child abuse notification process. HB150 closes a loophole that allowed a teacher with a founded case of child abuse to become employed at another school.