RICHMOND, VA – Today, as the General Assembly moves into the second phase of the legislative session, House Democrats highlighted their many successes while contrasting with the failures of their Republican colleagues.
“House Democrats have been hard at work over the last month passing meaningful legislation,” said Democratic Leader Eileen Filler-Corn. “While Democrats have been focused on moving Virginia forward, Governor Youngkin and his Republican colleagues have put right-wing politics ahead of the interests of Virginia families. I am so proud of what we have accomplished and will continue to fight to protect our progress in the final weeks of the session.”
“Rather than focus on bringing Virginians together, it is clear Republicans are focused on sowing division and rolling back the progress we’ve all fought so hard for,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair Charniele Herring. “From education to healthcare, Democrats are putting forward bills that are going to help so many people across Virginia.”
While the focus of much of the introduced legislation from Republican delegates has been on reversing the progress made during the Democrats’ time in the majority, House Democrats have put forward legislative proposals that will greatly benefit the lives of Virginians all over the Commonwealth. From broadband and transit, to health care and more, Democrats are dedicated to easing the burdens on Virginia’s working families. In the 200+ bills that Democrats introduced and have now been sent to the Senate, they address the key issues of:
- Health Care
- Identifying new opportunities for locally-based resources for mental health care;
- Requiring transparency in pricing from hospitals;
- Putting in place a statute of limitations on the collection of medical debt.
- Education
- Ensuring our students cannot be penalized or punished if they are unable to pay for school meals;
- Addressing Virginia’s teacher shortage by allowing provisional licensure of teachers with valid licenses from other countries.
- Economic Security
- Supporting programs to reduce the cost of public transportation for low-income individuals;
- Making broadband access more affordable throughout the Commonwealth.
- Environment
- Creating the Resilient Virginia Revolving Loan Fund
- Requiring the development of the Virginia Flood Protection Master Plan
- Civil Rights
- Removing the word “alien” in reference to non-citizens from the Code of Virginia
- Creating the Virginia Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Historic Preservation Fund
- Criminal Justice
- Providing relief for seven individuals who were wrongly incarcerated
- Allowing incarcerated persons to apply for SNAP benefits prior to their release