Commonwealth of Virginia
Speaker's Office
Virginia House of Delegates
February 28, 2009
Contact: G. Paul Nardo (804) 698-1228, gpnardo@house.virginia.gov or williamjhowell.org
Highlighting the achievements of House Republicans to deliver practical solutions to the issues of concern to Virginians struggling through tough economic times, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) today underscored the positive results of the policy initiatives advanced by House Republicans accomplished during the legislative session. The House of Delegates today adjourned sine die, bringing an end to the “short” 2009 General Assembly Session.
“House Republicans understand that as citizens are hurting in the midst of this difficult economy, they expected their elected leaders to make the tough decisions that will help Virginia’s economy recover and regain prosperity,” noted Speaker Howell. “I’m pleased with the successful accomplishments of the strong reform agenda of House Republicans this session. On a wide range of issues, our positive proposals have received broad, bipartisan approval because they were based on sound principles and practical ideas.
“Creating jobs and helping spur economic recovery, protecting our most vulnerable citizens, ensuring the safety of our neighborhoods and communities, reducing congestions on our roads and educating our children are all major components of the comprehensive package House Republicans developed and advanced through the legislative process this year. The breadth and depth of the proposals offered is reflected in the success that the vast majority of our bills achieved. Working in a bipartisan manner with members of both bodies, House Republicans have delivered significant and positive change.
“Before this session began, House Republicans displayed strong leadership. We advanced sensible reforms, announced efficiencies and transparency measures and laid out a vision of innovation and progress. Now at the end of session, we have built on those impressive efforts with an outstanding package of reforms. There is no doubt in my mind that Virginians will benefit from the legislative successes we have achieved.”
Below is a partial list of measures, supported by the House Republican Caucus and grouped by topic, that were approved by the House of Delegates and their final legislative outcome.
Economic Recovery, Jobs & Prosperity
HB 1600 (Del. Putney – Bedford) Passed House 90-8 Passed Senate 35-5
Expedites seven significant higher education capital projects worth over $230 million to start construction one year sooner in order to stimulate creation of 3,400 new jobs and advance higher learning opportunities.
HB 1600 (Del. Putney – Bedford) Passed House 90-8 Passed Senate 35-5
Supports efforts to increase economic development and marketing efforts in Virginia by providing an additional $2.7 million for tourism to leverage millions in private sector investments and restoring $500,000 to the Economic Development Partnership.
HB 2575 (Del. Putney – Bedford) Passed House 99-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Extends by ten years the successful major business facility job tax credit and expedites the drawdown of those credits over the next two years to stimulate job creation.
HB 2550 (Del. Cox – Colonial Heights) Passed House 92-0 Passed Senate 38-0
Provides innovative financing for large, job creating economic development projects that create over 400 new jobs and invest over $250 million in Virginia communities.
HB 2583 (Del. Merricks – Pittsylvania) Passed House 99-0 Passed Senate 38-1
Retains a portion of local government deposits in Virginia financial institutions, increasing their capital holdings by almost $400 million so they can reinvest in local jobs and stimulate the local credit market.
HB 2437 (Del. Byron – Campbell) Passed House 88-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Allows manufacturers' corporate income tax to be based on sales, phased in by 2013, helping Virginia remain competitive to retain and create some 9,000 high-paying manufacturing jobs.
HB 2056 (Del. Hamilton – Newport News) Passed House 96-0-1 Passed Senate 40-0
Provides economic grant incentives for workforce training programs and facilities to support an advanced workforce training program in Hampton Roads that creates 1,000 new jobs.
HB 1600 (Del. Putney – Bedford) Passed House 90-8 Passed Senate 35-5
Provides $1.5 million for the Virginia Jobs Investment Program to support training programs for a major automotive supplier that will create 318 new jobs and invest $194 million in Virginia.
HB 1938 (Del. Peace – Hanover) Passed House 99-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Increases to $2,000 the amount of the livable tax credit for Virginians purchasing a new home or retrofit an existing residency to improve accessibility.
HB 2262 (Del. Kilgore – Scott) Passed House 99-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Strengthens the Attorney General’s enforcement authority under the Mortgage Lender and Broker Act to go after predatory mortgage lenders using fraud and deception.
HB 2031 (Del. D. Marshall – Danville) Passed House 98-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Requires the licensure and registration of mortgage loan originators and establishes licensing procedures and criteria to ensure consumer protection.
HB 2132 (Del. Miller – Manassas) Passed House 98-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Allows localities to cooperate with school divisions to offer residential housing assistance grants and other arrangements to provide affordable housing alternatives to teachers and other educational staff.
HB 2096 (Del. Orrock – Caroline) Passed House 98-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Encourages charity organizations like Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing by allowing localities to waive building permit and other local fees.
HB 2354 (Del. Landes – Augusta) Passed House 99-0 Killed by Senate Committee
Allows for the temporary suspension of any mandate on a local government by a state agency if it would help alleviate the localities’ fiscal hardships.
HJ 647 (Del. O’Bannon – Henrico) Passed House 98-1 Passed Senate 31-9
Increases the amount that can be appropriated to the Rainy Day Fund to strengthen Virginia’s ability to effectively weather future economic downturns.
HJ 640 (Del. Saxman – Staunton) Passed House 56-43 Killed by Senate Committee
Protects Virginia’s Right-to-Work Statute in the Constitution so that Virginia remains the best place to do business during these tough economic times.
Government Reform & Transparency
HB 1634 (Del. Saxman – Staunton) Passed House 78-14-3 Killed by Senate Committee
Closes the loophole on fundraising by elected officials while in legislative session in order to eliminate the influence of campaign contributions on the consideration and outcome of legislation.
HB 1883 (Del. Nixon – Chesterfield) Passed House 98-0 Killed by Senate Committee
Strengthens the transparency and oversight of lobbyist registration by increasing reporting and reforming compliance procedures.
HB 1738 (Del. Purkey – Virginia Beach) Passed House 98-0 Killed by Senate Committee
Expands to two years the period for which a former legislators and executive branch official must wait until becoming a registered lobbyist, closing the revolving door.
HB 2463 (Del. O’Bannon – Henrico) Passed House 95-3 Killed by Senate Committee
Creates an Efficiency Review Commission to systematically review every agency of state government to make certain that they are necessary and are performing their work efficiently and without redundancy.
HB 2285 (Del. Cline – Rockbridge) Passed House 99-0 Passed Senate 38-0
Improves state spending transparency through Virginia’s searchable database website to include information on state revenues, appropriations and expenditures.
HB 2657 (Del. Griffith – Salem) Passed House 99-0 Killed by Senate Committee
Prohibits use of Commonwealth’s publicly owned Executive Mansion for partisan political fundraising.
Energy Independence & Alternative Resources
HB 2404 (Del. Bell – Albermarle) Passed House 98-0 Killed by Senate Committee
Creates VA Universities Clean Energy Development & Economic Stimulus Foundation to assist in identifying and administering development of alternative energy sources to create jobs and promote energy independence.
HB 2531 (Del. Kilgore – Scott) Passed House 61-14 Passed Senate 37-1
Encourages energy conservation, primarily by businesses, by examining development of energy conservation and demand-response targets that can be accomplished by cost-effective demand-side management portfolios.
HB 2152 (Del. Rust – Fairfax) Passed House 99-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Provides for relief from capacity charges that discourage renewable energy generation without increasing the cost of energy to the consumers.
HB 2175 (Del. Hogan – Halifax) Passed House 90-7 Passed Senate 32-5-1
Breaks down barriers in the regulation process for completing small renewable energy projects so more projects can be built faster and at a lower cost, helping to reduce electric grid consumption.
HB 2172 (Del. Hogan – Halifax) Passed House 97-2 Passed Senate 40-0
Streamlines the regulatory process for renewable energy generation projects so they can be connected more easily into the existing electrical grid for aid in addressing overall energy demand through the use of alternative energy resources.
HB 2371 (Del. Nutter – Montgomery) Passed House 97-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Encourages consumer-driven choices for commercial costumers generating renewable power by providing real-time, dynamic energy rates so utilities can bring that renewable power into their overall grid to lower overall costs and satisfy demand.
HB 2268 (Del. Poindexter – Franklin) Passed House 96-0 Passed Senate 37-2
Expands the definition of renewable energy to encourage new alternative energy projects with greater use of organic, biomass sources to meet rising energy demand.
HB 1633 (Del. Saxman – Staunton) Passed House 58-41 Killed by Senate Committee
Directs the royalties from exploration of domestic energy sources that will create local jobs to transportation improvements, Chesapeake Bay clean-up, renewable energy research and home energy assistance.
HB 2001 (Del. Cosgrove – Chesapeake) Passed House 98-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Expands the eligibility of the Biofuels Production Incentive Grant Program to include advanced biofuels that are made from winter cover crops, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin oil, and algae.
HB 2002 (Del. Cosgrove – Chesapeake) Passed House 98-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Encourages the production of sustainably produced biofuels made from traditional agricultural crops as part of Virginia’s comprehensive energy plan.
Health Care
HB 1600 (Del. Putney – Bedford) Passed House 90-8 Passed Senate 35-5
Restores the 200 MR Waiver slots cut by Governor Kaine in his budget amendments and funds an additional 200 slots in order to reduce the urgent waiting list for the MR Waiver program.
HB 1600 (Del. Putney – Bedford) Passed House 88-11 Killed by Senate
Dedicates $1.5 million in additional funding for critical and cost-effective early intervention services for children with developmental delays, including children with autism and autism spectrum disorder.
HB 2024 (Del. D. Marshall – Danville) Passed House 95-1 Passed Senate 40-0
Reduces the number of uninsured Virginians by allowing small businesses that do not currently offer health insurance to their employees to offer plans with the choice of what mandates to cover.
HB 1598 (Del. Hamilton – Newport News) Passed House 96-0-2 Passed Senate 40-0
Revises the criteria for issuance of a Certificate of Public Need which will result in increased competition in the delivery of health care services, opening greater access to high quality care.
HB 2044 (Del. Nixon – Chesterfield) Passed House 96-0-1 Passed Senate 40-0
Creates an advisory committee of health care and technology experts to assist in developing standards for health care information systems that reduce medical errors, reduce costs and save lives.
HB 2674 (Del. Cox – Colonial Heights) Passed House 92-0
Sets out an aggressive goal of eliminating the urgent care waiting list for the home and community-based MR Waiver program that grows by one family within the next 10 years (by 2018-2020 biennium).
HB 2061 (Del. Hamilton – Newport News) Passed House 99-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Reforms process for placing juveniles in outpatient mental health treatment services and monitoring those cases.
HB 2557 (Del. Nixon – Chesterfield) Passed House 97-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Applies any mandate imposed on small businesses to the state employee health insurance plan and requires information on cost and utilization of any proposed mandate.
K-12 & Higher Education
HB 1600 (Del. Putney – Bedford) Passed House 88-11 Killed by Senate
Lessens the possibility of schools having to layoff younger teachers and helps schools divisions better
manage their budgets by establishing a Teacher and Support Staff Enhanced Retirement Incentive Plan.
HB 2464 (Del. Morgan – Gloucester) Passed House 98-0-1 Passed Senate 40-0
Continues and improves upon the 2005 landmark restructuring of Virginia’s higher education system
HB 1965 (Del. Saxman – Staunton) Passed House 50-47 Killed by Senate Committee
Creates income tax credit for businesses that support public school scholarships for families that decide to send their students to the school of their choice, including services used for children with autism spectrum disorder.
HB 2104 (Del. Janis – Henrico) Passed House 59-39 Killed by Senate Committee
Provides a grant for families in Virginia with a child who has autism spectrum disorder to use at a private school if their child is demonstrating substantial unmet academic or development progress in a public school.
HB 2018 (Del. Rust – Fairfax) Passed House 72-24 Killed in Senate Committee
Creates a permanent, perpetual School Construction Revolving Fund to better assist local school districts in financing construction and renovation. Leveraging innovative public-private financing and expertise will help build needed classrooms faster, at lower costs and in a more dynamic way.
HB 2304 (Del. Griffith – Salem) Passed House 97-2 Passed Senate 40-0
Maintains the one year period in which anyone aggrieved by a decision on special education program placement, eligibility or other matters made in a due process hearing may appeal to a circuit court.
HJ 678 (Del. Tata – Virginia Beach) Passed House 95-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Requests Virginia’s public higher education administration study methods to attract students to the Virginia Community College system for teacher preparation programs.
Transportation
HB 1579 (Del. Oder – Newport News) Passed House 67-31 Killed by Senate Committee
Increases transportation funding for Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads and other regions of the Commonwealth by dedicating a portion of future growth in existing revenue sources so Virginia can reinvest in its roads, rail and transit, increase mobility and strengthen the flow of job-creating commerce.
HB 2066 (Del. Hamilton – Newport News) Passed House 68-29-1 Killed by Senate Committee
Improves the Public-Private Partnership Transportation Act by streamlining the regulatory process to increase the number of public-private projects that could be built faster and at a lower cost.
HB 2079 (Del. Oder – Newport News) Passed House 65-31-1 Killed by Senate
Expedites improvements and expansion of two transportation projects critical to Hampton Roads – the Downtown Tunnel/Midtown Tunnel/MLK Extension project and the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.
HB 2019 (Del. Rust – Fairfax) Passed House 96-0 Passed Senate 39-0
Directs the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) to designate corridors of statewide significance in the Statewide Transportation Plan and localities to include them in their comprehensive plans.
HJ 620 (Del. Oder – Newport News) Passed House 99-0 Killed by Senate
Locks-up from legislative raids the Transportation Trust Fund by an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia so money dedicated and supposed to go to transportation actually is used for transportation.
Environment
HB 2351 (Del. Landes – Augusta) Passed House 91-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Dedicates a portion of future surplus funds to the Natural Resources Commitment Fund and increases the share allocated from the Fund to the Agriculture Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program.
HB 2168 (Del. Abbitt – Appomattox) Passed House 97-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Improves the ability to clean up Virginia’s waterways from storm-water nonpoint pollution through a nutrient offset program that allows compliance through offsets in the same tributary.
HB 2165 (Del. Lohr – Rockingham) Passed House 98-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Streamlines the ability of Virginia farms to undertake small-scale conversions of renewable biomass from feedstock produced on the farm for energy production.
HB 2646 (Del. Poindexter – Franklin) Passed House 92-7 Passed Senate 40-0
Establishes a market based betterment loan program to address onsite sewage system or alternative discharging sewage systems in order to reduce threats to public health and ground and surface waters.
HB 2565 (Del. Knight – Virginia Beach) Passed House 98-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Encourages localities to develop lease of development rights, transfer of development rights and agricultural and forestal district with assistance from the Office of Farmland Preservation.
Law Enforcement & Public Safety
HB 1600 (Del. Putney – Bedford) Passed House 90-8 Passed Senate 35-5
Protects children from online predators by appropriating $2.0 million to the Northern Virginia and Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces.
HB 2402 (Del. Bell – Albermarle) Passed House 99-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Combats identify theft in cases where people obtain money, loans and credit through the use of identifying information of another person.
HB 1868 (Del. Janis – Henrico) Passed House 97-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Increases permanently the penalty for underage drinking and driving to a Class I misdemeanor to deter reckless behavior by young people.
HB 2041 (Del. Iaquinto – Virginia Beach) Passed House 91-7 Killed by Senate Committee
Removes drunk drivers from Virginia roadways by requiring the instillation of an ignition interlock system so convicted drunk drivers will not put other law-abiding Virginians in harm’s way.
HB 1693 (Del. Albo – Fairfax) Passed House 98-0 Passed Senate 28-12
Strengthens Virginia’s DUI laws by requiring mandatory jail sentence when a blood alcohol test is
done at a hospital.
HB 2358 (Del. Gilbert – Shenandoah) Passed House 75-21 Passed Senate 24-13
Redefines the “triggerman rule” as it applies to capital murder cases to include accessories and principles in the second degree in cases dealing with terrorism and murder for hire.
HB 2638 (Del. Pogge – James City) Passed House 75-22 Passed 29-11
Expands the death penalty for those convicted of the murder of law-enforcement officers including auxiliary police officers and deputy sheriffs and fire marshals and assistant fire marshals.
Other Important Issues
HB 1732 (Del. Cox – Colonial Heights) Passed House 97-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Develops and deploys an automated system for the electronic preparation of veterans’ disability claims (similar to “Turbo Vet”) so more of our veterans can receive their disability payments in a timely manner.
HB 1727 (Del. Cole – Spotsylvania) Passed House 97-0 Passed Senate 39-0
Establishes an interstate compact to remove barriers to educational success imposed on children of military families because of frequent moves and deployment of their parents.
HB 1712 (Del. Janis – Henrico) Passed House 96-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Conforms Virginia’s absentee ballot laws to similar federal laws to make certain that all absentee ballots from active duty military personnel are counted.
HB 1877 (Del. Cosgrove – Chesapeake) Passed House 96-0-1 Passed Senate 40-0
Allows law enforcement officers including firefighters, EMS personnel and other first responders to vote by absentee ballot.
HB 2579 (Del. Byron – Campbell) Passed House 62-36 Killed by Senate Committee
Adds an ultrasound to the information given a woman considering an abortion under informed consent to give better assurance on the gestation age than the current approach of guessing.
HB 2634 (Del. Cline – Rockbridge) Passed House 64-34 Killed by Senate Committee
Requires that any person, who seeks an abortion past the first trimester, must allow their unborn child to receive anesthesia so that they do not feel the pain that is ending their lives.
HJ 648 (Del. O’Bannon – Henrico) Passed House 97-0 Passed Senate 40-0
Amends the Virginia Constitution to allow for exemption from property taxes for disabled veterans.
HJ 725 (Del. Bell – Albermarle) Passed House 68-31 Killed by Senate Committee
Protects private property rights by amending the Virginia Constitution to narrowly define under what circumstances eminent domain powers can used for public use.
Please Note: This list is not intended to be a complete compilation of all Republican-sponsored legislation in the 2009 Session. Additional House Republican initiatives are included in the Conference Report for the Amendments to the 2008-2010 Biennial Budget (HB 1600).
For more details about any bill listed above, please contact the office of the delegate who patroned the measure or click on the bill number, which is linked to the General Assembly’s Legislative Information Service and provides more information on the legislative measures.
