Members and members-elect of Virginia’s General Assembly could begin filing legislation on November 20 for the 2024 session, which begins January 10. Here’s a look at bills and resolutions sponsored so far by the Fredericksburg area’s elected officials.
Sen. Jeremy McPike
McPike, a Democrat, was re-elected in November to represent the 29th Senate District, which includes part of northern Stafford County as well as part of Prince William County. He is chief patron of the following bills:
Senate Bill 14: This bill amends Virginia Code to allow all localities to impose an additional 1% sales tax with revenue going to support school construction or renovation projects, if voters in the locality approve the measure in a referendum.
Currently, Virginia Code allows only nine localities to impose this additional sales tax – the City of Danville and Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Pittsylvania and Patrick counties.
Halifax, with a population of about 34,000 – was the first locality authorized by the General Assembly to impose the extra sales tax and voters approved it by referendum in November 2019. According to The Gazette-Virginian, the tax is expected to generate $3.73 million for county school construction projects in fiscal year 2024.
Extending the sales-tax option to all Virginia jurisdictions was one of the legislative priorities identified by the Stafford County School Board and division leadership at last week’s legislative summit, which McPike attended.
Senate Bill 4 and Senate Joint Resolution 3: This bill and resolution provide for a referendum at the November 5, 2024, election to approve or reject an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia that would expand the real property tax exemption that is currently available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action to be available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty with a Line of Duty determination from the U.S. Department of Defense.
Sen. Bryce Reeves
Reeves, a Republican, was re-elected last month to represent Senate District 28, which includes part of Spotsylvania County, as well as part of Fauquier and all of Culpeper, Orange, Greene, Madison and Rappahannock counties. He is chief patron of the following bills:
Senate Bill 6: This bill would allow for a person whose driver’s license has been revoked for multiple convictions of driving while intoxicated and who has successfully completed a behavioral health or specialty court docket to file for a restricted license without having to wait three years from the last conviction.
Senate Bill 7: This bill adds the term “ethnic origin” to the list of categories protected from unlawful discrimination in employment and in places of public accommodation in the state of Virginia. It also adds “ethnic origin” to the categories of victims whose intentional selection for a hate crime involving assault, assault and battery, or trespass for the purpose of damaging another’s property results in a higher criminal penalty for the offense.
Senate Bill 8: This bill removes the requirement that a person applying for recommission as a notary public or electronic notary public include an applicant oath, provided the person is in good standing as a notary public.
Senate Bill 10: This bill would permit the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Public Health Service to subtract retirement income from their Virginia taxable income. Currently, this subtraction is only allowed for military retirement income received for service in the U.S. armed forces.
Reeves is also a chief co-sponsor with McPike of SJ 3, described above.
Senator-elect Tara Durant (District 27) and Delegates-Elect Josh Cole (District 65), Paul Milde (District 64) and Phillip Scott (District 63) have not yet pre-filed any legislation.
Prefiling ends at 10 a.m. on January 10 and the last day to introduce bills or joint resolutions is January 19.
by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
