VAPLAN

a man wearing a tin foil hat sits in front of a computer monitor ALT: a man wearing a tin foil hat sits in front of a computer monitor

Tomorrow morning on the Natural Resources docket: a bill by Del Griffin to outlaw "geoengineering," defined as intentional injection, release, or dispersion, of chemicals into the atmosphere in order to affect temperature, weather, or the intensity of sunlight.

Voting board shows 5 yeas and 4 nays on motion to report HB161

@marcussimon.com i-gaming regulation bill is struggling along. It's not clear that it'll get over the finish line. @delciaprice85.bsky.social really wasn't supportive ("crack is being used too, do we legalize that just because people are using it?"), but voted to report just to keep the convo going.

GOP senators skip the vote (which they would lose anyway) on SJ61, approving the @abigailspanberger.com appointments to university Boards of Visitors (previously Youngkin attempted to appoint hyper-partisan individuals against the wishes of the General Assembly and ignored their vote).

Kind of hilarious to be nearly facing a supermajority opposing you (because your party is so out of touch with voters) and to have the chutzpah to try to screw with a bill from one of the other party's leadership and write a floor amendment completely changing its purpose.

Voting board shows 21 yeas and 18 nays on SB351

Whoohooo, Senate passes @salimvasenate.bsky.social bill protecting people from civil arrest when they are required to come to the courthouse on other business or as a witness.

Voting board shows 21 yeas and 18 nays on SB290

Pro-slumlord GOP vote against @lashrecseaird.bsky.social bill to give localities a cause of action to go after slumlords in their jurisdiction. It passes without them.

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The discipline it took every member of the Democratic House Caucus not to respond to Garrett's completely out of control ranting point of personal privilege on the floor today was...🤯

Voting board shows 9 yeas and 1 nay on motion to report HB1347

Health sub reports @laurajanecohen.bsky.social bill to legalize/regulate FDA-approved psylocybin prescriptions--hugely helpful for PTSD as heartbreaking testimony spoke to. Walker can't vote for it bc ... there are lots of mushrooms for sale at his farmer's market. You can't make this stuff up.

Del Griffin (paraphrased), in House HHS: English should be the official language, all government document should be printed only in English, and føck anyone who doesn't speak English perfectly and fluently enough to read complex documents in English.

I usually try to stay in my lane (and this ain't it) but Dem voters in my IRL circle DON'T care which Dem holds which seat or where, just want to go big or go home, ie 10-1, and do NOT want Dem electeds and their egos to screw this up.

Voting board shows 14 yeas and 6 nays on motion to report HB1147

After many GOP excuses why bias reduction training isn't nec. for doctors & nurses (ranging from "they aren't racist" to "what about other biases?" to "we have so many trainings!"), House HHS reports @cliffhayesjr.bsky.social bill for Boards of Med & Nursing to require for license renewal.

Voting board shows 6 yeas and 2 nays on motion to report HB868

House P&E sub reports out Del. Cousins bill to require a disclosure on AI-generated deep fakes and other synthetic media in campaign ads close to an election.

Voting board shows 8 yeas and 6 nays on motion to report SB378

Public sector collective bargaining (@ssurovell.bsky.social) reports from Senate Commerce and Labor! As may testifying said, they have been waiting DECADES to end this Jim Crow ban!

Up right now!!

I didn't see it go by, it might still be coming, they haven't quit for the day yet.

Wasn't on today's docket.

House Rules--Studies subcommittee this morning, on SJ87.

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If only the legislators could clone themselves....
(Right now, Del @marcussimon.com had to leave the Courts Civil subcom he was chairing to go present a bill in P&E Elections Admin. sub, chaired by Del Glass who in turn had to leave THAT subcommittee to present a bill in Courts Civil!)

Voting board shows 6 yeas and 1 nay on motion to report HB909

House Elections subcommittee reports out @ireneforva.bsky.social bill to prohibit anyone from carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a polling place.

Voting board shows 8 yeas and 1 nay on motion to report HB872

House Courts Civil sub reports out Del Cousins bill requiring courts to conspicuously post any restrictions for those visiting the courthouse on bringing cell phone and portable electronic devices into the court. Senate version moving along as well.

Voting board shows 8 yeas, 6 nays and 1 abstention on motion to report SB121

Senate Commerce and Labor reports out bill to end the minimum wage exception for farm workers.

Voting board shows 9 yeas and 6 nays on motion to report SB28

After minor kerfuffle over whether au pairs are included (they weren't meant to, were then explicitly excluded) and whether poor Sen Obenshain's daughter would then face unfair competition for nanny jobs 🙄🙄, Sen Carroll Foy bill for OT pay for domestic workers reports from C&L.

House passes @delciaprice85.bsky.social bill to slow down the initiation of eviction proceedings for nonpayment of rent, to give renters a chance to raise the money, or for a paycheck to come in.

Voting board shows 11 yeas and 4 nays on motion to continue SB355

Senate gives same treatment to anti-rent gouging bill (patron @jenniferboysko.com ) as House did theirs (@clarkfordelegate.bsky.social), and "continues" to next year, which is a more polite way of killing it. We are clearly ONLY going to look at supply-side solutions to housing price issues.

Voting board shows 9 yeas, 4 nays and one abstention on motion to report SB388

Senate Local Government votes to report @jeremymcpike.bsky.social bill to require localities to allow by-right development of affordable housing units on properties owned by religious organizations. Similar bill is moving along in the House.

Voting board shows 9 yeas and 6 nays on motion to report SB83

Senate Courts reports out @salimvasenate.bsky.social bill to require courts establish and post conspicuously their policy on visitors to the courthouse possessing cell phone or portable electronic device in the courthouse.

Voting board shows 8 yeas, 4 nays and 3 abstentions on SB454

Senate Local Govt reports out @scvanvalkenburg.bsky.social bill to require localities allow by-right mixed use developments on 75% of land in commercial/business zoned districts (with exceptions and exempting certain sites). House cognate moving along as well.

Re: testimony against @scvanvalkenburg.bsky.social SB454 requiring mixed-use development by-right in commercial districts by preservation folx: Cute little "historic districts" are great and all...but if I have to choose b/w them & people being able to afford *living* I think it's obvious.

@scvanvalkenburg.bsky.social: "If you're over 40, you can buy a home because you have capital from when housing prices were lower, but if you're under 40, not only can you not afford to buy a home, but you can't even save for a down payment on a home because your rent is so high."

Voting board shows 7 yeas and 7 nays on motion to report SB354

After @pwcdanica.bsky.social puts a re-enactment clause on @salimvasenate.bsky.social bill to eliminate parking minimums for new developments (to have time to work with Sen Salim to water the bill down to only apply to high-density transit corridors), Sen Local Govt fails to report on tie vote.