Our Region’s future growth and economic stability are top discussion points during this year’s Virginia General Assembly, which began January 7th and will run through March 9th in Richmond. Currently in Week 6, the General Assembly has seen its share of highs and lows, with critical bills centering around taxes, education, and workforce issues. The Chamber’s Vice President of Government Relations, Nick Clemente, has been in-residence, advocating on our members’ behalf, throughout the General Assembly. He provides members with a weekly emailed summary and hosts our Member Advocacy Connector discussion every Friday morning.
Consisting of 40 members from the Senate and 100 members from the House of Delegates, Virginia’s General Assembly is held at the beginning of each year to debate and pass the Commonwealth’s legislation. Last week, the 5th week, marked a crossover when bills that did not pass either the House or Senate would not be considered by the other chamber moving forward. Nick has been steadfastly advocating for bills that connect with the Chamber’s Legislative Agenda and has met with numerous legislators on crucial Regional growth bills surrounding a potential Potomac Yard Entertainment District, a sustainable future for the Washington Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), and budget amendments for the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) that will equip our future workforce with proper training and support in high demand industries, to name but a few. Nick has outlined the Chamber’s work in each weekly member update.
Noteworthy legislation that the Chamber has flagged and tracked has run the gamut of important Regional topics and includes SB 14, which would allow local governments to increase their local sales tax by 1% to fund school construction; SB 27 that seeks to restore high school programs for the skilled trades; SB 635 that would permanently allow cocktails to be sold from bars, restaurants, distilleries, and for delivery; HB 1 to increase the minimum wage to $15 by January 1, 2026; and HB 570, the Prescription Drug Affordability Board established drug cost review report. Members can keep current with where these and many other bills stand within the General Assembly through Nick’s weekly emailed summary.
We encourage members to remain current with what is happening in Richmond through Nick’s weekly summaries and Advocacy Connector calls. These are offered at no charge to members, and all are welcome to attend. In addition, members may reach out to Nick regarding bills they are personally tracking. He can be reached at nclemente@novachamber.org.
