Legislative Priorities 2024

LWV of Virginia

JAMES CITY COUNTY

City of Williamsburg

A. Voting & Elections

1.  Campaign Finance Reform (Money & Politics)
2.  Ensuring the Right to Vote
3.  Ranked Choice Voting
4.  Amending the so called “Zuckerbucks” --- to allow easier coordination with registrars
5.  National Popular Vote
6.  Protecting election officials – including registrars
   

Bills

• HJ 2 Constitutional amendment; qualifications of voters, right to vote, persons not entitled to vote.
• HB 26 Voter identification; accepted forms of identification, private entities licensed or certified.
• HB 40 Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds, complaints, hearings, civil penalty.
• HB 56 Voter registration by political party affiliation; partially closed primary elections.
• HB 43 Polling place; assistance for certain voters, expands definition of disability.
• HB 44 Absentee voting; absentee voting in person, available beginning 30 days prior to election.
• HB 126 Candidates for office; persons entitled to have name printed on ballot; required campaign finance.
• SJ 2 Constitutional amendment; qualifications of voters, right to vote, persons not entitled to vote.
• SB 32 Voter registration; verification of social security numbers, provisional registration status.
• SB 42 Absentee voting; availability of voting in person.
• SB 45 Voter identification; identification containing a photograph required.

B. Education

1.  No Diversion of Funds from Public to Private Schools
2.  State Equity in Funding Formulas and for Capital Projects.
3.  Change to Virginia Constitution ---- stating that the Commonwealth “will ensure”(not seek to ensure full funding.)
4. SJ 9 Teacher retention, etc.; JLARC to study effect of salaries, employment benefits, etc.

C. Gun Violence Prevention

1.  Secure storage in Vehicles/ and Homes 
2. Micro-Stamping (Partnership with the Police)
3. Ban/Limitation-High-Capacity Magazines/Assault
4. Weapons/Ghost Guns

Bills

• HB 12 Handguns; firearm locking device required for sale or transfer, child safety warning required.
• HB 35 Firearm safety device; expands definition of device.
• HB 36 Owner of firearm; use of firearm by minor in an unlawful manner or to cause bodily injury.
• HB 46 Firearm; transfers to another person from a prohibited person.
• HB 113 Possession, purchase, or transportation of handgun by persons convicted of certain drug offenses.
• HB 158 Firearm locking device required for sale or transfer of firearm.
• SB 2 Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited.
• SB 44 Owner of firearm; use of firearm by minor in an unlawful manner or to cause bodily injury.
• SB 47 Firearm; transfers to another person from a prohibited person
• SB 55 Purchase of firearms; waiting period; penalty.
  

D. Transparency

E. Criminal Justice & Behavioral Health

1.  Minimizing solitary confinement
2.  Second Look Sentencing
3. Department of Corrections Oversight

F. Reproductive Health

1. No abortion bans; support contraception, no tracking menstrual cycles, no ascribing personhood to fetuses
2. Infant Mortality Rate Reduction Especially for Black Women
3. No Workplace harassment

Bills

1. HB 78 Search warrants; menstrual health data prohibited, definition.
2. SJ 1 Constitutional amendment; fundamental right to reproductive freedom (first reference).
3. HJ 1 Constitutional amendment; fundamental right to reproductive freedom (first reference).
4. SB 15 Reproductive health care services; prohibitions on extradition for certain crimes.
5. SB 16 Search warrants; menstrual health data prohibited, definition.

G. Domestic Violence

H. Childcare

1.  Fund subsidy at current rates and eligibility rates
2.  Fund Direct Support to Providers
3.  Tax-Credit
4. Expansion of VPI (VA Preschool Initiative)

Bills

• SB 54 Early childhood care and education system; publicly funded providers, funding formula.

I. Environment

J. Affordable Housing

1. Virginia Housing Trust Fund Increase from $75M to $150M.
2. State Housing Stability Fund: $73 million one-time appropriation for the biennium for a three-year pilot program to provide rental assistance to 4,800 very low-income Virginia households with priority given to families with children under 13 years old.
3. Allow Localities to pass Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance
4. Manufactured Home Communities – Amend Notice to Residents to Purchase to increase tenant protections.
5. Pay or Quit Extension: Extend the “pay or quit” time period from five to fourteen days, returning to the longer time period that was in place for most of the COVID pandemic.

1. Amend Virginia code section 24.2-604 to extend the 40-foot “no contact” rule to include the entire building, not just the entrances.
2. Support efforts to add an additional circuit court judge in the 9th judicial district.
3. Relax or eliminate maintenance and construction standards and regulations imposed upon low-hazard dams.
4. Amend Virginia code section 15.2-934 to eliminate the five-year notice requirement in favor of a one-year notice.
5. Fully remove the spending cap on school support positions.
6. Decentralize the Hampton/Peninsula heath district into three separate, smaller districts.
7. Impact fees - The County encourages the General Assembly to revise existing impact fee laws to encourage the use of statutorily-calculated impact fees in lieu of cash proffers.
8. State funding  - James City County requests that the state adequately fund for local road improvements, tourism, substance abuse and mental health treatment, public education, storm-water local assistance funds (“SLAF” funding), and public libraries.
9. Grocery tax - The County encourages the General Assembly ensure that any reduction in the grocery tax includes permanent replacement funding for local governments and school divisions.
10. Short term rentals - The County requests that the General Assembly reject any attempt to usurp local zoning control of short-term housing rentals.
11. Virginia retirement system - The County recommends that the General Assembly amend VRS regulations to allow retired police officers and school resource officers to return from retirement without affecting their VRS status.
12. Colonial behavioral health expansion - The County encourages the General Assembly to approve Colonial Behavioral Health’s request for funding to expand a building on its Merrimac campus to provide for crisis service operations.
13. Legislative programs of VML/VACO/Virginia coalition of high growth communities/HRPDC/TPO - The County supports the legislative agendas of VML, VaCo, the Virginia Coalition of High Growth Communities, the HRPDC, and the HRTPO.

Protect Local Government’s Zoning Authority

Public Notice

Connectivity, Asset Building & Tourism

Virginia 250

Transportation

Strategic Partnerships

• Construction funding to address critical deferred maintenance issues on William & Mary’s Historic Campus in advance of 2026 Commemoration events
•  Creation of a state funding source to incentivize modernizing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems
• Renovate Ewell Hall to update life safety and other building systems to support health sciences, the Reves Center for International Studies, and the Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office