If it is the end of January in Richmond, Virginia, then the General Assembly is in session. The General Assembly consists of state Senators and Delegates who make new or change existing laws.
Bills can be introduced by either Senators or Delegates, be debated in committees, and if successful, can advance to the chamber floor. If the bills pass the chamber where they are introduced, they will be passed to the other chamber during ‘crossover’ where the bill must go through the same process in that chamber. Thus a bill that originates and passes in the Senate will be debated and possibly approved by the House of Delegates, and vice versa. Bills that pass both houses then go to the Governor for signatures, or the Governor can sink the bill by vetoing it instead of signing it. This year, crossover is planned for February 7, 2023 and the General Assembly will be in session until the end of February.
Twenty-nine education bills were identified as priority bills by 4 Public Education in a collaboration with other advocacy groups. These bills are listed at this link, where the status of each is updated daily.
To help ensure that the bills we support pass and those we oppose fail, 4 Public Education and the Virginia Grassroots Coalition have developed one-click calls-to-action that send emails to committee members to petition them about the bills. These tools are shared with 4 Public Education members with the hope that those interested in public education will complete and share each tool.
Closely related bills are grouped below as “Calls to action” to offer a tool that enables you to directly contact the legislators involved.
Calls to action in support of bills:
Calls to action in opposition to bills:
Photo Credit: Skip Plitt - C'ville Photography, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Comments