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To the Constituents of the 37th House District:
The eighth week of Session has concluded, leaving one more week for the General Assembly to complete its work for the 2024 Regular Session. This week’s action was largely in committee, where I am pleased to report significant progress was made in fighting Virginia’s deadly fentanyl epidemic.
As you may recall, the House version of a bill banning the manufacture of fentanyl-laced pills was recently killed. However, a Senate bill that would criminalize the use of pill presses to manufacture fake pills laced with fentanyl is still advancing through the body. My Republican colleagues and I pushed hard to get this bill a hearing, and I’m pleased to report that it was reported to the floor on a unanimous vote from Appropriations and was likely be up for final passage on Monday. Our schools continue to deal with fentanyl overdoses as students may be told they’re buying a friend’s prescription medication, when in fact they’re obtaining a fake pill with a deadly dose of fentanyl. Some students have needed CPR to be revived; others have not been so fortunate.
Also occurring during this time are bill conferences. This is where similar but non-identical Senate and House bills that have passed out of each chamber are placed into conference committees. Delegates and senators then confer with one another to agree on a bill that can be presented and voted on by both chambers. One such bill is the budget, which remains in conference. As one of six House conferees appointed by the Speaker, my colleagues and I are tasked with working alongside our Senate counterparts to craft a budget that can be passed out of the General Assembly and sent to the governor. It is important to understand that with Democrats in the majority, the final product will not be completely aligned with Republican priorities. That being said, during this process I will work to ensure that the budget is one that takes into account a conservative approach to our priorities in the district and the region.
As for my bills, all have completed their respective journeys through the legislative process except for HB1505, which has been referred to Senate Finance and Appropriations. HB1505 seeks to level the playing field for Virginia’s college sports by preventing athletic organizations from limiting how higher education institutions can choose to support their athletic programs. With other states allowing their universities more flexibility when it comes to recruiting, the Commonwealth has fallen behind and will continue to do so. This bill will codify policies that are currently giving our competitors an advantage for their sports programs, and I am hopeful that it reports out of committee and is voted upon favorably by the Senate.
As always, if I can be of assistance to you, or you would like to share your position on legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me at DelTAustin@House.Virginia.gov or 804-698-1037.
Delegate Terry L. Austin
37th House District
