File photo
To the Constituents of the 37th House District:
The Virginia General Assembly has completed the 2024 Regular Session, and I would like to take a moment to share with you a brief summary, as well as the status of the bills I patroned. Though budget negotiations are still ongoing, as a budget conferee I am confident that a compromise will be made that meets the needs of the Commonwealth to fund our schools, law enforcement, critical health services, and transportation needs.
As your delegate I have the privilege of serving on the committees of Appropriations, Transportation, Rules, and General Laws. I also serve as chairman of the VA250 Commission and as a member of the I-81 Committee, MEI Project Approval Commission, and the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates. As a legislator, I carry bills that I believe will have a positive impact on our district, our region and Virginia. While my focus during Session is on my committee responsibilities, the legislation I choose to carry covers numerous facets of life in the Commonwealth. This year, though serving in the minority, I am pleased to report that all but one bill I carried will become law, granting me the distinction of being the legislator with the highest percentage of bills passed in the 2024 Session. At the end of this update is a list of my bills, as well as some legislation of interest.
Being in the minority often means that the best action we can take is to oppose legislation, and this session we did manage to stop several bills, including legislation that would have allowed criminals to serve multiple sentences concurrently. For example, if someone convicted of robbing two banks was sentenced to 15 years for each robbery, this legislation would have allowed them to serve just 15 years total. Fortunately, it was sent back to committee at the last minute, preventing it from going to the governor’s desk. Unfortunately, some bills that should have passed did not, including one that would formally give our school boards the authority to set rules for phone use during instructional time – including the ability to prevent the use of phones in class. Cell phones are a constant distraction in our classrooms, and it is not unreasonable to have our students focused on the task at hand rather than the new trend on TikTok.
One of the key issues before the General Assembly this session was how to deal with the scourge of fentanyl, which kills an average of five Virginians every day. After much debate, we were able to get legislation through that cracked down on those who use pill presses to make fake prescription drugs laced with fentanyl. This law will help law enforcement stop the string of overdoses in our schools by children who think they are taking Adderall but are actually consuming a potentially lethal dose of an opioid. However, our efforts to hold accountable those who kill by selling fentanyl were blocked, as were our efforts to create stiffer sentences for those who commit a second crime of violence with a gun.
The majority brought forward an aggressive agenda aimed at curtailing our Second Amendment rights, voting to ban the sale of new modern sporting rifles, implement an age limit on those sales, create a waiting period on all sales, and establish a licensing program to even purchase a firearm. Many of these bills have been found unconstitutional by Federal courts. In fact, age limits for those over 18 were overturned by a Federal court in Virginia in 2023. Furthermore, a bill passed that would ostensibly let anyone sue a gun store for “nuisance” problems, as some have sued tobacco companies, in an effort to subvert Federal law that blocks such lawsuits. Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to stop such cases from being filed in either Federal or state courts, and similar efforts in other states have been unsuccessful. While those bills passed out of the General Assembly, they did so without my vote, and were subsequently vetoed by the governor. As Gov. Youngkin said recently, our gun laws are among the toughest in the nation, and there’s no need to make significant changes that curtail our constitutional right to protect ourselves and our families.
As former chairman of Transportation, I am fully aware of the impact our transportation system has on the economy and our quality of life. Improving Interstate 81 is an issue I will continue to champion, along with looking at means by which to improve and diversify travel options while lessening the cost burden as inflation rises. This means embracing new technologies while also continuing to use proven, reliable methods of transport. Unfortunately, legislation that would have ended the electric vehicle mandate was defeated. The current mandate, which requires all new cars sold in Virginia to be electric vehicles by 2035, will not only make it more expensive to buy a new car, but it will also drive up the cost of used cars as gasoline-powered vehicles become increasingly rare.
Though the 2024 Regular Session has concluded, our work continues with various committee and commission meetings until the General Assembly reconvenes January 2025. It has become a misnomer to call us a part-time legislature! It is an honor to serve you in the House of Delegates. Please do not hesitate to contact my office should you have any questions or if there is anything that we can assist you or your family with. My staff and I can help with matters involving state agencies and can also help guide you in the right direction for assistance within your locality, as well as federal matters. Please contact the office at DelTAustin@House.Virginia.gov or 804-698-1037.
Delegate Terry L Austin
37th House District
My Bills
- HB191 streamlines the sale process for auto franchise operations, creating objective measures for manufacturer approval and establishing a 60-day timeline for which approval can be granted. Many franchises are family-owned entities, and this bill creates objective measures that make the sale process easier for those that choose to sell their operations.
- HB237 adds the Secretary of Labor, a position created after the establishment of GO Virginia, to the state board and reduces the local match so that funds to support these efforts can be more quickly deployed. GO Virginia identifies and supports regional economic development opportunities. Successful projects include establishment of the Blue Ridge regional health sciences talent pipeline, the Alleghany Drone Zone, and numerous CTE workforce and continuing education training programs.
- HB839 amends the membership and staffing of the VA250 Commission to allow ex officio members who are directors of historic homes, historic sites, or National Park Service sites or former legislative members of the Commission to serve. As chairman of the VA250, I am pleased to say that the Commission’s efforts are truly leading the nation. This past March we hosted our second annual Common Cause to All, attracting more than 400 people from 37 states to celebrate our history and learn from our efforts. Adding historic locations such as Mount Vernon, Highland Manor, Fort Monroe, and others will further cement the historical significance of Virginia’s role in our nation’s founding. An impressive note: every locality now has a local VA250 committee that will organize events, and I encourage you to engage with yours. Please visit va250.org to learn more.
- HB840 creates a special license plate marking the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, with revenues being used to support the VA250 Commission’s efforts celebrating Virginia’s leading role in the founding of our nation.
- HB842 unfortunately did not pass. It sought to expand student transportation options, addressing the school bus driver shortage in Virginia by allowing school systems to not only permit the utilization of vehicles other than the yellow school bus (which requires a Commercial Driver License), but provide in lieu of transportation grants to families who choose to drive their children to and from school. The resulting flexibility would reduce systemwide transportation expenses and improve the chronic student absenteeism still much too prevalent in our schools, both rural and urban. The bill had the support of numerous educational institutions, community organizations and businesses, but was continued to the 2025 Session.
- HB843 directs 0.025 percent of Historical Horse Racing Revenues (HHR) to the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington. This dedicated funding stream is projected to raise up to $1 million initially for the facility in the first year and is estimated to increase to $4 million annually once an HHR facility in Dumfries goes online. With 734 stalls, the Horse Center is a tremendous asset for the region, and this funding will both improve the facility, and help offset the fiscal impacts currently borne by the locality.
- HB844 places into State Code federal regulations related to drug violations and CDL training. Failure to conform to State Code would have resulted in lost federal funding for the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program. This federal program provides financial assistance to states to reduce the number and severity of crashes and hazardous materials incidents involving commercial motor vehicles.
- HB845 creates efficiencies for the abandoned vehicle purchase process. Currently, DMV must contact other jurisdictions to obtain lienholder and owner information for abandoned vehicles. This process often takes up to six months. This bill allows for third-party databases to be used, significantly reducing purchase times and costs for the salvage industry.
- HB1452 provides an exemption to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority in the Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) related to the construction and maintenance of bridges and tunnels. This exemption is currently granted to VDOT and acknowledges that the USBC is not the most efficient tool by which to determine safety of these assets as they are constructed and maintained. The upshot is shorter construction timelines without sacrificing safety protocols. Rail is crucial to taking vehicular traffic off our roads and this bill will help enable this effort.
- HB1505 deals with Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) provisions in college athletics. Signed by Gov. Youngkin on April 17, this bill is first in the nation when it comes to providing student athletes and universities the resources they need to make informed decisions related to NIL compensation opportunities. Once it becomes law on July 1 of this year, it will hopefully force the NCAA to finally provide much needed clarity for higher education institutions and student athletes in this area.
Bills of Interest
HB633: Forced labor or service; civil action for trafficking, penalties.
Expands the offense of abduction to penalize any person who, by force, intimidation or deception, and without legal justification or excuse, obtains the labor or services of another, or seizes, takes, transports, detains or secretes another person or threatens to do so. The bill also expands the offense of receiving money for procuring a person to penalize any person who causes another to engage in forced labor or services or provides or obtains labor or services by any act as described in the offense of abduction. Lastly, the bill allows any person injured as a result of an abduction for the purposes of forced labor or services to commence a civil action for recovery of compensatory damages, punitive damages, and reasonable attorney fees and costs.
HB 736: Veterans; examining practice of persons receiving compensation for providing certain services, etc.
Creates the Veterans’ Services Protection Act to prohibit any person from receiving compensation for preparing, presenting, prosecuting, advising, consulting, or assisting any individual regarding any veterans’ benefits matter, as defined in the bill, except as permitted under federal law. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
HB 1024: Virginia Preservice Training for Child Care Staff; Department of Education shall review course.
Requires the Department of Education to review its Virginia Preservice Training for Child Care Staff course for appropriateness based on the age range of children served by staff who are required to complete such course and to consider excluding portions of such course that are solely relevant to providing care for students in a certain age range for staff whose duties do not include the care of children in such age range.
HB1443: Trial by jury; contact with jurors after trial prohibited; penalty.
Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who knowingly and intentionally contacts, with the intent to harass or intimidate, a juror regarding such juror’s service as a juror after a jury trial.
HB 1513: Service members; active-duty status for any member injured while in the line of duty.
Provides that the Adjutant General may maintain state active-duty status for any service member injured while in the line of duty during the course of a state active-duty mission who is unable to return to civilian employment for a period of up to 90 days after the date of the service member’s injury.
HJ 45: Constitutional amendment; property tax exemption for certain surviving spouses (second reference).
Expands the current tax exemption for real property available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty with a Line of Duty determination from the U.S. Department of Defense.
