The Virginia General Assembly is nearing the half way point for the 2014 session. Tuesday, February 11th, is known as “crossover.” That is the day by which each house must complete the work on any bill, except the budget, that originated in that house. If they have not completed work by the end of the day on the 11th, that bill is effectively dead.
In order to complete that work, a bill must be heard in each house on three separate days. Therefore, if a bill is not out of committee today, then that bill is effectively dead.
So, the list of bills that we are monitoring will become much shorter this week, as many bills will be either incorporated into other bills or will have died.
Another important deadline approaching is February 16th, when the money committees for both houses will announce the committees’ budget proposals. The Governor’s budget was introduced in December. The money committees have been considering hundreds of proposed amendments to the Governor’s budget, as well as considering the fiscal impact of countless other bills. The Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Appropriations will announce their budget proposals on Sunday, the 16th. Each house will then debate the committee proposals in the days that follow, with a deadline to complete that chamber’s proposal of February 20th. After that, the two chambers set about trying to negotiate the differences between the two proposals.
The last day of the session, known as Sine Die, is March 8th.
The mission of the disAbility Law Center of Virginia is, through zealous and effective advocacy and legal representation, to protect and advance legal, human, and civil rights of persons with disabilities; combat and prevent abuse, neglect, and discrimination; and promote independence, choice, and self-determination by persons with disabilities. Contact us at info@dLCV.org or at 1-800-552-3962 for more information.