Crossover Day has arrived: A look at several House bills before they are up for a vote

February 4, 2025 marks Crossover Day in the Virginia General Assembly. In order to continue to be considered, legislation must have passed in one chamber before moving on to the other. That will mean a lot of action today. 

This particular segment will take a look at bills that are “engrossed” which has an entry in Legislative Information System’s glossary. 

“A stage in the legislative process when a bill passes the second reading in the house of origin. If amended, the engrossed version of the legislation is printed incorporating all amendments that are agreed to. If not amended, the introduced version of the legislation becomes the engrossed bill, and if an amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed to, the substitute becomes the engrossed bill.”

Here’s a list of some of the bills that are awaiting a final vote on this Crossover Day.  This post was updated to reflect action in the House of Delegates.

Firearms and public safety:

• HB1583 from Delegate Jason Ballard (R-42) would make it a Class 5 felony to threaten of violence against infrastructure or buildings. This one also made it through committee on a unanimous vote. Passed House (99-Y 0-N 0-A)
• HB1597 from Delegate Feggans would make it a Class 4 misdemeanor for someone to fail to securely store a firearm to keep it away from minors or someone prohibited by law from owning one. This made it out of the Public Safety Committee on a 12 to 9 vote. Read third time and passed House (50-Y 48-N 0-A)
• Another firearms related bill is HB1607 from Delegate Dan Helmer (D-10) which would make it a class 1 misdemeanor to sell, manufacture, or import assault firearms, as well as the sale of “large capacity ammunition feeding devices.” This also was reported out on a 12 to 9 vote. Passed House (50-Y 48-N 0-A)
• HB1660 from Delegate Michael Jones (D-77) would a “trigger activator” as “a conversion kit, tool, accessory, or device designed to alter the rate of fire of a semi-automatic firearm to mimic automatic weapon fire or used to increase the rate of fire to a rate faster than that possible for a person to fire such semi-automatic firearm unassisted.” This also made it out of the House Public Safety Committee on a 12 to 9 vote. Read third time and passed House (51-Y 48-N 0-A)
• HB1586 from Delegate R. Lee Ware (R-72) would provide compensation for a specific individual who was wrongfully included on the sex offender registry. This made it out of the Appropriations Committee on a 20-1 vote. Read third time and passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A)
• HB1589 from Delegate Wren Williams (R-47) would increase the number of people on the Parole Board from five to ten members. This was reported out of the House Committee on Public Safety on a 14 to 8 vote.  Read third time and passed House (61-Y 38-N 0-A)
• HB1549 from Delegate Chad Green (R-69) would clarify language about the illegality of knowingly allowing a minor to operate a motor vehicle on public roads. This was reported out of committee with a unanimous vote though two Delegates did not vote. Read third time and passed House (95-Y 4-N 0-A)
• HB1595 from Delegate Michael Feggans (D-97) would make changes to the eligibility criteria for the Virginia National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program. This also made it out of the House Appropriations committee on a unanimous vote. Passed House (99-Y 0-N 0-A)
• HB1712 from Delegate Vivian Watts (D-14) is related to emergency custody orders and temporary detention orders. Among other things, the bill would require the Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Office of the Attorney General to provide training to all law-enforcement officers on the law regarding arrest of individuals who are under such orders. This was reported out of the House  Appropriations Committee on a 14 to 8 vote.  Passed House (99-Y 0-N 0-A)
• HB1715 from Watts would make it a Class 6 felony for anyone who steals mail. This was reported out of the Courts of Justice Committee on a unanimous vote. Passed House (99-Y 0-N 0-A)
• HB1736 from Delegate Marcia Price (D-85) would create the Virginia Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Preventions in the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. This was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee on 13 to 8 vote. Read third time and passed House (54-Y 45-N 0-A)

Voting: 

• HB1657 from Delegate Rozia Henson (D-19)  would require the Department of Elections to have a 90 day “quiet period” before state elections where voter rolls are not to be adjusted in a systemic way, while allowing names to be removed if there is an individual case. Current law only applies to federal elections. Last year, the Youngkin administration instituted a systemic  program that was declared unlawful by two lower courts until the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the program to continue. This bill made it out of the Appropriations Committee on a 13 to 9 vote. Read third time and passed House (53-Y 45-N 0-A)
• HB1761 from Delegate Marcus Simon (D-13) would allow localities to create a system of public campaign financing for local offices. This made it out of the Privileges and Elections Committee on a 12 to 9 vote. Read third time and passed House (52-Y 45-N 0-A)

Education: 

• HB1824 from Delegate David Reid (D-28) would require the Board of Education to permit students to substitute African American history courses or Advanced Placement African American Studies course for Virginia and United States history courses, provided the former classes are offered. This was reported on the House Education Committee on a 12 to 9 vote. Read third time and passed House (51-Y 48-N 0-A)
• HB1829 from Delegate Shelly Simonds (D-70) would create the Office of Mathematics Improvement to increase outcomes. This was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee on a 19 to 3 vote. Read third time and passed House (68-Y 30-N 0-A)

Housing, Health, and Finance

• HB1766  from Delegate Marty Martinez (D-29) would increase the financial amount a person could receive under unemployment compensation. This was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee on a 12 to 10 vote.  Read third time and passed House (51-Y 47-N 0-A)
• HB1767 from Delegate Martinez would set the maximum duration for unemployment benefits to 26 weeks. This was reported from the House Appropriations Committee on a 12 to 9 vote. Read third time and passed House (52-Y 47-N 0-A)
• HB1872 from Delegate Phil Hernandez (D-94) would amend the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to prohibit landlords from taking adverse actions against prospective tenants. This was reported out of the House General Laws Committee on a 12 to 9 vote. Read third time and passed House (51-Y 47-N 0-A)
• HB1701 from Delegate David Bulova would extend the housing opportunity tax credit program to 2030 and would increase the aggregate credit gap. I don’t entirely know what that means but I would like to understand. This was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee unanimously.  Read third time and passed House (94-Y 3-N 0-A)
• HB1598 from Delegate Joshua Cole (D-65) would create an individual tax credit of up to $10,000 for first-time homebuyers. This was reported from the Appropriations Committee on a 12 to 10 vote. Read third time and passed House (52-Y 47-N 0-A)
• HB1610 from Delegate Cole would establish a seven year statute of limitations on the collection of debt by state agencies. This was reported out of the General Laws Committee on a 12 to 9 vote. Read third time and passed House (55-Y 44-N 0-A)
• HB1611 from Delegate Cole  would require the Department of Human Resource Management to develop a policy to guide the removal of postsecondary graduate degrees for state jobs. This was reported from General Laws on a unanimous vote. Passed House (99-Y 0-N 0-A)
• HB1635 from Delegate Cole would permit licensed certified midwives to enter into independent practice if certain requirements are met. This was reported from the Health and Human Services Committee on a 21 to 0 vote. Passed House (99-Y 0-N 0-A)
• HB1616 from Delegate Feggans would establish the Offshore Wind Industry Workforce Program to bolster workforce development. This was reported from the House Appropriations Committee on a 14 to 7 vote. Read third time and passed House (57-Y 41-N 0-A)
• HB1698 from Delegate Alex Askew (D-95) would extend a sales and use tax exemption on medications prescribed by a veterinarian. This was reported out of the House Finance Committee on a 22 to 0 vote. Passed House (99-Y 0-N 0-A)
• HB1723 from Delegate Marcia Price (D-85) would require the Department of Social Services to create a Task Force on Improving Access to Food Assistance. This was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee unanimously. Read third time and passed House (80-Y 16-N 0-A)
• HB1760 from Delegate Debra Gardner (D-76) would direct the Department of Health and the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services and the Department of Education to establish several programs aimed for people under the age of 5. This made it out of the House Appropriations Committee on a unanimous vote. Read third time and passed House (72-Y 24-N 0-A)
• HB1844 from Delegate Michelle Lopes Maldonado (D-20) would prohibit the sale of baby food that exceeds the toxic heavy metal limits established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee on a unanimous vote.  Passed House (99-Y 0-N 0-A)
• HB1791 from Delegate Rip Sullivan (D-6) would create the Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and Fund to assist with creation of electric charging stations in certain localities. This was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee on a 15 to 7 vote.  Read third time and passed House (56-Y 41-N 0-A)

If time could be stopped, I would have had stories on each of these. Democracies cannot function if people do not have access to what’s happening as well as an understanding of how the system is supposed to work. I’ve lived and worked during  a time when so many news publications turned away from this approach. I am grateful subscribers are paying for me to explore a different way.

Before you go: This article was originally sent out here on Information Charlottesville before it went out in the Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter. This is a strategy that may occur more in the future as Town Crier Productions continues to experiment. You can support the work by purchasing a paid subscription or contributing monthly through Patreon. You can also send in a check or send an email, but drop me a line first. But the best thing you can do is keep paying attention to the details.