The pace of the final days of a session is often maddeningly
slow. Legislators waited for conference
committee reports on the bills which required that the differences between the
House and Senate be ironed out. A good
example was today conference report of HB8, the virtual school bill, which was
accepted by both the House (60-Y 36-N 1-A) and Senate (23-Y 17-N). VEA will be requesting that Governor
McAuliffe veto this bill.
Two bills, now conformed, Delegate Greason’s HB895 and
Senator Miller’s SB336, have the potential to drastically change graduation
requirements and consequently our high schools.
These bills begin the process of reexamining what graduates need to know
and be able to do. Verified credits may
become a thing of the past, industry certifications may become a viable
alternative to a diploma.
We also waited as a consequence of the time constraints of
the budget adoption procedures. The
rules require 48 hours to review the budget prior to adoption, so the soonest
this evening’s budget vote could occur was at 8 PM. But, Virginia has a budget, HB30, for the
next biennium, and following adjournment of the House Sine Die, the Senate
adjourned Sine Die at approximately 8:35.
This session, my last as your chief lobbyist, is over.
Please look for a session summary posting in the weeks ahead.
