The School Boards Association tried to work with the Senator to improve the bill and there was actually a place where event he VEA could have gotten behind the bill, but Senator DeSteph rejected that language. In the end, the VEA, AFT, School Boards Associations, and the School Superintendents all opposed the bill. The bill died 11-10 with Delegates Collins and Helsel voting with the Democrats to kill the bill. This bill took some work, but in the end it paid off and we protected local employees and local employers from an overstep of the state.
Here is the vote. The vote was to report the bill (which means pass the bill) so a "NAY" vote was the right vote:
SB 1236 Public schools; equal access, education employee associations, etc.
02/11/19 House: Failed to report (defeated) in Education (10-Y 11-N)
YEAS--Landes, Bell, Richard P., Cole, Pogge, Robinson, Yancey, Davis, Leftwich, LaRock, McGuire--10.
NAYS--Helsel, Collins, Bulova, Keam, Bagby, Bourne, Hurst, VanValkenburg, Turpin, Rodman, Sullivan--11.
ABSTENTIONS--0.
NOT VOTING--Tyler--1.