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The legislative session has started and you can be involved! This Monday, January 26, you are invited to School Choice Day at the Capitol, and on Tuesday, January 27, you are invited to a 25th anniversary celebration of the Virginia homeschool statute. Please see below for details, as well as some important information about HEAV's legislative team, bills that could affect homeschoolers, and things you can do to help during this legislative session.
Monday, January 26, is "School Choice Day."
Delegate Chris Saxman invites public,
private, and homeschool groups to come to the
Capitol to support school choice.
HB1965 (Saxman, R-Staunton) allows tax
credits for businesses or individuals who
contribute to non-profit education
foundations. Scholarship foundations may
distribute funds to qualified public,
private, or homeschooled students.
HB 1965 will be heard in the full Finance Committee on Monday morning, January 26. Finance meets Monday at 8:30 a.m. in House Room D; however, we anticipate the bill will be heard later on the docket to give parents more time to arrive at the hearing.
JOIN US FOR A TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION!
On Tuesday, January 27, during Virginia
Home Education Week, the General Assembly
will commend homeschoolers on the occasion of
the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of
Homeschooling in the Commonwealth!
Representatives of Virginia's homeschooling community will join legislators and state officials at the General Assembly to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the original legislation that codified the right of families in the Commonwealth to educate their children at home. A reception, jointly sponsored by the Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV) and the Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers (VaHomeschoolers), will be hosted by Delegate Bob Tata (Newport News, Chairman of the House Education Committee) and Senator Ed Houck (Fredericksburg, Chairman of the Senate Education and Health Committee).
This event marks the passage of
legislation
in 1984, which made Virginia one of the first
states to formally recognize the right of
families to educate their children at home.
HEAV was there in 1984 and,
with the Lord's
blessings, has tirelessly worked to protect
our homeschooling freedoms for the last 26
years. Every year since 1983, we have
carefully reviewed thousands of bills and
have had lobbyists at the Capitol monitoring
each General Assembly session.
Today, homeschooling is a recognized and respected educational option. Each year, thousands of Virginia families choose to homeschool, and our state is seen as a model of how parents and legislators can work together to shape effective policy that benefits our children and our future. The Lord has done a mighty work here in Virginia!
You Are Invited!
Homeschoolers are invited to participate in
the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration by
joining us at noon in either the House or
Senate gallery in the Capitol building. After
the reading of the resolution, homeschooling
families in attendance will be recognized.
Please plan on visiting your legislator's
office to personally thank him or her for
supporting home education prior to the
beginning of the noon session. We look
forward to having you join us for this
milestone in homeschool freedom! Note:
Appropriate business-like attire (Sunday
best) should be worn for this occasion.
Even if you can't join us at the Capitol, we hope you'll take a few minutes at home to celebrate the blessings of these past twenty-five years, remember the history, and renew your vision. You may wish to read the History of Homeschooling in Virginia on our website and explore the other tidbits of history we have there.
MEET OUR LEGISLATIVE TEAM
Homeschool veteran Oscar Walker will
be the eyes and ears of HEAV at the General
Assembly during the 2009 session. Oscar has
recently retired as a sales representative
from his own mechanical engineering equipment
business. He and his wife, Beverly, have been
married for 44 years and have three sons and
five grandchildren.
The Walkers homeschooled their youngest son for all of his education, and both Oscar and Beverly have been faithful volunteers with HEAV for many years. When they completed their homeschooling journey, it was their desire to give back to the homeschool community because it had been a blessing in their lives. Oscar's interest in political activity and home education, along with his business background, create the right combination for serving HEAV and fellow homeschoolers by monitoring activities at the General Assembly.
Caroline Barnes will continue to serve as HEAV's bill researcher. Caroline is a former homeschool mom and an experienced legislative bill analyst. She has previously served as a HEAV board member and as an elected local school board member.
HEAV president Anne Miller and I (Yvonne Bunn) will continue to monitor legislation and discuss strategy with our legislative team. We are here to help you understand the legislative process and answer your questions. We value your input on all homeschooling issues. Please contact us with your questions and comments at legislative@heav.org.
Although this appears to be a calm
legislative session, we're keeping a
watchful eye on bills as they are released by
Legislative Information Systems (LIS). Among
the legislation we are tracking, there are
several bills that could give some financial
relief to homeschooling families and one
surprise bill that could make parent-taught
driver's education a thing of the past!
Tax Credit for School Supplies
SB1278, sponsored by Senator
Steve Newman (R-Forest), provides an income
tax credit beginning January 1, 2009, equal
to 100 percent of the amount paid by a
taxpayer for school supplies for use by
students in public or private schools
or students being homeschooled.
The credit amount may not exceed $125 for
individual taxpayers and $250 for taxpayers
filing jointly.
HB1976, sponsored by Delegate R. Lee Ware (R-Powhatan), is a companion bill to SB1278 (above). It will provide a tax credit for school supplies for homeschooling parents up to $125 for individual taxpayers and $250 for taxpayers filing jointly.
HB2605, sponsored by Delegate Timothy D. Hugh (R-Centreville), proposes to move driver training from the Department of Education to the Division of Motor Vehicles and private driver-training schools. It also removes parent-taught driver education for homeschoolers!
In a conversation with the Department of Education, I learned the DOE and the Division of Motor Vehicles do not support this change. HEAV, DOE, and DMV will actively oppose this change.
1. Subscribe, read, and pass on our HEAV
Legislative Update e-newsletters--send
them to your support groups and e-groups and
post them on your blogs. We will keep you
up-to-date on legislative issues as they
develop. Join our e-mail list, and encourage
others in your support group to sign
up for these FREE Legislative Updates.
2. Pray for our legislative team.
3.
Support the work of HEAV through
volunteering, membership, and
financial contributions. Because of
your support, HEAV has had a presence at the
General Assembly and with the Department of
Education for the last twenty-six years.
Every year, we've worked with legislators,
monitored bills, and have been a voice for
homeschooling in Richmond and the
Commonwealth. With your help and support, we
look forward to continuing this important work.
Ways to Stay Informed!
Lobbyist in a Box
The Virginia General Assembly has given
citizens the ability to track up to five
bills with the FREE bill tracking software Lobbyist
in a Box. (See the Quick Links on the
right-hand side of the page.) It's user
friendly and makes bill tracking a breeze!
Bill Information FAQ
If you have questions about the legislative
process, or need to learn how to navigate
the General Assembly website, you can find
help at the General Assembly
FAQ.
Call in Your Viewpoint
The General Assembly has set up a
"Constituent View-Point" for citizens to
leave a voice message for legislators. You
must leave your name, address, and phone
number. Call the "Constituent View-Point" at
800-889-0229 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. to
register your opinion.
Remember, lobbying means letting our elected
officials know our opinions. Let's make sure
we take the time to tell them what we think!
Above all, please remember to lift up our
legislators, the proposed bills, and the HEAV
legislative team in your prayers.
Sincerely,
Yvonne Bunn
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Home Educators Association of Virginia, 2248 G Dabney Road, Richmond, Virginia, 23230
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Committed to helping parents fulfill their God-given right and responsibility to educate their own children
This page last edited: 16 February 2009
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