Dear ,
On January 16, Bob McDonnell took the oath
of office as Virginia's seventy-first
governor. With a new governor and administration in place, the General
Assembly is now well under way, and HEAV is there at the Capitol vigilantly guarding
the rights of homeschool families--just as we have for the last 27
years.
Each year, we carefully sift through thousands of proposed bills looking
for those that may affect homeschooling. During the session, we
monitor proposed changes to the law, sit in on committee meetings, talk
with legislators and lobbyists, testify in committee hearings when necessary,
and work to improve and protect homeschool laws.
~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
HEAV'S LEGISLATIVE
TEAM
Veteran homeschool dad and businessman Bob Shanks of Richmond is representing our homeschool interests at
the General Assembly during the 2010 session. Bob is an articulate speaker with
experience in sales and marketing. He has been a licensed instructor at the
Real Estate Academy teaching real estate law, regulations, and ethics. He has
been a speech teacher at Veritas Christian Academy, and has served as a
TeenPact instructor. He and his wife, Kathryn, homeschooled their four now-adult
children. Bob has found lobbying to be both interesting and challenging.
Caroline Barnes is a veteran homeschool mom and political activist. She continues to faithfully
serve as HEAV's bill researcher. This former HEAV board member received The
Family Foundation's Tidewater Citizen of the Year Award, ran for a seat in the
Virginia House of Delegates, and later became Chairwoman of the Portsmouth
Republican Party. Caroline is a retired Navy Nurse Corps Commander. In 2000,
she was elected to the Portsmouth School Board. Her sharp eye and humorous
comments get us through the monotony of reading thousands of bills.
HEAV president
Anne
Miller assists in analyzing proposed legislation. Her valuable experience
contributes to good legislative decisions. Anne and I (
Yvonne Bunn) will continue to discuss strategy and track the
progress of bills 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.
~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
LEGISLATION TO WATCH
Although this appears to be a relatively quiet legislative session for
homeschoolers, we're keeping a careful eye on bills as they are released by
Legislative Information Systems (LIS). Here are a few of the bills that could affect
homeschoolers.
Sports Access for
Homeschoolers
HB 70 Charles W. Carrico, Sr. (R-Galax)
HB 926 Robert B. Bell (R-Charlottesville)
HB 1001 David A. Nutter (R-Christiansburg)
Three bills have been introduced that direct the Virginia
High School League to provide an exception to its rules allowing homeschooled
students to participate in interscholastic sports in the attendance zone in
which they reside.
Triennial School Census
SB 413 Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Winchester)
SB 557 Mark R. Herring (D-Leesburg)
HB 669 Joe T. May (R-Leesburg)
Three bills have been introduced
to eliminate the requirement that every three years a census be taken of all
school-age children residing within each school division. The bills would require
that the distribution of taxes to localities be based on the average daily
membership of the school division rather than on the school-age population.
Philosophical Exemption to Immunizations
HB 189 Harry R. Purkey (R-Virginia Beach)
This bill establishes a
philosophical exemption for immunizations.
Vaccination of Homeschool Students at Public Schools
HB 270 David L. Englin
(D-Alexandria)
Requires the Department of Health to develop a plan for the
prompt vaccination of all children, including homeschoolers, upon the
declaration by the Board of Health of an emergency or an epidemic of a
vaccine-preventable disease. This bill includes exceptions determined by a
physician.
Tribute to the Memory
of Christopher Klicka
HR 7 Lingamfelter (R-Woodbridge)
The House of Delegates with the Senate concurring mourns the
passing of an exemplary public servant and outstanding Virginian, Christopher
J. Klicka.
~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
HOW YOU CAN PARTNER WITH US DURING THE LEGISLATIVE
SESSION
-
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.
- Pray for our legislative team.
-
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 27 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 greatly simplifies bill tracking!
House and Senate
Offer Live Video of 2010 Session
The House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia will offer
live streaming video of the 2010 legislative session, broadcasting from each
chamber every day of the session.
Click here
to choose the chamber you would like to view.
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.
~:~ ~:~ ~:~
~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
NOTE FROM YVONNE BUNN
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
Director of Homeschool Support & Legislative Affairs
