purplebar


To: Virginia Homeschoolers
From: Home Educators Association of Virginia

Legislative Update
Monday, January 22, 2007


~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Prefer a Text-Only Version? Click here!
http://www.heav.org/readmore/legislativeupdate/legislativeupdate122.html

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Full Speed Ahead on the 2007 Legislative Session!
Because this is a short session—ending February 24—things are moving very quickly! HEAV’s lobbyist Ben Lansing has met at the Capitol with our legislative consultant Martin Brown. Martin discussed strategy with Ben and is in the process of introducing him to key legislative friends.

Since December, our legislative analyst, Caroline Barnes, has been culling through hundreds and hundreds of bills on-line. As she finds bills of interest, she forwards them to our legislative committee for review. She has alerted us to numerous bills of interest that could directly or indirectly affect homeschooling.

HEAV lobbyist Ben Lansing has begun on-site tracking of these “tagged” bills. On-site tracking means sitting in committee meeting after committee meeting and taking copious notes. Ben is giving us first-hand reports of the committee activity he is observing. His detailed notes and reports are invaluable.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Calls Needed for Tax Credit Legislation!
Delegate Chris Saxman’s “Public/Private Education Investment Tax Credit,” (HB 1843) has been reintroduced this year. [http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+ful+HB1843]
This legislation will provide a tax credit in the form of a scholarship for public, private, or homeschooled students. Scholarships can be given to applicants who make up to $90,000 per year.

Non-profit organizations such as HEAV can establish a scholarship fund that can be used for books, educational fees, and tuition, and businesses and individuals who donate to the scholarship fund can obtain a tax credit.

HB 1843 is on the agenda to be heard in Sub-Committee #1 of the House Finance Committee late Monday morning, January 22. Please call or e-mail members of the Finance Sub-Committee as soon as possible and ask them to support HB 1843. It is not necessary to indicate you are a homeschooling parent, simply say you are a one-income parent of school-age children who needs tax-relief.

Members of Finance Sub-Committee #1 to Call or E-mail:
Orrock (Chairman of Finance Sub-Committee #1)
(804) 698-1054
e-mail: DelBOrrock@house.state.va.us

Lingamfelter
(804) 698-1031
e-mail: DelSLingamrfelter@house.state.va.us

Cole
(804) 698-1088
e-mail: DelMCole@house.state.va.us

Janis
(804) 698-1056
e-mail: DelBJanis@house.state.va.us

Hugo
(804) 698-1040
e-mail: DelTHugo@house.state.va.us

Gear
(804) 698-1091
e-mail: DelTGear@house.state.va.us

Johnson
(804) 698-1004
e-mail: DelJJohnson@house.state.va.us

Hull
(804) 698-1038
e-mail: DelRHull@house.state.va.us

Shannon
(804) 698-1035
e-mail: DelSShannon@house.state.va.us

Watts
(804) 698-1039
e-mail: DelVWatts@house.state.va.us

Caputo
(804) 698-1067
e-mail: DelCCaputo@house.state.va.us

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Legislation to Watch (so far)
We are carefully following the progress of “tagged” legislation on-line and on-site, from the committee meeting to the final floor vote. We’re always on watch for unexpected things to happen along the way—especially amendments that could quickly turn a good bill into a bad one.

Your Legislative Team
[picture Yvonne, Martin, Ben, and Anne]

Tracking Bills
You can go to the General Assembly's home page [http://legis.state.va.us] to enter the bill number and read the specific bills listed below, or others of interest to you. So far, we are carefully watching the following bills:

Taxes
• HB 1843 (Saxman) Income tax, state; Public/Private Education Investment Tax Credits for business entities
• HB 2167 (Cline) Retail Sales and Use Tax; limited exemption on computers and related peripheral equipment

Virtual Schools or Charter Schools
• HB 2311 (Lingamfelter) University Charter School Fund

K-4 Kindergarten
• HB 1636 (McClellan) Kindergarten programs; expands eligibility for kindergarten in school divisions
• SB 205 (Edwards) Early childhood education; school divisions to provide programs for four- and five-year-olds

New Mandatory Immunizations
• HB 1914 (Ward) Human papillomavirus vaccine; added as required vaccination
• HB 2035 (Hamilton) Human papillomavirus vaccine; added as required vaccination
• SB 1230 (Howell) Human papillomavirus vaccine; added as required vaccination

Community College
• HB 1872 (Ward) Community College Transfer Scholarship Program Fund
• HB 2168 (Cline) Community College Transfer Grant program

Driver’s Licenses
• HB 2700 (Hugo) Driver's licenses; first-time applicants prove they completed an approved driver education program
• HB 2702 (Hugo) Driver training school and instructor; changes terms, and requires passing of DMV course

Religious Freedom
• HB 3082 (Lingamfelter) Religious freedom; reiterates an individual's freedom of religion

Day Care
• SB 1353 (Wagner) Day care requirements for homeschool graduates

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Victory for Grassroots Lobbying!
Your calls made the difference—the Bennett amendment was approved by a 55-43 vote! The much-needed lobby reform legislation, Senate Bill 1, the “Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007,” passed 96-2 without section 220. The Bennett Amendment to section 220 removed the requirement for all grassroots lobbying organizations—including homeschool groups and organizations—to comply with federal lobbying disclosure laws, registration, and quarterly reports.

The senators credit the success of the Bennett Amendment to the calls of concerned citizens. Since the House version may also try to include regulations for grassroots lobbying, with the help of HSLDA, we will continue to watch this legislation.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
How You Can Partner with Us During the Session
1. Receive, review, and pass on our HEAV Legislative Updates. Join our e-mail list, and encourage others in your support group to sign up for our FREE Legislative Updates [http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101393955992].

2. Pray for our legislative team.

3. Support the work of HEAV through volunteering [http://heav.org/helpwanted.html], membership [http://heav.org/join.html], and financial contributions.

4. Join us February 13, in Richmond for Day at the Capitol http://heav.org/thelaw/legislative/datc/index.html]. This is an excellent way to learn about our state government. Over the years thousands of homeschool families have joined us to express their support for homeschooling to their elected and appointed representatives in Richmond.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Ways to Stay Informed!
HEAV Legislative Update
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101393955992
We will keep you up-to-date on legislative issues as they develop. Watch for our Legislative Updates. Sign-up to receive your free subscription!

Visit the General Assembly Home Page
http://legis.state.va.us/
Go to the General Assembly's home page to find out the status of specific bills, committee meeting schedules, who your legislators are, or the progress of the Capitol restoration project. You can even search for a bill by topic if you don’t know the number!
[http://legis.state.va.us/]

Lobbyist in a Box
http://leg1.state.va.us/h015.htm
The Virginia General Assembly has given citizens the ability to track up to five bills with the bill tracking software Lobbyist in a Box. It’s user-friendly and makes bill tracking a breeze!

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. to 5 p.m. to register your opinion.

Remember! Our right to continue to lobby at the grassroots level is protected! Lobbying means letting our elected officials know our opinions. Let’s make sure we take the time to tell them!

With warm regards,
Yvonne Bunn, HEAV Director of Government Affairs
Home Educators Association of Virginia
e-mail: legislative@heav.org
phone: 804-278-9200
web: http://www.heav.org