Our first month in Richmond for Session 2019 has gone by in the blink of an eye. My colleagues and I have been debating some difficult issues, and I want to share the progress we’ve made so far and let you know of a few upcoming events in the 12th District!
Bills, Bills, Bills…
We have filed 14 bills this session and I’ve been busy fighting for each of them in committee and even on the House Floor! Not every bill has successfully passed through committee, but below are my bills that are still working their way through the House for votes. Click on the bill numbers below to see a copy of the full text of the bill and to track its progress through the General Assembly.
| Bill Number | Purpose of Bill | Status |
| HB 1786 | Allows for the use of Other Power Driven Mobility Devices by persons with a verified mobility disability on sidewalks in the Commonwealth. | Passed the House, 92-6 |
| HB 1905 | Allows Doe Creek Farms in Giles County to be eligible for a liquor-by-the-drink ABC license. | Passed the House, 89-6 |
| HB 2045 | Establishes a voluntary certification process for recovery residences (i.e. “sober homes”) to be regulated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. | Passed the House, 99-0 |
| HB 2634 | Makes all counties in the Commonwealth “wet”, with a local option to become dry via referendum. | Passed the House, 67-30 |
| HB 1719 | Requires that candidates for town office in towns of less than 25,000 people disclose campaign contributions and expenditures if they are in excess of $25,000. | Passed the House, 99-0 |
| HB 1720 | Creates protections for students with a written certification from a physician to use CBD and THCA oils on school property; extends protections to school nurses who possess oils on student’s behalf. | Passed the House, 99-0 |
| HB 1868 | Establishes the Exemplar School Recognition Program, administered by the Board of Education. | Passed the House, 69-27 |
| HB 1973 | Includes 2 historically African-American cemeteries in Pulaski County in the list of sites eligible to receive state funding for the maintenance of graves. | Passed Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources, 22-0 Vote in House on 2/4/2019 |
| HB 2380 | Requires that institutions of higher education include in the online course catalogue or online registration system information about which courses use exclusively low or no-cost educational materials. | Passed Committee on Education, 22-0 Vote in House on 2/4/2019 |
| HB 2381 | Establishes the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman which will take in and investigate complaints against childserving agencies. To read more, click here. | Defeated in Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Resources. |
| HB 2382 | Creates freedom of expression protections for student journalists who report well-vetted and factual stories. The bill would ensure that students aren’t censored unless their reporting would cause a clear and present danger to orderly operation of the school. To read more, click here. | Defeated in Education Subcommittee #1, 5-3 |
Committee Reports
I’m honored and proud to now serve on both the House Committee on Education and the House Committee on Science & Technology.
Click the links below to learn more about my fellow committee members, the bills we’ve voted on, and to watch live video of committee proceedings.
- House Committee on Education, next meetings Monday at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.
- House Committee on Science & Technology, next meeting Monday at 10:00 a.m.
Meetings with you!
It has been wonderful to see so many constituents here in Richmond advocating for the causes they care about. We’ve discussed the environment, costs of higher education, increasing teacher pay, economic development for our localities, and so much more. Special thanks to local government leaders from Blacksburg, Montgomery County, and Pulaski County who came to share priorities for local government with SWVA legislators. Also, thank you to the students and teachers who have come from our wonderful schools and universities to share their ideas for how we can continue to improve education in the Commonwealth.
Also, special shout out to Giles County Administrator, Chris McKlarney, for coming to present about the ACCE program before the House Education Committee. The ACCE program in Giles is a publicprivate partnership that funds a community college education at NRVCS for any qualifying students in the county. We are extremely proud of this successful program and were happy to share it as a model for other counties across Virginia.
If you will be in the Richmond area and would like to schedule a meeting, please contact me at DelCHurst@house.virginia.gov. I would love to see you!
Upcoming Events
I hope to see you all at my upcoming Town Hall meetings. Like my page on Facebook to find more information about time, place, and location!
- February 9th - Radford Town Hall - Bonnie Auditorium, Hurlburt Student Center, Radford University 1:30 2:30 PM
- February 16th - Blacksburg Town Hall - Blacksburg (exact location TBD) 1:30 2:30 PM
Thank you all for your continued support. It is an honor to represent you in Richmond. I hope that you’ll continue to reach out to me with feedback as the General Assembly session continues. And as always, please let me know if I can ever be of assistance to you.