Weekly updates from the General Assembly – Delegate Chris Collins

The 2018 General Assembly session reaches its halfway mark today! The House is making progress on several key issues as we begin to consider legislation passed by the Senate. Today is the last day for the House to act on its legislation.

Exchange student, Lira Moldozhunusova visited the Capitol last week to learn about our state government. Lira is from Kyrgyzstan and was joined by her host exchange family member, Darla Barrett and exchange program representative, Sharon Kalbarczyk.

Governor Northam and Speaker Cox Announce Bipartisan Compromise on Grand Larceny Threshold and Legislation to Protect Crime Victims

On Thursday, Governor Ralph Northam and Speaker Kirk Cox stood side-by-side and announced a bipartisan compromise to raise the felony larceny threshold to $500 and adopt into law legislation to ensure that crime victims are paid the restitution duly owed to them. A Crime Commission study recently found that there was over $230 million in unpaid and overdue restitution, which is money defendants owe to victims for things like medical expenses, owed to victims across the Commonwealth. More recently, WRIC8 reporter Kerri O’Brien found that $8 million in restitution that was collected from defendants but never delivered to the crime victims. That money was just sitting in state coffers not being delivered. Last year, the House and Senate passed a bill introduced by Delegate Rob Bell to address the unpaid restitution but Governor McAuliffe vetoed it. The commitment from Governor Northam to sign this piece of legislation is a significant step for crime victims.

Delegate Michael Webert introduces Regulatory Reform Legislation

One of my biggest priorities has always been ensuring there is less government intrusion on your everyday life. On Monday, Speaker Cox reached an agreement with Governor Northam to establish a regulatory reform pilot program with a goal to reduce or streamline regulatory requirements by 25% over the next three years. This bipartisan legislation will show hard working entrepreneurs, innovators, and small and large businesses that removing bureaucratic red tape that hinders the creation of good paying jobs is important.

We’ve seen positive effects of regulatory reform on our national economy during the last year, and this pilot program (which was the idea of my colleague Delegate Michael Webert) has the potential to reap positive benefits for Virginians for years. I am very excited about this program and I look forward to it removing many of the barriers that holds back development and job creation.

Interstate 81 Remarks

Last Thursday during the House Transportation Committee I presented the Transportation Secretary with questions about prioritizing and funding improvements along the Interstate 81 corridor. Year after year, we watch the State fund major projects in Norther Virginia, Richmond and in the Tidewater regions of our State while improvements to Interstate 81 are overlooked. To view my remarks and the Secretary’s comments, please forward the video to 9:00:50.

Follow my legislation by clicking on the link below.

Track Legislation

Daily Session and Committee Videos

Have you been wondering how you can watch the House of Delegates daily sessions? The link below will direct you to the live feed as well as archived videos from previous days.

Daily Session Videos

Interested in watching videos of House Committee meetings? Please click on the link below for instructions to view Committee videos.

Committee Video Instructions

I encourage you to keep in touch with me and my office over the coming months. I value the feedback you provide on a continual basis as it helps me do a better job of representing you. You can email me at delccollins@house.virginia.gov or call my office in Richmond at (804) 698-1029.

I will provide you with weekly email updates during the 2018 General Assembly Session and will schedule my Coffee with Chris events after Session to report on important topics and take questions.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to serving you in 2018.