Weekly Column: Major Bills of the 2021 Session

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of March 24, 2021.

                 Last week, I wrote about the legislation I carried in the 2021 Session.  In this column, I focus on other major bills that were considered.

                Marijuana legalization consumed a huge amount of work this session.  Governor Northam put together a work group that proposed a 13,000-line, 264-page bill that was very comprehensive and carried by Senator Adam Ebbin.  However, it became clear very early in the session that it was going to be very difficult to consider all of the details and much of the bill was carried over.

                We have many issues to work out.  Specifically, there were concerns about how much cross-ownership to allow between growers, manufacturers and retailers or whether to allow licensees in our medical markets to participate in retail markets or whether to allow hemp growers to also grow marijuana.  We need to consider whether or how to allow people to grow marijuana in their homes.  We also need to discuss creating a licensing structure which allows all communities to grow wealth and share in the profits and not just well capitalized companies.

Saving River Farm Update #5

Our efforts to save historic River Farm are intensifying.  The 28-acre, Potomac riverfront property is a rare jewel in Northern Virginia that should be saved and not developed.

In November, the current owner, the American Horticultural Society (AHS) listed River Farm on the market for $32.9 million.  This value was presumably premised on an appraisal that assumed the  property could be significantly subdivided.  In reality, River Farm is protected by a two-acre easement with the National Park Service (NPS) on its East Boulevard Drive frontage and a ten-acre easement along the Potomac River frontage that was granted to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation in 1978.

House/Senate Announcement for Judicial Vetting for Court of Appeals of Virginia

Court of Appeals of Virginia

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair John Edwards and House Courts of Justice Committee Chair Charniele Herring have released the following letter regarding the process for vetting for seven vacancies on the Court of Appeals of Virginia.

Interested applicants should apply for vetting as set forth in the letter.

Court of Appeals of Virgini... by Scott A. Surovell

Weekly Column: The State Legislature’s Recent Session Was Consequential

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of March 5, 2021.

The State Legislature’s Recent Session Was Consequential

The 2021 General Assembly session has ended until we reconvene in April to consider any vetoes by Governor Ralph Northam.  This session was a consequential one.  In this column, I will report on some of the bills that I passed.  In future columns, I will report on other major legislation passed and then the budget.

               I introduced 12 bills and 12 budget amendments this session.  The Senate passed 10 bills eight of my bills are awaiting Governor Ralph Northam’s signature.

               My legislation abolishing capital punishment was one of the most daunting and rewarding bills I have ever sponsored.  Working with my colleagues to secure 21 votes to pass it in the Senate without having to make compromises was a challenge, but it was necessary to avoid causing additional harm to our system.  Through the process, no opponent answered why it is morally justifiable for the government to kill one innocent person for every nine guilty people, which is what most studies show.