Weekly Column: Juvenile Deception, Facial Recognition and Medical Record Transparency

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 February 21, 2022.

Juvenile Deception, Facial Recognition and Medical Record Transparency

               The sixth week of the General Assembly brought us to “Crossover” – the moment when each chamber must finish work on bills originating in each chamber and we begin work on bills coming from the other side.

               Twenty-five of my twenty-seven bills were passed by the Senate and will now be heard in the House of Delegates.  On the last day of session, I defended eight bills on the floor of the Senate alone.  I will discuss several in this column that I have not covered in prior columns. 

Weekly Column: Last Week in Richmond: 25 Bills Moving

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 February 14, 2022.

 Last Week in Richmond:  25 Bills Moving

  In the General Assembly, the first week of February is always the week we deal with difficult and controversial legislation and this year was no different. 

               I have introduced 27 bills and 25 appear headed for passage to the House of Delegates, one was tabled and referred for study at my request and one was killed. That bill was intended to make serving in the General Assembly more realistic for people whose employers would not be supportive of service in a part-time legislature like ours.  

Week Four: Bills Moving in Richmond & Retail Marijuana Under Discussion

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 February 1, 2022.

Week Four:  Bills Moving in Richmond & Retail Marijuana Under Discussion

In the fourth week of the General Assembly’s session, several of my 27 bills advanced.

The Senate passed my resolution to create a two-year study between the House and Senate to evaluate the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response.   If adopted by the House of Delegates, this will be a major, two-year evaluation with recommendations about lessons learned.

One of my bills would place our projected $1 billion surplus from the Virginia 529 Plan into an endowment fund to create 2,000 full-ride scholarships for female and minority students who would have been denied admission to Virginia universities before 1900 because of gender and race-based discrimination practices.  I asked that the bill be tabled and referred to an ongoing study about the surplus.  Various Senate committees have favorably acted on all of my other bills so far.  

Weekly Column: Named Chairman of Two Subcommittees & Bills Are Moving

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 February 1, 2022.

Named Chairman of Two Subcommittees & Bills Are Moving

    In the state legislature’s third week in session, the Senate passed and sent to the House of Delegates five of my bill and many of my other bills advanced.

    First, I was named the Chairman of two different subcommittees.  The Senate Commerce & Labor Committee Chairman created a Labor & Employment Subcommittee which I will chair and consider 11 bills focused on workforce issues.  I was also named the Chairman of the Criminal Law Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee which will consider 19 bills addressing criminal justice issues. 

Opposing Names Changes to Mt. Vernon District and Hollin Hall Precinct

Senator Scott Surovell sent the letter below to the Fairfax County Redistricting Committee which is considering changes to the names of the Mount Vernon Magisterial District and Hollin Hall Precinct.

The Fairfax County Redistricting Committee is meeting on Tuesday, February 1, 2022 from 6-8 pm to consider their recommendations.

Senator Surovell Opposes Mount Vernon Name Change Letter by Scott A. Surovell on Scribd