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Emily Brewer

RICHMOND

Yesterday [Jan. 31] was Day 23 of the 2019 General Assembly Session, which marks the official halfway point of the 46 Day session. Next week the session moves into Crossover, which is the time when all the bills passed by the House head to the Senate and all of the Senate bills come to the House. Several pieces of my legislation have already passed the House and are now headed to the Senate.

 

Worth Mentioning

House Republicans’ Press Conference on Protecting Life

You may have seen a video circulating this week regarding House Bill 2491, which was introduced by Del. Kathy Tran and would remove essentially all restrictions on abortion in Virginia. In the video, Del. Tran admits her bill would allow an abortion even after the mother is showing the physical signs of labor. Gov. Northam doubled down on this partial-birth abortion agenda by saying the bill would allow an infant to be delivered, kept comfortable and resuscitated if that’s what the physician and mother decided. I am sickened by these comments.

On Thursday, House Republicans held a press conference in response to Gov. Northam’s comments defending partial birth abortion. Having been adopted, this issue couldn’t be more personal to me. If this legislation had been in place when I was born, I may not be here today. At the press conference, I shared my personal story and why I’ve made it my mission to fix a broken adoption system and encourage adoption over abortion.

 

My Legislation

1. House Bill 1730. Unfortunately, there are lots of bad actors in the foster care community and it’s affecting the futures of children in the Commonwealth. HB 1730 requires local Departments of Social Services to freeze the credit of children in the foster care system until they age out or there are extenuating circumstances. This legislation will help protect children in foster care from becoming victims of identity theft and having their credit score ruined before they’ve even had an opportunity to start out. HB 1730 was referred to the House Appropriations Committee where it reported (22-0) on Wednesday. Now this legislation is headed to the full House of Delegates for a vote.
2. House Bill 1731. Since Virginia is the oldest legislative body in the New World, we have 400 years of laws on the books. Some of those laws are outdated. Currently, local treasurers are required to keep a “well-bound book” for their records. This bill brings local treasurers into the 21 century by replacing the term “well-bound book” with “record”, allowing local treasurers to keep their required records in a digital format. HB 1731 passed the House unanimously (94-0) on Jan. 18 and has since been referred the the Senate Finance Committee.
3. House Bill 2208. For children entering foster care, one out of every four is directly related to the opioid crisis. Parents are being incarcerated and are out of the picture. Stepsisters and stepbrothers are being left to care for these children but are unable to provide permanency to these children because of current law. This legislation would edit the adoption by close relative statute and give adoption eligibility to a broader portion of the family tree. HB 2208 reported on Tuesday from the House Committee on Health, Welfare, & Institutions 22-0. This legislation is now headed to the Floor for a vote by the full House of Delegates.
4. House Bill 2170. We all receive those annoying phone calls from area codes and phone numbers that look like it could be a neighbor calling. What some people may not realize is these are scam calls, fishing for private information. Scammers are using false caller id information to commit serious crimes like identity theft and investment scams. HB 2170 makes it so any person who, with the intent to defraud, intimidate, or harass, displays false caller id information on the called party’s telephone is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor. HB2170 passed the House of Delegates on Thursday in a broad bi-partisan vote of 98-1.

 

In Closing

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 DelEBrewer@House.Virginia.Gov or call me at 804-698-1064. You can also join the conversation on our social media pages, Facebook.com/BrewerForVA or Twitter.com/BrewerForVA.

I will continue providing you updates during the 2019 General Assembly Session and will be meeting with constituent groups after session to report on the session and take questions.

 

EMILY BREWER is the Republican delegate for the 64th District in Virginia.