Busy Day in the House of Delegates

Today is the last day to consider bills in the house of introduction. The following bills are up for final action in the House of Delegates today.

HB 1655, Delegate Carrico's bill requiring a court to award reasonable attorney fees, expenses, and court costs to anyone that prevails in an action challenging an ordinance that violates the Commonwealth's pre-emption statute. Update: Passed House 82 - 16

HB 1851, Delegate Lingamfelter's bill exempting active duty military from handgun rationing (one gun-a-month). Update: Passed House 83 - 13

HB 2144, Delegate Nutter's bill to codify the AG's opinion that prohibits the State Police from disseminating CHP holder information. (The information would still be available from individual circuit courts). Update: Passed House 98-0

HB 2528, Delegate Cole's bill that would require localities that operate compensated confiscation schemes (gun buy backs) to sell the guns they take in to an FFL. Update: Passed House 64 - 33

In Senate Courts yesterday, Senator Stolle withdrew his bill (SB1385) that would have placed a tax on gun show promoters by requiring that they pay for state police to monitor all gun shows. The bad news is that Senator Watkins' SB1166 - the gun purchase tax increase bill - passed the Senate.

On the floor today for final action is:

SB 1513, Senator Smiths' bill requiring a court to award reasonable attorney fees, expenses, and court costs to anyone that prevails in an action challenging an ordinance that violates the Commonwealth's pre-emption statute. Update: Passed Senate 30 - 10

Check back later today for results of the votes.

House of Delegates to Stream General Assembly Session

Virginia Gun owners will no longer have to wait for the Legislative Information System to update or receive an email from VSSA or the other various gun groups to find out what happened with important firearms related bills this General Assembly Session. The House of Delegates has announced they will stream live broadcasts of the session online for the first time. The Senate already has been streaming its sessions. House Republican leaders have in the past refused, arguing it would cause legislators to grandstand, politicize debate and slow consideration of bills.

The House video stream can be accessed through the General Assembly’s web site, http://legis.virginia.gov.

Special Election Tomorrow for House of Delegates Seat

As I posted last week, a House of Delegates seat in the Northern Neck that has been vacant this General Assembly session will be filled tomorrow in a special election. Lee Anne Washington of White Stone is running for the for the seat to succeed Robert J. Wittman, a Republican from Montross who won a special election to succeed the late Jo Ann Davis in Congress.

The district consists of King George, Lancaster, Northumberland, Westmoreland and Richmond counties and the Bowling Green and Port Royal precincts in Caroline County.

Washington, a member of the White Stone Town Council and an attorney specializing in family law and commercial contracts, is endorsed by the NRA and VSSA is urging all gun owners and sportsmen to get out and vote for her tomorrow.

Special elections are typically low turnout events and so the side that is most successful in turning out the vote will win. Gun owners will have a steadfast friend in Lee Anne Washington and all gun owners are urged to vote for her on Tuesday, February 19th.

Washington for Delegate

On February 19th, a special election will be held to fill the vacant 99th District seat in the Virginia General Assembly. The seat is vacant because former Delegate Rob Wittman was elected to fill the unexpired term of the late Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis. There is a candidate that gun owners should support next Tuesday and that candidate is Lee Anne Washington.

Lee Anne is one of us. She has the endorsement of the National Rifle Association as well as an "A" rating from the NRA. Lee Anne also supported VSSA's efforts to join the state association amicus brief on behalf of Robert Heller in the DC gun ban case.

Virginia's 99th Legislative District includes King George, Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond and Westmoreland Counties, and the Bowling Green and Port Royal Precincts of Caroline County.

If you live in the 99th District, or have friends and/or family there, or if you don't live in the district but you know fellow shooters that live in the district, please encourage them to vote for Lee Anne Washington on Tuesday, Feb. 19. We need her in Richmond. She'll be a strong voice for the Second Amendment and gun owners in the Virginia General Assembly.

To volunteer in these closing days of the campaign, contact the campaign at:

586 Rappahannock Drive
Post Office Box 948
White Stone, Virginia 22578
(804) 435-1963 ~ Phone
(804) 435-1962 ~ FAX
leanne@washingtonfordelegate.org
http://www.washingtonfordelegate.org/index.html