Senator Creigh Deeds

Proudly Serving the People of Virginia's 25th District

  • Welcome
  • About
  • Priorities
  • Constituents
  • Accomplishments
  • Newsletters
    • 2019 General Assembly Session
    • 2018 General Assembly Session
    • 2017 General Assembly Session
    • 2016 General Assembly Session
    • 2015 General Assembly Session
    • 2014 General Assembly Session
    • 2013 General Assembly Session
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Archives for mental health policy

Almost to Crossover

February 1, 2019 by Creigh Deeds

The 2019 Session has almost reached crossover, the point at which the Senate and House can only consider legislation introduced in the other chamber. While the date falls just past the midpoint of each session, it is considered halftime. The big issues remain unresolved.

Hundreds of bills have been discussed and have met their fates. For example, the ERA does not appear that it will pass although there was talk of resurrecting the legislation in the House. Many of the Governor’s gun safety proposals were rejected in both the House and the Senate. While many more conversations remain on the transportation bills, many of the big issues seem unresolved. The budget remains in the state of flux. [Read more…]

Share

Filed Under: Virginia General Assembly 2019 Tagged With: Equal Rights Amendment, gun safety, health care costs, K-12 funding, mental health policy, state parks, Virginia budget, Virginia transportation funding, Virginia transportation policy

You Win Some, You Lose Some

January 18, 2019 by Creigh Deeds

The first full week of the General Assembly is now under our belts. A few significant bills have reached the floor, but most are awaiting action in committee. The committees are running full bore. Visitors from around the Commonwealth fill the halls trying to meet their legislators and talk about issues of concern to them, but often legislators are running from commitment to commitment. The constitutional limit on the session does not allow for breaks.

Under Virginia’s Constitution, the General Assembly meets for 60 days in even-numbered years and 30 days in odd years. The sessions can be extended by a 2/3 vote of the General Assembly; traditionally the short session is extended to 46 days. The daily count includes weekends, holidays, snow days and every day until we adjourn. In Virginia, odd years are election years, which can drive the introduction of more bills. While we do not typically work on weekends, we do not stop for holidays or bad weather. This can present real challenges during these winter months. Some legislators may have difficulty getting back to Richmond from their districts, or even getting to the Capitol from within the city limits.

The legislature could address this in a number of ways. We could work on weekends, which is not unprecedented. Back in the ’90s, House of Delegates committees met frequently on weekends. Occasionally we held floor sessions on Sundays. This approach would cause some people discomfort but would not require constitutional change, unlike other alternatives. We could simply write into the Constitution that the weekends do not count, which would extend the session out a few weeks. Or we could just extend the session to 60 days every year. Every odd year, we try to cram 60 days’ worth of work into 46 days.

This past week saw the Senate pass legislation on a 26-14 vote to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The bill now moves to the House of Delegates for consideration. All along, I felt this bill would pass the Senate if it came to floor. The real test will be in the House of Delegates. The primary effort will be to get it out of committee, as I expect it has the support of a majority of delegates. [Read more…]

Share

Filed Under: Virginia General Assembly 2019 Tagged With: Equal Rights Amendment, gun safety, mental health policy, Senate procedures, state parks, Virginia transportation policy

Finally – Medicaid Expansion!

June 1, 2018 by Creigh Deeds

On Wednesday, May 30, 2018, the Virginia General Assembly adopted a budget two and half months late. The budget expands access to healthcare through Medicaid to roughly 300,000 low income Virginians. For over five years advocacy groups and some legislators have been fighting to reach this goal. The accomplishment is significant in many ways. [Read more…]

Share

Filed Under: Virginia General Assembly 2018 Tagged With: Medicaid expansion, mental health policy

Another Week of Waiting

May 25, 2018 by Creigh Deeds

Ostensibly, the Senate convened on 22 May, 2018 to finish the work we could not accomplish during the regular session – to pass a budget. Senator Emmett Hanger, the co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee has been working diligently for weeks, most recently with Delegate Chris Jones, the chair of House Appropriations Committee, and the Governor’s office, to craft a budget compromise. Sen. Hanger aimed to develop a bipartisan plan that could generate the support of a majority in the House and Senate and be signed by the Governor. [Read more…]

Share

Filed Under: Virginia General Assembly 2018 Tagged With: Medicaid expansion, mental health policy, State employee compensation, Virginia budget, Virginia General Assembly Special Session

2018 Session Wrap Up

March 16, 2018 by Creigh Deeds

The 2018 Session of the General Assembly is history. It will be noted for a new governor, success and failures, including our inability once again to agree on a biennial budget. [Read more…]

Share

Filed Under: Virginia General Assembly 2018 Tagged With: broadband access, conservation, Governor Northam, health care costs, Higher Education funding, juvenile justice, K-12 funding, legislative redistricting, Medicaid expansion, mental health policy, power company regulation, promoting economic growth, public transportation, State employee compensation, Virginia budget, Virginia General Assembly Special Session, Virginia transportation funding, Virginia transportation policy

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 8
  • Next Page »
Deeds for State Senate
Contribute

Virginia General Assembly 2019

Major Accomplishments in Richmond This Week!

The General Assembly returned to Richmond on April 3 for our 2019 reconvened session to consider gubernatorial vetoes and amendments. The governor has 30 days from the adjournment of the regular session to sign, veto, or offer amendments to legislation. The authority of Virginia’s governor to amend legislation is atypical compared to the president and many other governors. This power provides an opportunity to impact policy in a significant way.

This year’s session was unique in many ways. The areas of controversy surrounding all three statewide office holders were huge concerns that put a chill over the session. For legislators, the political melee was painful and upsetting, but we had to focus on our work and avoid the frenzy. Governor Northam seemed to disappear into his work and avoid the public for the remaining weeks of session and some weeks thereafter. The end product of this focused work yielded a number of significant amendments for the General Assembly to consider this week.

Typically reconvened sessions are not devoid of controversy. Governors’ amendments or vetoes are often on contentious matters. However this year, Governor Northam sought to address policy concerns on which the General Assembly failed to act. For that reason, the 2019 reconvened session was one of the most, and perhaps the most, significant reconvened sessions that I have witnessed. There were at least three substantial achievements this week.

For years I have focused on reforming our mental health system and have traveled throughout the Commonwealth to visit local community services boards, our state psychiatric hospitals, and some nonprofit and private entities in the field. During this journey I have become fairly well acquainted with what Virginia offers to people in need of mental health services, and I know we must do a better job responding to people in need no matter where they live in the Commonwealth. [Read More…]

Share

Virginia General Assembly 2018

Summer Update

August 23, 2018 By Creigh Deeds

The 2019 legislative session is just around the corner, which is hard to believe since it feels like the 2018 Session just ended. In fact, the General Assembly has yet to adjourn the special session. A couple of issues remain unresolved.

The Governor initially called for a special session because the General Assembly did not reach a budget agreement. After months of wrangling, the legislature adopted a budget on May 30 that included Medicaid expansion. It was a huge bipartisan accomplishment. Nevertheless, the Senate and House of Delegates did not adjourn sine die because the party in the majority has not agreed on the selection of certain judges. Periodically I’ve heard rumors that the General Assembly will be called back to Richmond for a vote, but those rumors have thus far proven to be untrue. In the meantime, another critical issue has arisen. [Read More…]

Share

Join Our Email List

Email:

Search this website

Paid for and Authorized by Senator R. Creigh Deeds.
Not paid for at taxpayer expense.