By Todd Pillion
State Senator
On Wednesday the Virginia General Assembly convened to kick off the 2021 legislative session. Typically, capital square would be bustling with thousands of people as we get to work filing bills and preparing budget amendments. That is not the case this year.
Following violent and destructive riots in Richmond last year and the deadly attack on the US Capitol earlier this month, our Virginia State Capitol remains boarded up and fenced off. While the Senate of Virginia continues to meet in person at the Science Museum, the House of Delegates is meeting virtually as it did for the marathon special session last summer and fall. Despite all the changes and obstacles currently confronting us, we are here working and serving Southwest Virginia.
We began this session on a somber note as many of us continue to mourn the passing of our colleague and dear friend, Senator Ben Chafin. Appropriately, SJR284 was one of the first votes we took in the Senate. You can watch my presentation of this resolution honoring his life and celebrating his contributions to the Commonwealth here.
The passing of Southwest Virginia’s senior state senator leaves the 38th Senatorial District seat vacant for the 2021 regular session. In this case, the authority to call a special election to fill the vacancy resides solely with Governor Northam. Unfortunately, by waiting until March 23 to hold the special election, the governor has strengthened the Democrats’ control in the Senate of Virginia, leaving the residents of the 38th District without a vote in the Senate for the entirety of this session.
Our Southwest Virginia legislative delegation is a team, of which Senator Chafin was a very important part. Despite being down a vote, the residents of the 38th District are not down a voice. As our delegation has always done, we will continue to work together to make sure all of Southwest Virginia is represented in Richmond.
Supporting businesses, families, and reopening schools
While we were all glad to see 2020 go, we have a steep mountain to climb in 2021 as we work to address the many needs and challenges facing Virginia families, businesses, and schools.
In this first session update, I want to highlight a couple of major priorities that, believe it or not, have some bipartisan support.
The Commonwealth should not profit off a pandemic or executive orders
I have introduced legislation along with Senator Chap Peteresen (D-Fairfax) that provides additional support to small businesses who received PPP loans through the federal CARES Act. Unless Virginia conforms its tax code to the IRS, businesses may find themselves in the position of owing state taxes on the federally forgiven portion of those loans. Congress intended for these loans to be a lifeline for businesses affected by COVID-19 mandates and shutdowns in the early stages of the pandemic. There is no doubt that it saved jobs and livelihoods. The Commonwealth should not profit off a pandemic or executive orders by taxing this lifeline.
Last year, the Northam Administration promulgated new emergency standards through the Department of Labor requiring businesses to comply with new regulations and incur significant costs. In response, I have introduced SB1403 which establishes a retail sales and use tax exemption for personal protective equipment (PPE). The exemption would be available to any business that has implemented a COVID-19 safety protocol that complies with the new emergency standards. Businesses have a vested interest in protecting employees and customers. This legislation is intended to provide them some relief for doing so while complying with the very government mandates that have impacted so many livelihoods.
Reopening our schools is not and should not be a partisan issue
It is time to get our kids back in school. As a co-patron of Senator Dunnavant’s SB1303 along with Senators Petersen and Ruff, I believe school divisions should be required to offer in-person learning to students as an option for families. I am also co-sponsoring a budget amendment with Senator Petersen that would make state funding contingent on school divisions providing an in-person option. This legislation and budget language would not prohibit schools from offering virtual learning for those families who wish to have that option.
These efforts are rooted in what the science and data tell us about schools being safe, particularly with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. As Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said, “the default position we should have is to bring the children back to school or keep them in school.”
Following a clear signal of bipartisan support in the General Assembly, Governor Northam announced that the Department of Education would be releasing guidance with a goal of reopening schools safely for in-person learning. I look forward to working with my colleagues to support efforts that ensure Virginia meets its constitutional mandate to provide an education for our children.
Looking Ahead
Like last year, I will continue to serve on the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Transportation, Local Government, and General Laws and Technology over the course of this 30-day session.
Today (Friday) we are working to submit our budget amendments, which I will highlight in my next update. Next week we will finalize all legislation and start presenting bills in committee.
