Legislative briefs
Our Legislative Briefs Project, piloted in 2017, is a nonpartisan collaboration with key lawmakers in the Virginia Senate. The briefs provide background information about important bills that often receive less attention from lobbyists and organized interest groups.
This project covers a wide range of Virginia policies. View examples of prior briefs, and see the list of committees participating in the project during the 2018 session below.
2018 General Assembly Session Committees
Once the legislative session begins, the Office of Public Policy Outreach authors briefs on a weekly cycle in each committee’s policy areas, based on a selection of bills by a designated member of both the majority and minority caucus from each committee. Once briefs are provided to the majority and minority contact, those offices can choose to distribute them to members of the same caucus on the committee. Below are example briefs from the 2018 session, organized by committee:
Courts of Justice
S.B. 67 Intake process, etc.; statements made by child to an intake officer or probation officer
S.B. 729 Cruelty to animals; aggravated cruelty; penalty
S.B. 952 Protective orders; issuance upon convictions for certain felonies, penalty
Education and Health
S.B. 300 (Favola) School calendar; opening day of the school year
S.B. 832 (Carrico) Prescription Monitoring Program; adds controlled
H.B. 399 (Keam) School boards; Work based learning experiences
General Laws and Technology
Rehabilitation and Social Services
S.B. 539 (Hanger) Child day programs; exemptions from licensure
H.B. 418 (Foy) Adoption; circuit court to accept a petition filed by child's foster parent
H.B. 437 (Herring) Adoption and foster care; barrier crimes, exception