City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: FEBRUARY 22, 2016
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
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Consideration of an Update On The 2016 General Assembly Session.
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ISSUE: Update #3 on the 2016 General Assembly Session.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council receive this report.
DISCUSSION: The 2016 General Assembly Session began on January 13 and is scheduled to adjourn on March 12. "Crossover" occurred last week. From now on, except for budget and revenue bills, the House can only take up Senate bills, and the Senate can only consider House bills.
On February 21, the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees reported their recommended amendments to the biennial budget that was proposed by the Governor in December. The full House and Senate will vote on these amendments on February 25. Both bodies will spend the rest of the Session trying to reach agreement on the differences between their budget proposals. More details on the budget are included later in this Update.
City Package. In its Legislative Package, the City expressed support for bills to allow for no excuse absentee voting; to authorize early voting; to limit the interest rate and fees charged for payday and car title loans; to prohibit, limit the use of, or tax plastic grocery bags; to raise the minimum wage; to expand Medicaid; to increase charges for court costs and use these funds to support the City's Law Library; and to "Ban the Box" (eliminate questions about a person's criminal record on an initial employment application). Many bills were introduced to accomplish these goals, but they are all now dead.
Proposed constitutional amendments that would restore the right to vote for persons convicted of nonviolent felonies who have completed their prison sentences have been defeated...
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