Del. Scott Surovell (D-44th) and State Senators Adam Ebbin (D-30th) and Toddy Puller (D-36th) relayed the progress of their bills to constituents on Saturday at the Mount Vernon Governmental Center, and briefly discussed pending legislation before the 2013 session comes to a close Feb. 23. 

Surovell has been working to get a statewide ban on texting while driving. "Personally, I don't think the bill goes far enough," he said. "Right now, if the bill carries, you're still allowed to browse the Internet while driving, play music and look at your phone and play 'Angry Birds' while driving. It's also a lot harder to enforce, I think. I think it ought to be hands-free….But at least it's the first step."

For the latest on bills in the 2013 General Assembly session, go to the Richmond Sunlight. 

One resident said that potential Medicaid expansion is as important as the transportation issue for the State. "A lot of people do not realize this is a prime opportunity to bring Virginia up to the level that other states are already at. It's a start, and 30,000-40,000 people in Fairfax County would become eligible for Medicaid, and that will improve the costs of their medical care, improve the mental health system and it would affect close to a half million people statewide, and this is our one chance," he said. "If the State legislature succeeds in putting in all of these things to delay implementation, it's between 2014-2016 that we get full money for the whole thing from the federal government."

Puller said that the struggle over the issue lies with the House. "I would encourage anyone to send an email if you know someone on the House Conference Committee," she said. "The governor has not been for the expansion. The House is adamantly against the expansion, and the Senate embraced it in our budget."

Surovell's Bills This Session

Puller sponsored a number of veterans bills this session.

"Their number one priority this year was to have the ability to electronically return absentee ballots. I joined with Sen. McWaters (Republican from Virginia Beach), and we got a bill, which was sent to the House and it was carried over to next year," she said. "I've forgotten how many thousands of military voters on active duty are serving overseas. They got their ballots and mailed them in and they all came in too late to be counted. And it was like 30,000 of them, maybe more. Veterans groups wanted to electronically return those ballots by the next federal election. Veterans have real problems, and I've gotten several letters from people overseas telling me how tough it is for them to vote."

Puller's Bills This Session

What are both houses doing about the issue of gun control? 

"Not much," said Ebbin. "Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-49th) had a bill to prohibit the sale of high capacity magazines. I bought a high capacity magazine at a gun show in Chantilly in December just to see how it went, and, with a colleague, bought a gun without a background check. 

"We initially passed the gunshow loophole bill, only to have it reconsidered 10 minutes later and then it came back the next day and it died. I thought that this would be the year that it would happen, but it didn't happen. -Puller
Ebbin - Even on a voluntary basis so that if you were at a gun show and wanted to do a background check, that bill failed in the Senate," said Ebbin.  

Ebbin's Bills This Session