General Assembly Roundup: Janet Howell

RICHMOND — The 2011 General Assembly session has ended, but a special session to deal with redistricting will be meeting this spring. Before the new session begins, let's see how our representatives fared.

Sen. Janet Howell

Sen. Janet Howell (D-32nd District) has an advantage over many of the Fairfax legislators; she is a high ranking member of the budget committee. That may be why 69 percent of her legislation passed both houses.

These nine bills passed:

• Tax credits: states eligibility of certain pharmacists for neighborhood assistance tax credits.
• Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act: establishes a mechanism for resolving multistate jurisdictional disputes regarding adult guardianships and conservatorships.
• Information Technology Advisory Council: requires the Information Technology Advisory Council to advise the Chief Information Officer on making a technology application framework.
• Driver training: establishes driver training standards for law-enforcement emergency calls and pursuits.
• Elections: modifies the requirement that the voter provide his social security number, if any, to require only the last four digits of the number.
• School buses: installs video-monitoring systems on school buses.
• Health insurance: mandates health insurance coverage for autism spectrum disorder.
• Jails; electronic visitation and messaging: Allows sheriffs and jail superintendents who operate correctional facilities to charge a fee for the use of an electronic visitation system or electronic messaging system.
• Life insurance: provides that "life insurance" includes additional benefits providing specified disease coverage or limited benefit health coverage if these coverages comply with certain minimum standards

These bills did not make it through:

• Primary schedule: moves the primary date to Sept. 13, 2011, in anticipation of redistricting.
• Juvenile dispositions: gives circuit courts authority to modify guilt finding, etc., in juvenile dispositions.
• Elections: allows qualified voters vote absentee in person without providing excuses or reason.
• Health insurance: provides state employee health insurance plan coverage for autism spectrum disorder.