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Walgreens Wellness Tour Comes to VirginiaFebruary 6, 2009 AARP Virginia General Assembly Update
Economic Downturn Causes
Concern In General Assembly
The economic downturn in the
economy is being felt by every citizen walking the halls of the
Virginia General Assembly building.
There is some feeling that the
state budget might be moved to a special session to see how much
money Virginia will get from the federal Stimulus Package now
pending before Congress.
Here is what happened to our
AARP Agenda this week
:
Mandatory Reporting for Financial
Abuse of Seniors
Senator John Edwards who is
sponsoring our bill (SB 1413) has asked for a delay in committee
consideration until he can amend it to mandate training and
education for financial institutions employees.
His request is the result of the
concern of financial institutions’ lobbyists about the
possible civil liability from a mandatory reporting requirement.
Senator Edwards believes financial
institutions’ employees should be trained to know what
financial abuse of elders is and how to deter it in their
workplaces.
AARP supports Senator
Edwards’ change which will be introduced in the Senate
Commerce and Labor Committee meeting Monday.
Please call
your member of the State Senate and ask them to support (SB
1413) as amended by Senator Edwards.
The toll free number is: 1-800 889-0229 or Richmond area call: 804-698-1990
Cigarette Tax for Medicaid Funding
By an 8-8 vote the Senate Finance
Committee killed Senator Janet Howell’s bill (SB 947) which
calls for a 30 cent per pack tax hike to bring in $155 million to
fund the state’s Medicaid.
AARP and other groups testifying
pointed out that without this increase, Virginia stands to lose the
Federal matching dollars for Medicaid.
It was a sad day for our most
vulnerable citizens who depend on Medicaid for their healthcare. We
wait for this weekend to learn how the House and Senate will fund
their budgets.
Car Title Update
After being reported from a
subcommittee, Senator Mark Herring’s bill (SB 1490) to limit
interest on car title loans to 36 percent will be heard by the full
Senate Commerce and Labor committee on Monday afternoon. AARP
Virginia, victims, legal aid attorneys, members of the faith
community and many other groups testified before the subcommittee in
support of SB 1490. On the House side, the Commerce and Labor
committee voted to kill a very similar bill, sponsored by Delegate
Joe Morrissey.
Redistricting Update
After passing the Senate with a
vote of 39-0, Senator Creigh Deeds’ redistricting bill (SB
926) moves to the House where it is feared it’ll die in the
Privileges and Elections subcommittee.
At a press conference this
week, Governor Kaine announced his support to create a
bipartisan redistricting commission. The press conference, which
included both Republican and Democratic legislators, garnered many
positive news reports.
Virginia
Retirement Savings Accounts
for Small Business Employees
Great News. The AARP proposal and
sponsored by Delegate Danny Marshall and Delegate Bill Janis (HB
2026) has been sent to the General Assembly’s Commission on
Small Business.
Under the program (Virginia
Employee Voluntary Accounts ) private employers with not more than
50 employees that have not offered a payroll savings deduction plan
to employees in the preceding year may enroll to offer tax-deferred
retirement plans to their employees.
Virginia
Ridership Program
The House Transportation Committee
continues to consider Delegate Jennifer McClellan’s bill (HB
2600) to set up an action plan for a statewide coordinated rides
program to aid seniors, persons with disabilities and low-income.
AARP testimony pointed out that the number of seniors who will be
needing transportation to services in Virginia will dramatically
increase in the future.
Driver’s Safety Courses
Offered On-Line
Senator John Edwards (SB 1013) and
Delegate Lee Ware’s (HB 1974) bills which allow persons 55
plus to take Driver’s Safety Courses on-line and be eligible
for a discount on their auto insurance rates, has passed the Senate
39-0 and the House by 98-0.
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Added: Feb 16, 2009
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