Monday, January 23, 2012

Legislative Update - Interior Design Decertification in Virginia


The effort to protect the interior designer's right to practice is reaching a critical stage. With successes in the Virginia State Senate, and some setbacks in the Virginia House of Delegates, now is the time for all supporters of Interior Design Certification to reach out to their legislators.

This week the two houses will meet to establish subcommittees in efforts to reconcile the differences between the two resolutions passed on Friday. A Senate resolution which does not include decertification, and a House resolution which does.

The following outline (below) provides some background on Friday's caucus session and insight on the House of Delegates, specifically how members voted and which members are likely to compose the final subcommittee.

Now is the time to take action. Contact your legislator now!
http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform


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Friday, January 20, 2012 both SJ 66 and HJ 49, Executive Reorganization Plan submitted by the Governor, were heard during floor session.  SJ66 ultimately passed as amended, (with the provision for decertification removed from the resolution), passed the Senate 22 – 17.  


YEAS--Black, Blevins, Carrico, Colgan, Garrett, Hanger, Martin, McDougle, McWaters, Newman, Norment, Obenshain, Petersen, Reeves, Ruff, Smith, Stanley, Stosch, Stuart, Vogel, Wagner, Watkins--22.


NAYS--Barker, Deeds, Ebbin, Favola, Herring, Howell, Locke, Lucas, Marsden, Marsh, McEachin, Miller, J.C., Miller, Y.B., Northam, Puckett, Puller, Saslaw--17.
 

RULE 36--0.


HJ49 ultimately passed 69 – 27 (with 4 not voting) with one technical amendment by Delegate Gilbert that allowed for the provisions passed in the resolution to be placed in the enactment legislation, which will be forthcoming.  As of this morning (Saturday), it has not been placed on the system.  (We did have a floor amendment lined up to remove the paragraph affecting us, but the political situation did not allow for that to move forward.)


AMENDMENT: 

1. Line 31, introduced, after approved insert

, subject to the enactment of a bill by the 2012 Session of the General Assembly


YEAS--Albo, Anderson, Bell, Richard P., Bell, Robert B., Byron, Cline, Cole, Comstock, Cosgrove, Cox, J.A., Cox, M.K., Crockett-Stark, Dudenhefer, Edmunds, Fariss, Farrell, Garrett, Gilbert, Greason, Habeeb, Head, Helsel, Hodges, Hugo, Iaquinto, Ingram, Joannou, Johnson, Jones, Kilgore, Knight, Landes, LeMunyon, Lingamfelter, Loupassi, Marshall, D.W., Marshall, R.G., Massie, May, Merricks, Miller, Minchew, Morefield, Morris, O'Bannon, O'Quinn, Orrock, Peace, Pogge, Poindexter, Purkey, Putney, Ramadan, Ransone, Robinson, Rush, Rust, Scott, E.T., Sherwood, Stolle, Tata, Ware, R.L., Watson, Webert, Wilt, Wright, Yancey, Yost, Mr. Speaker--69.


NAYS--Alexander, BaCote, Brink, Bulova, Carr, Dance, Englin, Filler-Corn, Herring, Hope, Howell, A.T., James, Keam, Kory, Lewis, Lopez, McClellan, McQuinn, Morrissey, Plum, Scott, J.M., Sickles, Surovell, Toscano, Tyler, Ward, Watts--27.


ABSTENTIONS--0.


NOT VOTING--Spruill, Torian, Villanueva, Ware, O.--4.


The House will place their bill in a special subcommittee that will include Delegates Jones, Albo, Carr, Gilbert and one other, who I will confirm for you later.  We will work the subcommittee to have it removed from the bill.