But today I am still just a bill
Virginia’s 2022 legislative session kicks off Wednesday, January 12, in Richmond. Each legislative session, lawmakers are allowed to prefile a number of proposed bills before the session starts. Legislative tracker LegiScan shows that 268 bills had been prefiled as of January 10. Republicans, who control the legislature after November’s elections, have been the more active of the two parties in prefiling thus far. Below, take a look at some of the bills that Charlottesville and Albemarle delegates and senators have submitted.
Delegate Rob Bell (R)
House Resolution 2 honors the service of longtime Republican Delegate and Speaker of the House Kirk Cox.
Delegate Matt Fariss (R)
House Bill 51 would make it a Class 6 felony, punishable by one to five years in prison, to steal a catalytic converter. Currently, it’s just a misdemeanor.
Delegate Sally Hudson (D)
House Bill 71 would prohibit public utilities from contributing to political candidates.
Delegate Chris Runion (R)
House Bill 149 would add a hurdle to absentee voting by requiring witnesses to provide their name, date of birth, residence, and the last four digits of their social security number. Currently, witnesses only need to provide a signature.
Senator Creigh Deeds (D)
Senate Joint Resolution 8 honors the life of former Waynesboro delegate Pete Giesen, who died last year.
Senator Bryce Reeves (R)
Senate Bill 127 would require presenting a photo ID to vote. Currently, voters with a non-photo ID can vote after signing a statement promising that they are who they say they are.
COVID surges
The Blue Ridge Health District has seen a record-breaking coronavirus surge in the last two weeks. On December 30, the district reported 482 new cases, topping the previous record of 453, which was set the day before. Before Christmas of 2022, the most new cases the department had reported in a single day was 245 in February of 2021. Vaccination and booster shot appointments are available all week long—visit vdh.virginia.gov to get started.
In brief
Shine on
This week, the Albemarle Planning Commission considered a special use permit for a new hotel on Pantops. The plan was submitted as The Overlook Hotel—the same name as the haunted hotel in Stephen King’s The Shining. No word yet on whether the new lodge will be possessed by the ghosts of murdered twins.
Oh truck
Just 10 days into 2022, the bridge on the Corner sheared the top off its first truck of the year. The 10-foot-high 14th Street bridge has long menaced unsuspecting trucks, but had a slow 2021: Only one vehicle got lodged under the metal overpass, according to truck-tracking CBS19 weatherman Travis Koshko. The bridge is determined to make up for lost trucks, it seems.
City sued over land use map
Eleven anonymous plaintiffs have filed a lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville, alleging that the recently adopted Future Land Use map—which raises the maximum allowed housing density on certain parcels throughout the city—should be nullified for violating the Virginia code. One couple “purchased their property due to its location in a single-family neighborhood that was suitable for young children,” but the next owners of the property could build up to 12 units on the lot. Oh, the horror!
Photo: City of Charlottesville
UVA boosts booster mandate
UVA has moved its booster mandate up to January 14. Initially, all students, faculty, and staff were required to get a booster shot by February 1, but the school’s administration cited the dramatic recent surge in cases locally as the reason for the earlier deadline.