The annual Virginia Day On The Hill event will not be quite the same this year due to the COVID-19 restrictions. The Department of Virginia will not be hosting the usual gathering at Department Headquarters and we will not be having a bus to transport us to the Capital. Personal attendance and meeting with Legislators will be in accordance with the Capital guidelines for COVID-19 meetings with Legislators.
However, we want to pass on a file containing a summary of the JLC 2021 initiatives along with the Point Papers for each one. The General Assembly session will start on Wednesday, 13 January but the public must participate virtually as only credentialed members and their staffs’ will be allowed into the Pocahontas building and the House will be meeting virtually. All committee and subcommittee meetings as well as the general sessions will be livestreamed to anyone but those wishing to testify before a committee will need to sign up 24 hours in advance to get a link so they can speak. While not published yet, we would assume that the instructions for participation will be posted on the General Assembly website (https://virginiageneralassembly.gov/) prior to 13 January.
If you have any questions or comments on the attached initiatives, do not hesitate to reach out to Rick Oertel, Chairman of the Department of Virginia Legislative Committee and JLC Representative, and he would be happy to address them. Please pass on this information to those in your Districts who might want to know.
You may also see the JLC Initiatives and Point Papers on the JLC website: https://www.dvs.virginia.gov/dvs/joint-leadership-council-veterans-service-organizations-2 and there is a link to this page on the Department website under Legislative.