Good News!!!

Most of the Childhood Hunger Bills we are advocating for have either passed the house and moved on to the Senate or have passed the House Education Committee. 

• HB 583: Prohibits school districts from banning students from participating in extracurricular activities because of school meal debt. Passed the House (75-Y 25-N)
• HB 587: Proposes reducing the time to process free and reduced lunch applications to five business days in order to ensure families get a timely response to applications for benefits. Passed Education Committee (18-Y 4-N)

VA BLOC Sends an Organizational Statement in Opposition to HB79, HB122, & HB759:

This week, we sent an organizational statement asking the delegates of the Courts of Justice Committee to Vote NO to HB79, HB122, & HB759
(To view the full statement, see our bill guide.)

You can also write, call, or speak in opposition of these bills. HB79 is in full committee but hasn't been put on the agenda as of the writing of this email. HB122 & HB759 are in Subcommittee #1, but again haven't been put on the agenda as of the writing of this email. You can submit statements yourself or email them to us ASAP! 
Email to Cindy: cjohnson@va-bloc.org 
Or 
Email to Q: bcogdell@va-bloc.org 

How to Submit Yourself:

Updates on Action Alerts: 

• Thank you to everyone who has submitted statements thusfar!
• Things happen quickly, and we need our members to advocate for a bill asap! So, we send out action alerts through social media, email, and phone. 
• Follow us on all platforms & send us your cell number to receive texts!
• As mentioned previously, our childhood hunger bills passed committee. Unfortunately, two of the restrictive voting bills we opposed also passed their committee and will be heard on the House Floor. To see exactly which delegate voted for and against these suppressive voting related bills, click the following links: HB 34, HB 39. (HB 24 & HB 35 are still waiting to be heard in subcommittee as of the writing of this email.)

Bill Tracking: New Updates!

You can track the progress of bills that we are following by signing up for our Bill Guide.
*New* We have added our session glossary of terms so that you can better understand the formal/technical jargon used during session.

We need written consent to add you to this online document, so please send us your email to add to the guide. 

What's Next? Crossover!

Follow Us:

Now more than ever, it is important that you stay connected with us by visiting our website and connecting with us on social media for action alerts and other important updates & resources. 

• Website www.va-bloc.org 

• IG: @vabloc_hr

• FB: @VABLOC

• Twitter: @vabloc_hr

• YouTube: bit.ly/VABYouTube 

You can also contact us to sign up to volunteer or request workshops and trainings by emailing Mike at mdaniels@va-bloc.org. 

Sincerely,
The VA BLOC Team