The Virginia General Assembly has chosen to table bills HB 131, HB 854, and SB 585 for the time being. Additional entities within the Commonwealth also were requesting enhanced retirement, and as such the Finance Committee decided that the appropriate course of action is to allow the Joint Legislative and Audit Review Committee (JLARC) to study the issue. They will make a determination and issue a report in the future. The JLARC report will determine the future of this effort to obtain enhanced retirement for each group in the study.
Click here to view JLARC’s website
The Virginia General Assembly is currently considering several bills which could have a future impact on telecommunicators within the Commonwealth. The Joint APCO/NENA Legislative Committee have been monitoring these developments, and support these bills.
Under consideration are the following bills:
- HB 131:Provide enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers hired after January 1, 2022 for hazardous duty service Virginia LIS Link
- HB 854: Provide enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers for hazardous duty service Virginia LIS Link
- SB 361: Provides that participation in the Marcus alert system shall be optional for localities Virginia LIS Link
- SB 585: Provide enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers for hazardous duty service Virginia LIS Link
The Virginia Chapter of NENA urges ALL of our members to write to their Delegates and Senators, imploring them to support passage of these bills. To that end, we have provided a letter template that members can complete and send to the delegates for their congressional district.
Follow these steps:
- Click here to obtain the names of the State Delegate and Senator for your congressional district. Write down their full contact information including their email address (these letters are not appropriate for your U.S. representatives).
- Click here to download the letter template, written with the assistance of NENA National.
- Create two copies of the letter, changing the yellow highlighted information for your Virginia State Delegate and Senator, as well as your contact information. Don’t forget to eliminate the yellow highlights from your letter. For agencies wishing to send letters of support, please place the letters on your agency letterhead.
- Print each letter using the Microsoft Print to PDF feature, and email them to the appropriate congressional offices. (Note: If you have difficulty using the Microsoft Print to PDF feature, you can also change the file type in the Microsoft Word Save As feature to PDF).
It is EXTREMELY imperative that you do this as soon as possible!! These bills are being discussed in committee starting on Tuesday, February 1, 2022.
We all need one another’s help to garner enough support to assure passage of these bills. Don’t delay, send your letters now!