Despite the fact that the agenda of the legislature was packed with other important questions, there’s one thing that the lawmakers made this session to be applauded: they passed five bills that ban the breeders in the factory that breed beagles in Cumberland County. Virginia Mercury has reported extensively regarding the Envigo Gulag.
Envigo
Envigo is a dog breeding facility in Chesapeake, Virginia. It recently purchased Labcorp as well as hired top lobbyists and also fought laws of the state. Envigo failed to pass legislation in the last session. This year the company returns. An Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s amendment to Envigo being classified as a breeder for commercial use was rejected in the General Assembly.
The state’s tax rates were not revised since 1990. Indexing tax rates would help cushion the impact of spending by the state, and it is not a requirement for voter approval. As of now, the tax cuts should earn an F or failing grade, and the joint effort of the two parties to build new stadiums in conjunction with the owner of the Washington Commanders is already getting an F grade.
Clean-up of the Chesapeake Bay
It is believed that the Chesapeake Bay clean-up is Virginia’s biggest shared asset. While Virginia has made impressive gains towards reaching its goals yet, it’s not done enough to make sure that the Bay is cleaned. Virginia officials have set their sights on decreasing contamination from agricultural operations which account for more than three quarters of all Bay’s pollution.
The Virginia Watershed Implementation Plan outlines ambitious clean-up goals. The plan was announced as an effort in order to clear the bay. The plan states that it will take actions to combat pollution before 2025. Although the program will be a first step towards achieving the cleanup goals it’ll require the support of many parties. Virginia is one example. Virginia is working with agricultural groups in order to offer technical assistance to farmers to reduce the sediment loading on the waters.
Rebates on EVs
The Rebate for EVs Program a crucial program to promote the use of electric cars. These rebates make EVs less expensive for customers and create more need for EVs throughout Virginia. EV rebates can also boost the demand for used cars for EVs in Virginia. The program didn’t get fully covered in the current session, but advocates hope that they can get more money.
The federal government grants an additional tax credit of $7500 to this sector, in addition to incentives from the state. If a producer has sold more than 200,000 eligible cars, the credit is void. Both Tesla as well as General Motors have reached this amount. Furthermore, the federal government gives grants to convert to other fuel technologies loans.
Bringing Envigo into state custody
The session witnessed a variety of bills approved by lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly. Many of them were met with mixed responses from the general public. The session lasted 60 days and ended with a few wins and some defeats. But, many of the bills were stalled by the partisan gridlock. However, a variety of bills were pushed through conference committees as the hope of negotiating compromises with both chambers.
