13/03/2024
Legislative Update to All VA Licensed Opticians
March 12, 2024
The 2024 Session of the Virginia General Assembly adjourned on Saturday, March 9, after adopting the new two-year budget and disposing of nearly 3000 bill and resolutions that had been introduced in the House and Senate during the course of the Session. Fortunately, none of those pieces of legislation introduced during the 2024 Session proposed the deregulation of opticianry.
As shared with you previously, we were successful in proactively heading this issue off after we learned of the potential proposal last fall. Our professional lobbying and advocacy team was able to stop this in its tracks. However, we will continue to monitor the remaining legislative process for this Session to ensure nothing is slipped in at the last minute. Although we do not anticipate any such action, the Governor has thirty days after the Session is over to propose amendments to the bills and to the budget that have been sent to him for his signature. Any actions the Governor takes in this regard are then sent to the General Assembly for approval at the Reconvened Session in mid-April. Again, we have no reason to expect any adverse actions during this last process of the 2024 Session, but as a wise man once said, it's never over until it's over.
In the meantime, we plan to begin formulating our strategy for the rest of the year to strengthen and fortify our profession and to take the proactive steps necessary to protect our profession from future deregulation attempts. We ask that you continue to do your part in this ongoing process to protect our profession. Please continue to financially support our profession and your future in it. We will continue to update you in the weeks and months ahead.
Continued Help is Needed
Visit our NEW website www.opticiansforvirignia.org to stay informed on this and other issues of importance to the profession. And if you are not a member, PLEASE JOIN! Every penny of your membership fee goes directly to legislative efforts and protection of your career.
We need your help to have the financial resources to secure and maintain lobbying representation for this action and for continued legislative maintenance to make sure that we continue to protect our profession. If we have learned nothing else from this situation, it is that this step is no longer optional – it is a must for the future of Opticians in Virginia to have ongoing and attentive representation of our profession.
Save the Date - April 13, 2024 Spring Conference
in Richmond, VA.....Details coming soon
