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Americans for Prosperity-Virginia Breaking Barriers: 2020 Legislative Session Priorities

Dec 19, 2019 by AFP

The 2020 Legislative Session Priorities outline bold initiatives to break down barriers to opportunity that inhibit Virginians from improving their lives and reaching their full potential.

CARE FOR THE COMMONWEALTH

Virginia has become a leader in technology – particularly biotechnology and life sciences, which offer the promise of life-enhancing breakthroughs. Americans for Prosperity is focused on expanding access to healthcare products and services by eliminating barriers that inhibit entrepreneurship in health care.

Telemedicine & Reimbursement Reform
Reimbursement reform: AFP will work with lawmakers to remove antiquated regulations that keep health care providers from offering innovative telemedicine services.
In addition, current law prohibits Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) from being reimbursed for offering services they’ve been trained to provide without first transporting patients to the emergency room. Lawmakers have the opportunity to empower the Commonwealth’s EMTs by enabling them to offer the care they’ve been trained to and ensure more Virginians receive the care they need.
Telemedicine Licensing Reform: We will support legislation that allows Virginians to access telemedicine services across state lines.

Certificate of Public Need (COPN)
AFP will work with lawmakers to reform current Certificate of Need laws that require a government permission slip to set up and offer health care services to underserved communities.

JUSTICE FOR ALL

Americans for Prosperity supports an effective criminal justice system that protects people and preserves public safety while removing barriers to opportunity for people with criminal records and ensures equal justice for all under the law.

Driver’s License Suspension
AFP will encourage lawmakers to permanently end the suspension driver’s licenses for unpaid court debts, following its temporary moratorium in the 2019 budget.

Compassionate Release
We will support legislation that allows for the conditional release of incarcerated individuals who are elderly, terminally ill or permanently disabled.

Parole Reform
AFP will encourage lawmakers to support reinstituting parole opportunities for individuals, unless they’ve been convicted of a class 1 felony.

ECONOMIC FREEDOM

AFP seeks a tax system that recognizes Virginians have an inherent right to the fruits of their labor. Respecting that right, we should limit tax collection to only what is necessary to fund the necessary functions of government—no more. We encourage the Legislature to look at ways to reform long-term structural spending, address waste and fraud within state programs and seek out innovative ways to restore free-market solutions to addressing the state’s challenges.

Dad doing paperwork, taxOccupational Licensing
Too often, occupational licenses do nothing to improve public safety and needlessly establish barriers across the industries. AFP will support legislation that will allow medical professional in good standing in other states to be issued a license to provide care to Virginians. Removing this barrier would grow Virginia’s Health Care work force while improving access to quality health care for thousands of Virginians.

 

TECH AND INNOVATION

We believe technology improves people’s lives. From lifesaving medical advancements to technology that will make our world safer, embracing innovation is the key to transforming our state and our society for the better. Americans for Prosperity actively advances such polices and works to remove the government barriers holding back the next great idea.
Technology

Anti-SLAPP
Anti-SLAPP laws are an effective way to protect digital free speech without empowering government authorities. The First Amendment protects the people from government restrictions on their speech. In recent decades we’ve seen private individuals and companies abuse our legal system to restrict speech, especially with the adoption of the internet. The threat of costly, long-term litigation has been routinely used to silence whistleblowers, journalists, political protestors, even victims of sexual assault around the country and here in Virginia.

Commercial Drone Delivery Systems
Recognizing that innovation is among the most impactful economic catalysts, Virginia’s policymakers should foster a regulatory environment which allows emerging technologies such as commerce delivery drones to operate within appropriate guidelines.

FOR INQUIRIES OR TO GET INVOLVED,
PLEASE CONTACT:
Virginia State Director
JC Hernandez
JCHernandez@afphq.org

Benjamin J. Knots
Legislative Liaison
804-221-5879
Bknotts@afphq.org

Through broad-based grassroots outreach, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is driving long-term solutions to the country’s biggest problems. AFP activists engage friends and neighbors on key issues and encourage them to take an active role in building a culture of mutual benefit, where people succeed by helping one another. AFP recruits and unites Pennsyl­vanians behind a common goal of advancing policies that will help people improve their lives. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

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