My priorities center around protecting our families, strengthening our education system, improving our quality of life in Virginia and ensuring that our workforce is ready and able to compete. I know we can make Virginia an even better place to raise a family and start a business by maintaining our world-class public schools, making sure our students feel secure in high school and beyond, helping people with disabilities and ensuring that Virginians fill the many jobs created in the New Virginia Economy.

During a very productive legislative session, many key priorities I championed passed the Virginia House and Senate this year and made their way to Gov. Terry McAuliffe for his signature, including:

Teaching Consent in High School:

Filler-Corn’s bill, HB 2257, which will codify that the law and meaning of consent education may be taught in high school family life education also passed the House and Senate. This builds upon Filler-Corn’s legislation from 2016 (now a law), which requires any high school family life education curriculum offered by a local school division to incorporate age-appropriate elements of effective and evidence-based programs on the prevention of dating violence, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual violence.

Encouraging Workforce Development in High School:

HB 1708 will direct the Board of Education to consider including industry credentials in the Standards of Accreditation. This bill can change the way success is measured in schools across the Commonwealth and has the potential to better prepare many of our students for the many jobs being created in all areas of Virginia.

Keeping Parents Informed About Bullying:

HB 1709 will direct school principals to notify the parent of any student involved in an alleged incident of bullying of the status of any investigation within 5 school days following the allegation of bullying. This bill will ensure that parents receive timely updates when their child is a part of a bullying investigation, whether they are the victim or the bully.

Birth Control:

HB 2267 will allow women to obtain a full year's supply of birth control pills at one time. Virginia joins only four other states and the District of Columbia offering this option for women. Extending oral contraceptive prescriptions to 12 months will ensure that more women have reliable continuous access to reproductive health care.

Suicide Prevention in the Commonwealth:

HB 2258, will require the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to report about the status of its activities related to suicide prevention by December 1st of this year. This bill is an accountability measure ensuring that the Commonwealth is doing all it can it to prevent suicide.

Raising Awareness About PANS/PANDAS:

HB 2404 will create an advisory council to study and increase awareness of Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections and Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome. It will advise the Commissioner of Health on research, diagnosis, treatment, and education relating to these identified disorders and syndrome which are referred to by the National Institute of Mental Health as PANS and PANDAS. Virginia will be the second state in the country to take an active look at these syndromes.

Creating Missing Persons Day:

Filler-Corn introduced and passed HJ 612, designating April 29th, in 2017 and in each succeeding year, as Missing Persons Day in Virginia. This resolution will raise awareness for victims that are sometimes officially "missing" for years. There are currently 630 missing persons in Virginia. This day brings awareness to the issue, not just in Virginia but in surrounding states. It will help shed a light on this issue and help ease the purgatory of suffering and anguish for those whose loved ones are missing.