And we're off ...

The General Assembly is in session, and our advocates are analyzing bills to make sure the interests of low-income Virginians are considered by lawmakers.

We'd like to open a little window on our life here at VPLC during the session, through this weekly Friday newsletter.

Here's an example of how we work: Jay Speer, our executive director and consumer law attorney, came across a bill that would allow landlords to sue tenants who put a stop payment on electronic transfers, the same way they might sue over a bounced check. Jay circulated the proposal to legal aid lawyers statewide, to see what in it could hurt or help their clients. Based on the lawyers' responses and Jay's own knowledge of the difficulty consumers have with electronic payments, Jay will decide whether VPLC should track and take a stand on the bill.

With more than 1,400 bills so far (the filing deadline is Jan. 18), scrolling through the legislative website is a big chunk of a VPLC advocate's day.

The rest of the time, we're in the General Assembly Building, promoting the issues we have identified as important. (See our 2013 Legislative Agenda for the issues we knew about in advance.) Or we are working, often with other advocates, to craft compromises and to educate about the effects of legislation on the poor.

Our biggest issue of the session, in terms of the number of people affected, is the Medicaid expansion. The federal government has offered to pay 100 percent of the cost for the first three years if states expand their Medicaid eligibility to include people with incomes within 138 percent of the federal poverty line (about $15,400 per year for an individual and $32,000 for a family of four).

In Virginia, expanding Medicaid could insure up to 400,000 previously uninsured persons, including 160,000 low-wage working Virginians. The infusion of federal health-care dollars would support more than 30,000 jobs and have a measurable impact on the state and local economies.

Gov. Bob McDonnell wants to decline the Medicaid expansion money. His proposed budget strikes the $1.1 billion that the feds would have paid for the first six months of the coverage.

The VPLC has again joined with 48 other organizations to form a coalition - Healthcare for All Virginians (HAV) - to convince legislators that the Medicaid expansion will be a shot in the arm for the economic and physical health of the Commonwealth.  HAV will host a press conference Jan. 16 where consumer advocates and health-care providers will provide information and express support for the expansion. Jill Hanken, our health law advocate, is leading the charge for the VPLC.