General Assembly Report – February 2
This week at the GA was tough on those of us who oppose HB 967 that would basically force the VHSL to amend their regulations to allow for home schoolers to participate in interscholastic activities or to essentially go defunct – since school divisions would not be allowed to join an organization that did not allow such participation. The bill passed easily in the House Education Committee in front of a packed house, including a large crowd of exuberant home school parents and children. Opponents in the audience, including VASSP, did not include public school students, as they were in class. As those speaking against the bill pointed out, public school students must adhere to a strict schedule, behave according to all school rules and take state mandated educational tests, including the SOL. The “playing field” is not equal.
HB 967 went on to pass on the Floor of the House, but it still must be vetted in the Senate. And so there is a glimmer of hope for defeating this bill, which will be heard in the Senate Committee on Education and Health after Crossover, which occurs on February 13, when surviving House bills go to the Senate and vice versa. It’s not over ‘til it’s over, and there is still time to voice your opinions to those in Richmond.
Bet Neale
ELIZABETH HARRELL (“Bet”) NEALE
CAREER HISTORY: Twenty-five years of legislative experience in the Virginia political arena.
Bet began her career in the political arena as a Legislative Research Associate at the Division of Legislative Services, having first been mentored by her father Delegate Lyman Harrell, who served 12 years as a member of the House of Delegates. After moving with her family to West Point, where her husband Mark practices dentistry and where they raised their three children Nancy, Cheryl and Mark, Bet remained active in state legislative work as a consultant for a state commission and as a legislative assistant to Delegate Mary Marshall and Delegate Dorothy McDiarmid, Chair of the House Education and House Appropriations Committees. Beginning in 1990, Bet represented VASS as their lead lobbyist for 8 years, after which she served as executive director of the Henrico Education Foundation for HCPS.
Bet came on board with VASSP in 2000 as Director of Government Relations and lobbies on behalf of Association members during all General Assembly sessions and at meetings of legislative education committees and subcommittees. In her capacity as Director of Government Relations/Lead Lobbyist for VASSP, Bet also represents middle and high school principals and assistant principals at statewide education meetings, seminars and special commissions as well as at meetings of the State Board of Education.
Bet is a graduate of the University of Richmond with a BA in English and a Collegiate Certificate in Secondary Education. She has been a guest lecturer at the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia as well as a presenter at various state meetings and seminars.
