Plum and Howell Pre-Session Town Hall Jan. 7 in Reston

There is a chance to tell Del. Ken Plum (D-Reston) and Sen. Janet Howell (D-Reston) what issues are important to you as the 2016 Virginia General Assembly session nears.

Howell and Plum will hold their annual pre-legislative session town hall on Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Reston Community Center at Lake Anne. The 60-day legislative session begins in Richmond on Jan. 13.

Plum, in office since 1982, enters the 2016 session as the most senior member of the Virginia House. He is co-sponsoring several pre-filed bills, including one requiring employers with more than 25 employees to offer paid sick leave to employees. He is also co-sponsoring two bills regarding ethics and conflict of interests.

Howell is the chief patron of several bills this session, including one that would alter the sex offender registry by removing employer information from the part of the system available to the public.

Another Howell bill would prohibit a person who is subject to a protective order from possessing a firearm; currently, laws prohibit such people only from purchasing or transporting a firearm.

Other Howell-sponsored bills include establishing a Virginia Student Loan Refinancing Authority and criteria for redrawing election districts, among others.

Howell is also the co-sponsor of bills repealing the Virginia constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and removing the requirement that women undergo an ultrasound prior to an abortion.

Janet Howell and Ken Plum/file photo by Chip McRea