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Tag: Del. Adele McClure

Lawmakers signal more support for electric vehicles, charging network

RICHMOND, Va. — Lawmakers advanced legislation to expand electric vehicle infrastructure throughout the state, which could help meet a looming mandate that sales of new gas-powered vehicles be phased out by 2035.

More infrastructure, such as electric chargers, is needed to meet the deadline and growing EV demand. Del. Richard “Rip” Sullivan, D-Fairfax, introduced House Bill 107, which creates the Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and Fund. The measure financially assists developers in bringing EV chargers to rural areas that meet established conditions. Areas qualify based on population density, annual unemployment and poverty rates.

Funds would be used to offset nonutility costs, which include construction and some needed parts like breakers, conduits and cables. Developer grants would be capped at 70% of the cost to construct public charging stations.

The bill passed the House with bipartisan support, on a 71-27 vote. Sullivan requested $50 million over the next two years for the fund. An employee would need to help manage the fund, on an estimated $50,000 annual salary. The House budget presented earlier this week reduced the amount to $2 million in the current fiscal year.

“I look at it very positively, and I am hopeful about the bill’s chances,” Sullivan said about the budget. “Virginia is a very big place. We need a lot of EV charging stations around it, so I view this as a good start.” The number of public EV chargers in Virginia increased by approximately 75% since 2020, per a study recently released by the Southern Environmental Law Center. Senior attorney Trip Pollard is the land and community program leader with the nonprofit advocacy group.

There are still big gaps in EV charger coverage. The state’s transition to modern, more sustainable transportation will not happen overnight and the public needs to be prepared for it, according to Pollard.

A fund to help rural development is important to bridge the gap between EV ownership and its practicality in rural or lower-income communities. Legislation can help ensure no communities are left behind in the transition, Pollard said. There has been a federal push to increase the spread of publicly available chargers through the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Pollard said. The federal funding appropriates $106 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network. Virginia can also apply for the $2.5 billion dedicated to grants for EV charging.

There is a gap in rural coverage, since most charging infrastructure is centered around major interstates and highways. Many rural areas in Virginia are without the type of public ports needed to charge EVs quickly, according to a study from the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Private charging is the dominant option for EV owners. Roughly 90% of EV owners can install private chargers at their home, according to the study.

“That’s one of the biggest areas that we need to address,” Pollard said. “The majority of EV owners charge at home, but if you’re in a multi-family that can often be very difficult to do.”

EV charging standards for new development Del. Adele McClure, D-Arlington, introduced HB 405, which tasks the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation to oversee the design standards and requirements to safely bring charging capabilities into new housing developments.

The commission would determine what type of electrical distribution infrastructure is needed to support EV charging facilities in new single-family and multifamily residential units.

When McClure canvassed during campaign season, she heard from constituents who said they wanted to see more EV infrastructure.

“I started thinking about ways where we can ensure that there are more charging stations, especially when it comes to new builds,” McClure said.

The bill stems from conversations between home builders and environmentalists on the best way to remove barriers and lower the costs to build “easy-ready and EV-capable residential communities,” McClure said. All new vehicles sold must be electric models, starting in 2035. The mandate stems from the state’s Clean Car law passed in 2021, which adopts California’s standard. But 35% of all new cars and trucks sold in Virginia with a 2026 model year must be electric. Lawmakers have attempted to overturn the law, questioning if the state’s infrastructure will be ready and if the vehicles are affordable enough.

Both of the bills are now waiting to be heard in committees, after crossing over to the Senate.

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.

House advances bill to ensure state minimum wage for migrant workers

RICHMOND, Va. — Lawmakers were split over a House bill to guarantee a state minimum wage for thousands of Virginia farm and migrant workers, with debate around the housing costs often included in the wage.

Del. Adele McClure, D-Arlington, introduced House Bill 157, which passed the House last month on a party line vote. The measure would ensure minimum wage pay for farm and migrant workers, which is currently $12 an hour and could increase even more if other legislation passes this session.

Del. Phil Hernandez, D-Norfolk, is now a chief co-patron after his HB 866 was incorporated into McClure’s proposal.

Over 100 members of CASA, a state and national immigrant and Latino advocacy organization, attended the committee meeting for the bills. Over a dozen individuals testified for the measure on behalf of organizations such as the Commonwealth Institute, Agricultural Workers Advocacy Coalition and the NAACP.

The average Virginia farmworker earned wage in May 2022 was $14.81, according to Kyle Shreve of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. Shreve testified before the House panel and cited federal labor statistics.

Employers are required by federal law to pay a minimum hourly wage rate of $15.81 to state H-2A visa workers. But not all farms pay the average rate, according to McClure. The H-2A program allows migrants to work agricultural jobs.

“This bill simply addresses the outliers who are paying these workers very low wages and expecting very high output,” McClure told House members ahead of the floor vote.

There are loopholes to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act that exempt some agricultural workers from receiving an hourly minimum wage of $7.25. Farmers who required less than 500 “man days” of labor in the previous year are exempt paying the federal minimum wage. A “man day” is anything over one hour of work. Livestock range workers are also FLSA exempt.

All farm workers are exempt from federal overtime pay, leaving the issue at the discretion of state laws, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

“The bill is an opportunity to prove the state values and supports migrant workers, and they should not be left behind for another year,” McClure said.

Del. Michael Webert, R-Fauquier, was one of the 49 Republicans who voted against the bill. Webert, in committee, spoke to his years of experience in agriculture since he took over his family farm in 2007 and transitioned it to a livestock operation in 2021.

Webert expressed concern for Virginia farmers’ bottom lines if higher wage regulations took effect.

“We are losing our agricultural industry at an alarming rate,” Webert said.

Webert pointed out during the committee meeting that housing costs are factored into wages. Many farm operations provide added benefits for migrant workers “over and above” the required pay, Webert said.

“What we’ve had across industries, we’re going to mechanize and with the advance of A.I., all these people that were asking for minimum wage are going to lose their jobs,” Webert said before casting his vote.

Provided housing conditions often poor, advocates say

Migrant workers are not just concerned over fair wages, but also some substandard housing issues, according to Christianne Queiroz, director of the Virginia Farmworkers Program, which is part of the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society.

There are structural problems including holes in the ground, roof and screens which allow pests into the buildings, stated Queiroz in an email. Farmworkers report housing appliances that malfunction, such as refrigerators not keeping food cold enough or stoves without some working burners. Workers also report the presence of mold in bathrooms.

“Keep in mind that all these are common complaints for folks living in substandard housing which affect their health and safety,” Queiroz stated.

Workers can be assigned a bedroom the size of a storage unit, according to the H-2A federal labor rules employers are provided. The rules require “at least 50 square feet per person” with ceilings at least 7 feet high. Other regulations include one shower head per 10 people and one drinking fountain for every 100 people.

The temperature must be at least 70 degrees during cold weather, according to the federal guidelines. But there are no regulations on air conditioning during hot weather. That could be a growing health concern with rising summer temperatures in Virginia.

Manuel Gago, co-director of the Worker Justice Program at the Legal Aid Justice Center, has assisted migrant workers since joining the team as senior farmworker organizer in 2018. Gago has visited housing camps across the state and heard worker concerns firsthand.

“Here you see the correlation between housing rights, workers’ rights and climate change,” Gago said.

Many farms provide portable toilets for staff. Gago described situations where 13 workers use the same portable toilet in 100-degree weather, which is only cleaned once a week.

“In many cases, the standards, even the passed standards, are not livable conditions for any person that is serving in the General Assembly or is reading this article,” Gago said.

McClure’s bill moves to the Senate, where lawmakers will resume discussion after Crossover Day on Feb. 13.

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.