Scandals involving blackface, abortion and allegations of sexual assault have dominated Virginia politics over the past few weeks. But while the eyes of the nation have been on the Commonwealth’s top three elected officials, the day-to-day business of governing has continued. Virginia’s legislative session is in full swing, and a number of laws have already been signed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, Delegate Kirk Cox, and the embattled President of the Senate, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax. Here is a look at the newest legislation that you can expect to become law in Virginia, barring a gubernatorial veto.

Happy Hour Gets Happier

While happy hour deals are legal in Virginia, there are currently limits to how bars and restaurants can advertise them. A new law would change that, allowing bars and restaurants to advertise the prices of featured drinks and use creative marketing techniques, so long as they do not encourage overconsumption or drinking by minors.

A Tax Credit Used By Nearly No One Soon To Be Used By No One

Some Virginia companies that offer telework options to their employees are eligible for a tax credit. Very few employers, though, take advantage of that credit. Less than a dozen companies have filed for it each year that it has been available. A new law would end the tax credit this year, rather than in 2022, when it is currently set to expire.

Snuffing Out Huffing

Inhalants are legally complicated drugs. They are usually legal, because they are chemical components of household items such as glue, but their abuse is usually not. A new law would expand the list of chemicals that are illegal to inhale with the purpose of getting high to include fluorinated hydrocarbons or vapors and hydrogenated fluorocarbons, which are found in products like spray paint and computer cleaners. If signed by the governor, deliberate abuse of these drugs would be considered class 1 misdemeanors, and getting someone else to inhale them would be a class 2 misdemeanor.

Too Young To Smoke, With One Exception

After centuries of being known as tobacco country, Virginia is on the brink of raising the minimum age to buy tobacco products — including cigarettes, vapor products and smokeless tobacco — from 18 to 21. There would be one group of people who won’t be affected by the law, though — active duty military personnel.

Educational Support For Military Families

Students whose parents are in the military and who relocate to Virginia sometimes fall between the cracks when participating in charter school lotteries or enrolling in college partnership lab schools. A new law would change that, allowing students in military families to take part in the same lotteries and programs as other students who live in their local school divisions, so long as they provide proof of residency.

Saving Lives In Jails

Naloxone is a drug that can reverse opioid overdoses. There are limitations, though, on who can possess and administer it. A new law adds employees of regional jails to the list of people who can administer the drug, so long as they complete a training program.

Recouping Losses

The Small Business Investment Grant Fund is administered by the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority and awards grants for small local businesses. But what happens if a business that gets a grant either relocates outside of the Commonwealth or closes because of criminal convictions related to the business? A new law would make sure that recipients of the grant who cease to operate in Virginia within certain parameters would have to forfeit the grant and pay it back.

Armed Guards In Private And Religious Schools

In 2017, Virginia passed a law allowing local school boards the option of hiring armed security guards. If signed by the Governor, a new law would allow private and religious schools to hire armed school security officers as well, and those officers will be subject to the same criteria for carrying firearms as other officers employed by their local school board.

Expanded Workers’ Compensation For Virginia Firefighters

A new law would add cancers of the colon, brain and testes to the list of cancers that are considered occupational diseases for firefighters and certain other employees. These diseases would be covered by the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act and grant the employees financial support during treatment and recovery. A multi-year CDC study, which was completed in 2015, found that firefighters were at a higher risk of many kinds of cancers because of occupational exposure.