Week Five: Almost to crossover!

Next Tuesday is the last day for the House and Senate to take any action on bills (other than the budget) that originate in their own body. After that, the bills “cross over” to the other side and must be heard in committee and approved there.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK, Delegate Jackie Glass, speaking on Delegate Kathy Tran’s HB1266 to require an assessment before issuing permits of the cumulative impact on environmental justice communities: “It has been historically easy to say yes to wrecking shop in particular neighborhoods. It has been really hard to get states and the United States to say yes to the consequences of wrecking shop…It’s just easy to say yes to ruin folks lives and then punish them for the cost that it takes for their health, punish them for the damage it does to their homes.”

Passed the House

• HB923 (Lopez) prohibiting “stay or pay” employment contracts, ie. where the employee must pay back training costs or other fees when quitting, passed the House on a party-line vote.
• The Prescription Drug Affordability Board (HB483, Delaney) passed the House on a party-line vote.
• HB1441 (Lopez) limits local law enforcement participation in immigration enforcement to when there’s a judicial warrant, and as required by federal law. It passed the House on a party-line vote.
• HB112 (Laufer) prohibiting premature separation of weaning baby animals from their mothers passed the House with some bipartisan support.
• HB1161 (Tran) passed the House. It would limit state agencies from sharing any personal information unless required by law, to comply with program rules, or by consent.
• Strong bipartisan support in the House for HB601 (Hernandez) that would protect a minimum $1000 from wage garnishment, to ensure those with liens against them can still afford basic necessities.
• HB650 (Callsen) protects those appearing at court to comply with order or serve as witness from being subject to civil arrest (without a judicial warrant). It passed the House on a party-line vote.

Passed the Senate

• The Senate passed on party-line votes a host of gun-related bills this week: firearm manufacturing industry liability (SB27, Carroll Foy); closing the boyfriend loophole for firearms transfers (SB160, Perry); ghost gun ban (SB323, Ebbin); safe storage of firearms in house where minor is present (SB348, Boysko); assault weapon ban (SB749, Salim).
• SB229 (Surovell) creating a process in Virginia for class-action lawsuits passed the Senate.
• SB352 (Salim) prohibiting local and state law enforcement from wearing face coverings while performing official duties passed the Senate on a party-line vote.
• The Senate passed SB322 (Ebbin) to join the National Popular Vote Compact.
• There was a little bit of bipartisan support on the Senate floor for SB596 (Carroll Foy) affirming a right to obtain contraception.
• A bill restricting data centers to be sited on land zoned for industrial use (SB94, Roem) passed the Senate.
• The bill to allow Fairfax County to host a casino should they wish to and should voters agree to it by referendum, SB756 (Surovell) passed the Senate, after the Finance and Appropriations committee removed the specific Tyson’s Corner location from the bill.

Left in committee

• While the Senate typically hears every bill in committee, this year there was at least one exception (barring unusual actions next week):
  • Repeal of “right to work” (SB32 Carroll Foy) was left unheard in Commerce and Labor.
• With the ability in even-numbered years to “continue” by voice vote bills to the next session, the House typically leaves fewer bills in committee, but here are a few (mostly bad) bills left behind:
  • HB158 (Griffin) that would make “attempts to transition a the child to a sex or gender inconsistent with the child’s biological sex”  considered child abuse was left in House Courts of Justice.
  • The ONE campaign finance reform bill, HB1447 (Glass), which would define the powers of corporations under the Virginia Stock Corporation Act as not allowing contributions to elections, politicians, referenda, was left in House Labor and Commerce.
  • A bill (HB615 McNamara) that would eliminate the penalties Dominion and Appalachian Power owe for not meeting clean energy standards was left unheard in House Labor and Commerce.
  • HB1277 (Hamilton) creating a rebuttal presumption against bail, i.e. guilty until proven innocent was left in House Criminal subcommittee after the patron failed to show up to present her bill.
  • HB1453 (Williams) making it a crime to approach a law enforcement officer was left in the House Public Safety committee, after the patron chickened out on coming to defend his bill at the meeting it was docketed to.