Voting board shows 23 yeas and 17 nays on SB18
🥹 Genuinely tearing up a bit at the final passage today of this @senatorlocke.bsky.social bill to set a minimum age of 11 for someone to be subject to the criminal justice system (as opposed to getting needed social services) for delinquent acts.
Voting board shows 22 yeas and 18 nays on HB19
Final passage on @russetperry.bsky.social and @adelemcclure.bsky.social bill to closing boyfriend loophole on firearms transfers after assault and battery. (Gets bipartisan vote because GOP Sen Mulchi has spoken several times about being a survivor of domestic violence.)
Del @marcussimon.com: When Jolloh was repeatedly arrested, he was entered into the NICS system. ICE was notified every single one of those times: “hey, we have this guy in custody, come get your guy” & they didn’t issue a detention retainer, didn’t come get him. In fact, they STILL haven’t.
Adjutant General of National Guard testifies in House Public Safety in response to questions from @helmerva.bsky.social that there are VA Guardsmen engaged in Iran combat-related work, albeit stateside, and that is solely because Trump has federalized them to do so under Title X.
Public Safety Sec’y clarifies process: Digital notification to ICE upon intake is automatic. And then it’s ICE’s job to ask for a detainer. ICE can serve a detainer at jail, asking them to hold onto the person. Or there’s a judicial warrant process, through signature of judge.
Public Safety Secretary answers Del @marcussimon.com's questions on Stephanie Minter murder, says main questions are:
During 2020 lodging of a detainer & removal, why wasn’t that followed thru on by ICE?
In 2023 during his 8 times in & out of system, why no ICE detainer lodged for those?
Public Safety Chair @marcussimon.com asks Secretary Meador what message should we take back to our districts? Secretary says the most important thing is for people to stay connected with their community, thru interfaith groups, i.e. & take to heart the “see something, say something” notion.
Man in suit speaks in committee room
In House Public Safety committee, Sec'y Meador testifies currently no Virginia-specific threats from Iran war. VA has a seat at national Terrorism Task Force.
Also VA is a designated port of entry, so federal govt will use Dulles to repatriate evacuated Americans from Mid East.
Voting board shows 8 yeas and 6 nays on motion to report HB489
Sen. Courts makes some changes, including requiring the restorative justice administrator to be certified and the parties and the Commonwealth to agree formally in writing. This isn’t the direction the patron @hopeforvirginia.bsky.social wants, but sends it to conference for him to work on.
Senate Courts on @hopeforvirginia.bsky.social restorative justice bill, struggling with statements made by the defendant in restorative justice sessions being inadmissible in court. Tho statements made to a LAWYER are privileged, it’s bc you have a constitutional RIGHT to representation.
Voting board shows 10 yeas and 4 nays on motion to report HB637
Bipartisan support in Senate Courts for @katrinacallsen.com bill to defelonize possession of trace, unusable amounts of drugs (ie dust residue)—currently prosecutors don’t usually charge as felony drug possession but use a workaround and charge misdemeanor paraphernalia possession.
OMG yes! Now I see it! 🥹
Close up of Del Lopez with a blue thing on his lapel
@lopez4va.bsky.social wearing a lapel pin today; it looks like the “Melt the ICE” knit mini-hats inspired by the Norwegian red-pointed anti-Nazi ones, but in blue? (Yes, I’m v focused on important issues before Sen. Courts. I also googled how livery is pronounced after patron said LIVE-ery)
Looks that way.
Not that I see. There's a delayed enactment clause to Nov 2027, but I don't see a re-enactment. lis.virginia.gov/bill-details...
Not that I see. There's a delayed enactment clause to Nov 2027, but I don't see a re-enactment. lis.virginia.gov/bill-details...
Voting board shows 30 yeas and 8 nays on HB395
WHOOHOOO! Senate passes (final passage) @paulkrizek.bsky.social bill to allow Virginians to install small-scale (1200 w output) “balcony” solar panels, with healthy bipartisan support.
It’s always so rough when a legislator takes a big chomp out of their lunch just as the legislator directly in front of them stands up to speak, leaving them on camera trying to gulp down that bite.
Voting board shows 9 yeas and 6 nays on motion to report HB1374
After convoluted speech from Sen Durant: "I’m grateful that we’ve come to a place where the integrity of VMI is intact,” Senate Ed & Health GOP members all still vote against Del Feggans' VMI governance bill that is *supported* by the VMI Superintendent.
The Senate is having a rough time these last few days of session, working long hours to get through the 850 bills that the House sent over (more, but at 8.5 per member, proportionally lower than the 13 per member the Senate sent over). Many have fiscal impact as well.
Frustrated @senlouiselucas.bluesky.bot in Senate Ed & Health committee says "I'm hearing these are governor's bills and if that's the case, I want to see somebody from the Administration." (Because so many of the bills have fiscal impact, and she's working hard to balance a complex budget.)
Voting board shows 14 yeas, 0 nays, and 1 abstention on motion to report HB746
Lots of kudos in committee for the legislative process (starting w a study, heavy stakeholder involvement, substantive rewriting by committees to prevent “mission creep,” etc.) as this important @henson4virginia.bsky.social bill to allow experienced PAs to practice w/o supervisory physician.
UPDATE: Obenshain asks for reconsideration, and then takes by for the day.
UPDATE: Obenshain asks for reconsideration, and then takes by for the day.
I think some people are worried it might violate the privacy of the biological parents.
Voting board shows 33 yeas and 7 nays on HB301
Yay for Senate passing Delegate Callsen bill to allow adults who were adopted (and whose adoptive parents had a substitute birth certificate issued) to obtain their original birth certificate.
Voting board shows 21 yeas and 18 nays on HB1344
Good to see this @helmerva.bsky.social bill to get rid of Confederate-themed license plates moving along, passing the Senate today. GOP Sen Suetterlein skips the vote because he (based on past voting history) actually opposes Confederate-reverence, but isn’t quite able to buck his caucus.
Voting board shows 22 yeas and 18 nays on HB320, a bill to prohibit live streaming while driving
The stuff you can’t even believe is partisan.
@jcole4va.bsky.social
Voting board shows 57 yeas and 39 nays on SB661
@aaronrouse.bsky.social skill games bill passes House--current version as heavily rewritten by House General Laws would remove the 90,000 unregulated black market skill games already out, and allow 15,000 strongly-regulated, age-restricted, Lottery-tracked machines, sparsely distributed.
Voting board shows 15 yeas and 7 nays on motion to report SB794
👏House Courts reports @russetperry.bsky.social Virginia Health Care Protection Act to prevent law enforcement from investigating (or aiding in an investigation), arresting or extraditing someone for activity rel. to health care that’s not prohibited in Virginia. Stronger than last yr bill.
