EV Alert: Weekly Legislative Update

2007 General Assembly Legislative Weekly Update
Session Winds Down With Limited Debate on GLBT Issues

 

Today, Saturday, February 24 is the day that the 2007 General Assembly is scheduled to wrap up and adjourn -- although most sessions have consistently run over the past several years as officials grapple with challenging issues such as transportation and the budget.

 

However, the legislation that Equality Virginia tracked during the session have all completed their journeys.  Ultimately, the tone this year was one where Delegates and Senators tried to rush and/or avoid debate on many of the measures we were supporting.  From denying a fair hearing to non-discrimination legislation sponsored by Delegates Katherine Waddell (I-Richmond, HB 2242) and Ken Plum (D-Reston, HB ), to making a motion to send a common-sense bill (Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple's health insurance bill, SB 1242) to a subcommittee where Delegates knew it wouldn't receive proper debate.  

 

Perhaps some elected officials were nervous about voting against these fair measures that would help treat all Virginians equally?  Perhaps it was because, once again, we generated close to 100,000 emails to Delegates and Senators over the past six weeks and they feared they might actually pass.  Maybe it was the 200 people who attended Lobby Day, or the one million voters who voted for fairness and against the so-called "marriage amendment" last year that was affecting the members.

 

What is clear is that not only do we need to continue to build our grassroots efficacy as a movement -- work that is, indeed, slowly building our political clout, but we also need to start the hard work of re-shaping the legislature.  All 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for election this November, and Equality Virginia PAC will be getting involved in several targeted races statewide.  You will hear more about these exciting campaigns in the coming weeks and months.

 

The GLBT community did earn two key victories this session.  First, we once again defeated anti-GSA legislation for the third year in a row, and the second is the success of Del. David Englin's bill (HB 2730) to allow hospital visitation rights. That bill passed unanimously through both houses of the legislature!  

 

See below for a final update on ALL legislation tracked this year by Equality Virginia.  Send a Thank You to those Delegates and Senators who voted for fairness and equality on key measures by clicking here .

Below are measures that Equality Virginia Opposed (click on the bill number to view the full text of the bill):

HB 1727  Local school board; student organizations.   Del. Matthew Lohr . This bill would have required that local school boards implement either an opt-out or opt-in policy before students could participate in extra-curricular activities. Designed to suppress participation in Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs), this bill could have prevented at-youth risk from being able to participate in a critical support network, and would have provided an unnecessary and costly bureaucratic burden on school boards and educators.

Final Update: This bill was troubled from the start. Going through several re-writes, it was defeated in committee on lobby day, then resurrected and passed.  It passed the House of Delegates before being finally defeated in the Senate Committee on Education and Health by a vote of 9-6.  Please take a moment to thank those Senators who voted to kill this anti-GSA legislation for the third year in a row!

Equality Virginia Supported These Following Measures:

SB 820/SB 1310 and HB 2550 Nondiscrimination in public employment.  Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, Sens. Louise Lucas and Mamie Locke and Del. Adam Ebbin. Prohibits employment discrimination for state workers on the basis of sexual orientation.

Final Update:  Unfortunately, these bills were defeated in their respected committees this year with little debate allowed.  The final Senate version, SB 820 failed to report (or pass) by a vote of 8-7.  The House version was stifled in the House Subcommittee were it was assigned by a 3-2 vote.  No testimony before the full committee was allowed. 

 

SB 1242 Benefits coverage; employees and retired employees of localities. Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple.  Provides that any locality that self-funds a health insurance program for its officers and employees may extend coverage under such program by any other class of persons as may be mutually agreed upon by the locality and the policyholder.

 

Final Update:  For the second year in a row, this bill passed easily in the Senate only to fail in the House. It passed the Senate 36-4, and the House Committee on Counties Cities and Towns by an 11-10 vote.  Unfortunately, when it arrived on the House Floor, Del. Clarke Hogan (R-South Boston) made a motion to re-refer the legislation to the House Appropriations Committee, where it was sent to a subcommittee to die without proper debate.

 

HB 2252 Prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation. Del. Katherine Waddell.  States that the City of Richmond may enact an ordinance on the basis of sexual orientation.

 

Final Update:  This bill was "tabled" in the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns by a 13-8 vote.  Although it had passed subcommittee, absolutely no debate was allowed in the full committee.  Del. Waddell was not even allowed to speak to her own bill!

 

HB 2598 Urban county executive form of government; commission on human rights. Del. Kenneth Plum  Adds "sexual orientation" as prohibited discrimination in a county with the urban county executive form of government (Fairfax County).

 

Final Update:  Along with HB 2252, this bill passed its subcommittee vote, but no debate was permitted before the full committee.  Del. Plum was able to speak only on a procedural matter that even brought into question whether the committee could take it up at all.   

 

HB 2730 Hospital regulations; authorized visitor designation for hospital visitation.  Del. David Englin. Requires hospitals to develop regulations allowing patients to designate any individual for visitation purposes and to change the designation at any time.

 

Final Update:  This bill passed the House of Delegates 97-0 and the Senate 40-0!!  It will now be sent to the Governor's desk. 

 

HJ 678 Constitutional amendment (first resolution); marriage. Del. Adam Ebbin.  Proposes to amend the so-called “marriage amendment”, by referendum at the November 2008 election.  This proposed amendment would add a “savings clause” protecting rights, benefits, obligations or status for unmarried persons not already abridged.

 

Final Update: This bill was defeated, or "passed by indefinitely", in the House Privileges and Elections Committee .

HJ 721 Constitutional amendment (first resolution); marriage. Del. David Englin.  This measure would repeal the so-called “marriage amendment” by referendum at the November 2008 election. 

 

Final Update: This measure was also "passed by indefinitely" in the House Priviliges and Elections Committee on Friday, January 19.