Wednesday, January 18th 2017, at 9pm, Ricky Javon Gray will be executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty will be holding 16 vigils to protest capital punishment: for locations and details, see the link.
Gray and his nephew, Ray Joseph Dandridge, are undisputed guilty of murdering seven people, including two children. Their victims are Kathryn, Bryan, Stella, and Ruby Harvey, Ashley Baskerville, Mary Baskerville-Tucker, and Percyell Tucker. He also likely killed his wife, Treva Gray, and a stranger, Sheryl Warner.
The question, however, is not whether Gray is guilty or even whether he deserves to die for his crimes: it's whether the state of Virginia has the moral authority to impose that punishment. I contend that it does not.
The Richmond vigil will take place at 8:30pm, at the Richmond Friends Meeting (4500 Kensington Avenue, Richmond VA). For more information, contact Margaret Rittenhouse at margaret.rittenhouse@gmail.com or (804) 690-4942.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Monday, January 16, 2017
Master Post on the 2017 Virginia General Assembly
The 2017 session of the Virginia General Assembly began last week, Wednesday January 11th. It will adjourn February 25th. Now's a good time to figure out who your state representatives are, and if they've changed since the election; you can enter your address here to find your state rep and senator.
A brief refresher:
The General Assembly is Virginia’s legislative body. Like the national Congress, it’s made up of the Senate and the House of Delegates. There are 40 senators, and 100 delegates. Senate elections happen every 4 years, and delegate elections every 2. The house has 14 standing committees, and the senate has 11.
You can read about how bills are proposed and how they move through the legislative process to become law here. Here is a glossary of legislative terms.
Two important online resources are Richmond Sunlight, which tracks bills and allows people to post commentary, and LIS.virginia, the General Assembly’s homepage.
I have compiled lists of bills relating to:
Health, Mental Illness, and Disability
Women, Reproductive Health, and Abortion
Education
LGBTQ Rights
Cops, Courts, and Prisons
Labor
Miscellaneous
Here are some ways you can act to support or oppose a bill:
Contacting your representative, via phone calls, email, or letters
Speaking when the bill is heard in committee
Organizing protests or other actions
A brief refresher:
The General Assembly is Virginia’s legislative body. Like the national Congress, it’s made up of the Senate and the House of Delegates. There are 40 senators, and 100 delegates. Senate elections happen every 4 years, and delegate elections every 2. The house has 14 standing committees, and the senate has 11.
You can read about how bills are proposed and how they move through the legislative process to become law here. Here is a glossary of legislative terms.
Two important online resources are Richmond Sunlight, which tracks bills and allows people to post commentary, and LIS.virginia, the General Assembly’s homepage.
I have compiled lists of bills relating to:
Health, Mental Illness, and Disability
Women, Reproductive Health, and Abortion
Education
LGBTQ Rights
Cops, Courts, and Prisons
Labor
Miscellaneous
Here are some ways you can act to support or oppose a bill:
Contacting your representative, via phone calls, email, or letters
Speaking when the bill is heard in committee
Organizing protests or other actions
2017 General Assembly: Miscellaneous Bills
Note: Bills can still be filed until January 20th, so new items may be added. To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
This is my mop-up category, of bills which didn't fit in with: Health, Mental Illness, and Disability; Women, Reproductive Health, and Abortion; Education; LGBTQ Rights; Cops, Courts, and Prisons; and Labor.
Bills to support:
SB 918: Expands a 2013 pilot program to allow third-party producers of renewable energy to sell excess electricity back to the local utility.
HB 1418: Allows localities to adopt rules prohibiting the carriage of firearms in their libraries.
HB 1482: Changes how Virginia allocates its electoral votes. Rather than going to whoever wins Virginia, they instead go to whoever wins the nationwide popular vote.
Bills to oppose:
SB 789 would lower Virginia’s corporate income tax from 6% to 5.5%, and SB 835 would lower it to 2.5%. Virginia taxes personal income at 5.75% for incomes over 17k; a business shouldn’t have a smaller tax rate than its workers.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
This is my mop-up category, of bills which didn't fit in with: Health, Mental Illness, and Disability; Women, Reproductive Health, and Abortion; Education; LGBTQ Rights; Cops, Courts, and Prisons; and Labor.
Bills to support:
SB 918: Expands a 2013 pilot program to allow third-party producers of renewable energy to sell excess electricity back to the local utility.
HB 1418: Allows localities to adopt rules prohibiting the carriage of firearms in their libraries.
HB 1482: Changes how Virginia allocates its electoral votes. Rather than going to whoever wins Virginia, they instead go to whoever wins the nationwide popular vote.
Bills to oppose:
SB 789 would lower Virginia’s corporate income tax from 6% to 5.5%, and SB 835 would lower it to 2.5%. Virginia taxes personal income at 5.75% for incomes over 17k; a business shouldn’t have a smaller tax rate than its workers.
2017 General Assembly: Bills Involving Health, Mental Illness, and Disability
Note: Bills can still be filed until January 20th, so new items may be added.
To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 1005: Mandates that community service boards and behavioral health authorities must, effective July 1 2018, provide same-day access to mental health screening services, outpatient primary care screening and monitoring services, and follow up for people IDed as needing assistance getting primary health services. As of 2021, must also include a bunch more.
SB 1027: Allows certain approved providers to manufacture and dispense cannabis-derived medical products for the treatment of intractable epilepsy. Currently, these clinically-proven treatments are not available, even under a doctor’s orders, because cannabis is not legal in Virginia.
SB 933: Mandates that the annual training for sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers at jails must include mental health first aid. Many people experiencing mental health crises end up in jail instead of at hospitals; training of this type might improve how jails handle them.
HB 1480: Similar to the above, requires police officers to be trained in mental health awareness.
SB 841: Makes certain medical use an affirmative defense for some marijuana-related charges. Marijuana is clinically proven to benefit sufferers of some conditions, but it is not legal in Virginia.
HB 1426: Directs the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Director of Criminal Justice Services to come up with an alternative mode of transport for people being involuntarily committed to psychiatric institutions, so that the police don’t have to be called.
HB 1522: Establishes that if a person convicted of a capital crime had a severe mental illness at the time their crime was committed, they cannot be sentenced to death.
SB 940: Mandates that jail inmates be screened for mental illnesses and evaluated regarding their need for services within 72 hours. This will help address the issue of mentally ill people being warehoused in jail cells without services.
To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 1005: Mandates that community service boards and behavioral health authorities must, effective July 1 2018, provide same-day access to mental health screening services, outpatient primary care screening and monitoring services, and follow up for people IDed as needing assistance getting primary health services. As of 2021, must also include a bunch more.
SB 1027: Allows certain approved providers to manufacture and dispense cannabis-derived medical products for the treatment of intractable epilepsy. Currently, these clinically-proven treatments are not available, even under a doctor’s orders, because cannabis is not legal in Virginia.
SB 933: Mandates that the annual training for sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers at jails must include mental health first aid. Many people experiencing mental health crises end up in jail instead of at hospitals; training of this type might improve how jails handle them.
HB 1480: Similar to the above, requires police officers to be trained in mental health awareness.
SB 841: Makes certain medical use an affirmative defense for some marijuana-related charges. Marijuana is clinically proven to benefit sufferers of some conditions, but it is not legal in Virginia.
HB 1426: Directs the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Director of Criminal Justice Services to come up with an alternative mode of transport for people being involuntarily committed to psychiatric institutions, so that the police don’t have to be called.
HB 1522: Establishes that if a person convicted of a capital crime had a severe mental illness at the time their crime was committed, they cannot be sentenced to death.
SB 940: Mandates that jail inmates be screened for mental illnesses and evaluated regarding their need for services within 72 hours. This will help address the issue of mentally ill people being warehoused in jail cells without services.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Keep Andrew Puzder Out! No Anti-Worker Secretary of Labor
Tomorrow, January 12th 2017, from 2-5pm, at the Myers Street Hardee's (921 Myers Street, Richmond VA), there will be a local protest as part of the Keep Andrew Puzder Out National Day of Action. From the event description:
"The Senate is about to hold hearings on Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Labor – one of the WORST fast-food CEOs, Andy Puzder, of Hardee's and Carl's Jr. Puzder has made it perfectly clear he doesn't support raising the minimum wage and his restaurants are infamous for low wages, withholding overtime pay, and mistreating workers.
On Thursday 1/12, we're taking this fight straight to Puzder's door – with protests at Carl's Jr, Hardee's and other restaurants he runs from coast-to-coast. We will hear from current and former Hardee's workers who know from their experiences that Puzder is the wrong choice.
By picking Puzder, Donald Trump made it pretty clear – he's not taking on the rigged economy. Instead, he wants to rig it up even more. We're going to make sure he knows that if he wants to put a guy who makes more in a day than many of his employees make in a YEAR in charge of protecting workers, he's on the wrong side of history. We need $15 an hour and union rights – not a fast-food CEO who doesn't believe in the minimum wage. And we won't back down."
For more info and to RSVP, see the link
"The Senate is about to hold hearings on Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Labor – one of the WORST fast-food CEOs, Andy Puzder, of Hardee's and Carl's Jr. Puzder has made it perfectly clear he doesn't support raising the minimum wage and his restaurants are infamous for low wages, withholding overtime pay, and mistreating workers.
On Thursday 1/12, we're taking this fight straight to Puzder's door – with protests at Carl's Jr, Hardee's and other restaurants he runs from coast-to-coast. We will hear from current and former Hardee's workers who know from their experiences that Puzder is the wrong choice.
By picking Puzder, Donald Trump made it pretty clear – he's not taking on the rigged economy. Instead, he wants to rig it up even more. We're going to make sure he knows that if he wants to put a guy who makes more in a day than many of his employees make in a YEAR in charge of protecting workers, he's on the wrong side of history. We need $15 an hour and union rights – not a fast-food CEO who doesn't believe in the minimum wage. And we won't back down."
For more info and to RSVP, see the link
Shut Down Bob Marshall and HB 1612 (Virginia's even-worse answer to North Carolina's anti-transgender Bathroom Bill)
Tomorrow, Thursday January 12th 2017, from 10am-1pm, in House Room 1 of the Virginia State Capitol (Richmond, VA: additional info on the entrance through the link), Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall and the Virginia First Foundation are holding a press conference on their bill, HB 1612, which makes it a crime for transgender people to use public bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity. A group is assembling to protest the bill.
HB 1612 prohibits people from using "a public bathroom or changing facility which does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate"; allows people to sue a public institution if that institution allows transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender, on the grounds that this inflicts emotional damages to them; and requires principals to, within 24 hours, notify parents if their child expresses a wish to be “recognized or treated as the opposite sex” or to use a name or pronouns “inconsistent with [their] sex.”
While this item is being billed as a “Personal Privacy Act,” it can only be enforced if government institutions interrogate transgender people, or people of ‘ambiguous’ gender presentation, about their birth sex, and if public school officials monitor a child's gender identity.
For more info and to RSVP, see the link.
HB 1612 prohibits people from using "a public bathroom or changing facility which does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate"; allows people to sue a public institution if that institution allows transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender, on the grounds that this inflicts emotional damages to them; and requires principals to, within 24 hours, notify parents if their child expresses a wish to be “recognized or treated as the opposite sex” or to use a name or pronouns “inconsistent with [their] sex.”
While this item is being billed as a “Personal Privacy Act,” it can only be enforced if government institutions interrogate transgender people, or people of ‘ambiguous’ gender presentation, about their birth sex, and if public school officials monitor a child's gender identity.
For more info and to RSVP, see the link.
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
2017 General Assembly: Bills Involving Women, Reproductive Health, and Abortion
Note: Bills can still be filed until January 20th, so new items may be added. To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
HB 153 and SB 877 both overturn Virginia’s rule mandating that abortion clinics be held to the same architectural standards as hospitals. This rule, which is now being phased out by the Board of Health after a long political fight, is an example of a legislative strategy called TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers). TRAP laws are intended to end poor people’s access to abortion without actually mounting a challenge of the procedure’s legality, by closing clinics.
HB 1593: Exempts toilet paper, adult diapers, and menstrual hygiene products from sales tax.
SJ 221: Ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, which reads “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
Bills to oppose:
HB 1473: Prohibits abortion after 20 weeks gestation under the premise that, at this age, a fetus can feel pain. This is an attempt to undermine the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which found that abortion is protected under a person’s right to privacy until 24 weeks gestation. The argument that a fetus can feel pain at four months is also 1. Unproven, and 2. Of limited relevance. A pregnant person’s right to their body still takes precedence.
HR: 268: A resolution to establish the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision which established the legality of abortion, as the “Day of Tears.”
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
HB 153 and SB 877 both overturn Virginia’s rule mandating that abortion clinics be held to the same architectural standards as hospitals. This rule, which is now being phased out by the Board of Health after a long political fight, is an example of a legislative strategy called TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers). TRAP laws are intended to end poor people’s access to abortion without actually mounting a challenge of the procedure’s legality, by closing clinics.
HB 1593: Exempts toilet paper, adult diapers, and menstrual hygiene products from sales tax.
SJ 221: Ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, which reads “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
Bills to oppose:
HB 1473: Prohibits abortion after 20 weeks gestation under the premise that, at this age, a fetus can feel pain. This is an attempt to undermine the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which found that abortion is protected under a person’s right to privacy until 24 weeks gestation. The argument that a fetus can feel pain at four months is also 1. Unproven, and 2. Of limited relevance. A pregnant person’s right to their body still takes precedence.
HR: 268: A resolution to establish the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision which established the legality of abortion, as the “Day of Tears.”
2017 General Assembly: Bills Involving Education
Note: Bills can still be filed until January 20th, so new items may be added. To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 985, SB 986, and SB 987 all limit the allowed yearly tuition rate increases for public institutions.
HB 1462: Expands acceptable voting IDs to include photo IDs from colleges in other states.
HB 1534 and SB 995 both limit the duration of long-term out of school suspensions from 364 days to 45 days.
Bills to oppose:
HB 1452: Requires a 3 credit hour course in Western Civilization or US History as a condition of graduating from a public university. It’s unreasonable for a politician to set graduation requirements.
HB 1612: An anti-transgender bathroom bill which also requires school officials to contact parents if their student comes out as transgender at school. Specifically, the bill: prohibits people from using a public bathroom or changing facility which does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate; allows people to sue a public institution if that institution allows transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender; and requires principals to, within 24 hours, notify parents if their child expresses a wish to be “recognized or treated as the opposite sex” or to use a name or pronouns “inconsistent with [their] sex.” While this item is being billed as a “Personal Privacy Act,” it can only be enforced if government institutions interrogate transgender people, or people of ‘ambiguous’ gender presentation, about their birth sex.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 985, SB 986, and SB 987 all limit the allowed yearly tuition rate increases for public institutions.
HB 1462: Expands acceptable voting IDs to include photo IDs from colleges in other states.
HB 1536: Prohibits students in pre-K through 5th grade from being expelled or suspended due to offenses less than criminal.
SB 996: Prohibits pre-K through 5th grade students from being given long-term suspensions for disruptive behaviors, unless their behavior injured somebody.
HB 1534 and SB 995 both limit the duration of long-term out of school suspensions from 364 days to 45 days.
Bills to oppose:
HB 1452: Requires a 3 credit hour course in Western Civilization or US History as a condition of graduating from a public university. It’s unreasonable for a politician to set graduation requirements.
HB 1612: An anti-transgender bathroom bill which also requires school officials to contact parents if their student comes out as transgender at school. Specifically, the bill: prohibits people from using a public bathroom or changing facility which does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate; allows people to sue a public institution if that institution allows transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender; and requires principals to, within 24 hours, notify parents if their child expresses a wish to be “recognized or treated as the opposite sex” or to use a name or pronouns “inconsistent with [their] sex.” While this item is being billed as a “Personal Privacy Act,” it can only be enforced if government institutions interrogate transgender people, or people of ‘ambiguous’ gender presentation, about their birth sex.
2017 Virginia General Assembly: Bills Involving LGBTQ Rights
Note: Bills can still be filed until January 20th, so new items may be added. To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 783: Prohibits discrimination for public employment, in matters of sexual orientation or gender identity.
HB 1395, SB 782, SJ 216, HJ 538, and SJ 220 all repeal Virginia’s constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriages and civil unions.
SB 822: Makes housing discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation illegal.
Bills to oppose:
HB 1612: An anti-transgender bathroom bill which also requires school officials to contact parents if their student comes out as transgender at school. Specifically, the bill: prohibits people from using a public bathroom or changing facility which does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate; allows people to sue a public institution if that institution allows transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender; and requires principals to, within 24 hours, notify parents if their child expresses a wish to be “recognized or treated as the opposite sex” or to use a name or pronouns “inconsistent with [their] sex.” While this item is being billed as a “Personal Privacy Act,” it can only be enforced if government institutions interrogate transgender people, or people of ‘ambiguous’ gender presentation, about their birth sex.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 783: Prohibits discrimination for public employment, in matters of sexual orientation or gender identity.
HB 1395, SB 782, SJ 216, HJ 538, and SJ 220 all repeal Virginia’s constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriages and civil unions.
SB 822: Makes housing discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation illegal.
Bills to oppose:
HB 1612: An anti-transgender bathroom bill which also requires school officials to contact parents if their student comes out as transgender at school. Specifically, the bill: prohibits people from using a public bathroom or changing facility which does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate; allows people to sue a public institution if that institution allows transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender; and requires principals to, within 24 hours, notify parents if their child expresses a wish to be “recognized or treated as the opposite sex” or to use a name or pronouns “inconsistent with [their] sex.” While this item is being billed as a “Personal Privacy Act,” it can only be enforced if government institutions interrogate transgender people, or people of ‘ambiguous’ gender presentation, about their birth sex.
2017 Virginia General Assembly: Bills Involving Cops, Courts, and Prisons
Note: Bills can still be filed until January 20th, so new items may be added. To see my master list of 2017 legislative topics, click here.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 825: Provides for new sentencing hearings for people convicted after the 1995 Truth in Sentencing Act but before the 2000 court case Fishback v. Virginia. The 1995 Act abolished parole, and 2000 court case mandated that juries be informed that parole was no longer available. During this time, juries sentenced people with the expectation that, because of parole, a person would serve only part of their sentence in prison.
SB 942: Authorizes state Board of Corrections to review inmate deaths in local and regional jails, and to report on whether the facility followed DOC policies. This bill comes in the wake of Jamycheal Mitchell’s death in the Hampton Roads Regional Jail in 2015, after which no state agency could definitively be said to have responsibility for conducting an investigation. Mitchell, a 24 year-old schizophrenic man accused of stealing $5 worth of snacks from a convenience store, was subjected to four months of abuse by corrections officials before dying of starvation. After his death, eleven state agencies claimed not to have the authority to investigate the jail.
SB 957: Makes it a misdemeanor for police officers to take your recording device or alter your recordings, provided those recordings are legal. This imposes actual penalties for officers who interfere with your legal right to film the police by taking your device or deleting your recordings.
SB 796: Allows somebody to petition for the expungment of certain minor crimes (marijuana posession, underaged alcohol posession, and using a fake ID), provided it’s been more than five years and their conviction took place before their 21st birthday.
SB 940: Mandates that jail inmates be screened for mental illnesses and evaluated regarding their need for services within 72 hours. This will help address the issue of mentally ill people being warehoused in jail cells without services.
SB 830: Provides that if a person is otherwise eligible for food stamps but has been convicted of a first-time felony intent to distribute, they are still eligible. Food is a right.
HB 1522: Establishes that if a person convicted of a capital crime had a severe mental illness at the time their crime was committed, they cannot be sentenced to death.
SB 908: Decriminalizes simple possession of marijuana (makes it punishable by a fine instead of jail time), and decreases the penalty for distribution or possession with intent to sell from a Class 5 felony to a Class 6 felony, provided the quantity is not more than five pounds.
SB 784: Removes the requirement to automatically suspend the driver’s licenses of people convicted of simple possession of marijuana.
SB 841: Makes certain medical use an affirmative defense for some marijuana-related charges. Marijuana is clinically proven to benefit sufferers of some conditions, but it is not legal in Virginia.
HB 1426: Directs the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Director of Criminal Justice Services to come up with an alternative mode of transport for people being involuntarily committed to psychiatric institutions, so that the police don’t have to be called.
SB 831: Makes production, or possession with intent to produce, of marijuana a misdemeanor, if the defendant can prove that their intent was to give (not sell) the marijuana to another person, who is not incarcerated. Currently, this is a felony punishable by 5-30 years in prison.
SB 933: Mandates that the annual training for sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers at jails must include mental health first aid. Many people experiencing mental health crises end up in jail instead of at hospitals; training of this type might improve how jails handle them.
HB 1480: Similar to the above, requires police officers to be trained in mental health awareness.
SB 1000: Establishes a process for disclosure of officer-involved shootings, and directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to develop a policy for the investigation of such shootings.
HB 1599: Provides a means by which a person whose license was suspended due to court fees to have it reinstated upon an offer of employment which requires a license.
HB 1611: Allows reinstatement of a license suspended due to nonpayment of child support, under certain circumstances. This is necessary because most people need their license in order to work; if somebody can’t pay child support, being unable to legally get to and from work is not going to help them pay.
SJ 222: Amends the state constitution to give the General Assembly the ability to restore rights to non-violent felons. Currently, only the Governor can do this. SJ 243 is identical, except that it does not limit the ability to non-violent felonies.
Bills to oppose:
HB 1613: Establishes that if a police officer who is required to wear a body camera causes that body camera to stop recording, he is still allowed to testify about what would have been recorded, but the jury is instructed to weigh his testimony against the fact that he caused the camera not to record. IE, if an officer turns his body camera off, he’s still allowed to testify in court regarding what he didn’t want recorded, and it’s up to instructions to overcome the bias in favor of police testimony.
HB 1398: Expands the definition of hate crime, for the purposes of reporting, to include attacks on police and EMS personnel. These incidents are already reported in the annual Crime in Virginia publication put out by the state police, and saying that an officer who was punched while arresting a belligerent has suffered a “hate crime” is rhetorically disingenuous. It’s not appropriate to put this in the same category as genuine bias crimes.
The letters before a bill’s number designate its chamber of origin. HB= House Bill, SB= Senate Bill, HR= House Resolution, etc.
Bills to support:
SB 825: Provides for new sentencing hearings for people convicted after the 1995 Truth in Sentencing Act but before the 2000 court case Fishback v. Virginia. The 1995 Act abolished parole, and 2000 court case mandated that juries be informed that parole was no longer available. During this time, juries sentenced people with the expectation that, because of parole, a person would serve only part of their sentence in prison.
SB 942: Authorizes state Board of Corrections to review inmate deaths in local and regional jails, and to report on whether the facility followed DOC policies. This bill comes in the wake of Jamycheal Mitchell’s death in the Hampton Roads Regional Jail in 2015, after which no state agency could definitively be said to have responsibility for conducting an investigation. Mitchell, a 24 year-old schizophrenic man accused of stealing $5 worth of snacks from a convenience store, was subjected to four months of abuse by corrections officials before dying of starvation. After his death, eleven state agencies claimed not to have the authority to investigate the jail.
SB 957: Makes it a misdemeanor for police officers to take your recording device or alter your recordings, provided those recordings are legal. This imposes actual penalties for officers who interfere with your legal right to film the police by taking your device or deleting your recordings.
SB 796: Allows somebody to petition for the expungment of certain minor crimes (marijuana posession, underaged alcohol posession, and using a fake ID), provided it’s been more than five years and their conviction took place before their 21st birthday.
SB 940: Mandates that jail inmates be screened for mental illnesses and evaluated regarding their need for services within 72 hours. This will help address the issue of mentally ill people being warehoused in jail cells without services.
SB 830: Provides that if a person is otherwise eligible for food stamps but has been convicted of a first-time felony intent to distribute, they are still eligible. Food is a right.
HB 1522: Establishes that if a person convicted of a capital crime had a severe mental illness at the time their crime was committed, they cannot be sentenced to death.
SB 908: Decriminalizes simple possession of marijuana (makes it punishable by a fine instead of jail time), and decreases the penalty for distribution or possession with intent to sell from a Class 5 felony to a Class 6 felony, provided the quantity is not more than five pounds.
SB 784: Removes the requirement to automatically suspend the driver’s licenses of people convicted of simple possession of marijuana.
SB 841: Makes certain medical use an affirmative defense for some marijuana-related charges. Marijuana is clinically proven to benefit sufferers of some conditions, but it is not legal in Virginia.
HB 1426: Directs the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Director of Criminal Justice Services to come up with an alternative mode of transport for people being involuntarily committed to psychiatric institutions, so that the police don’t have to be called.
SB 831: Makes production, or possession with intent to produce, of marijuana a misdemeanor, if the defendant can prove that their intent was to give (not sell) the marijuana to another person, who is not incarcerated. Currently, this is a felony punishable by 5-30 years in prison.
SB 933: Mandates that the annual training for sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers at jails must include mental health first aid. Many people experiencing mental health crises end up in jail instead of at hospitals; training of this type might improve how jails handle them.
HB 1480: Similar to the above, requires police officers to be trained in mental health awareness.
SB 1000: Establishes a process for disclosure of officer-involved shootings, and directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to develop a policy for the investigation of such shootings.
HB 1599: Provides a means by which a person whose license was suspended due to court fees to have it reinstated upon an offer of employment which requires a license.
HB 1611: Allows reinstatement of a license suspended due to nonpayment of child support, under certain circumstances. This is necessary because most people need their license in order to work; if somebody can’t pay child support, being unable to legally get to and from work is not going to help them pay.
HB 1419: Gives DMV permission to issue temporary driver's licenses for immigrants who have been granted stays of deportation due to fear of torture in their home country. This allows them to drive legally.
SJ 222: Amends the state constitution to give the General Assembly the ability to restore rights to non-violent felons. Currently, only the Governor can do this. SJ 243 is identical, except that it does not limit the ability to non-violent felonies.
SB 817: Allows restricted driver's licenses to permit travel to and from job interviews.
Bills to oppose:
HB 1613: Establishes that if a police officer who is required to wear a body camera causes that body camera to stop recording, he is still allowed to testify about what would have been recorded, but the jury is instructed to weigh his testimony against the fact that he caused the camera not to record. IE, if an officer turns his body camera off, he’s still allowed to testify in court regarding what he didn’t want recorded, and it’s up to instructions to overcome the bias in favor of police testimony.
HB 1398: Expands the definition of hate crime, for the purposes of reporting, to include attacks on police and EMS personnel. These incidents are already reported in the annual Crime in Virginia publication put out by the state police, and saying that an officer who was punched while arresting a belligerent has suffered a “hate crime” is rhetorically disingenuous. It’s not appropriate to put this in the same category as genuine bias crimes.
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