General Assembly 2020 Overview (PDF)

2020 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Special Session details below the GA priorities

2020 Legislative Priorities One Pager
Economic Justice
  • Wage Theft Reform- Creating a “Private Cause of Action” and strengthening DOLI (Dept. of Labor & Industry)
    • Private Cause Fact Sheet
      • HB 123 Delegate Carroll-Foy & SB 838 Senator Ebbin
        • Both bills passed!
    • Strengthening DOLI
    • Disclosure of terms to employees
      • HB 800 Delegate Delaney
        • Passed the House, continued to 2021 in Senate
      • SB 295 Senator Marsden
        • Carried over to 2021
    • Fund wage-theft enforcement staff at DOLI in the budget
    • Click here to learn more
    • See our one pager on wage theft legislation here
  • Predatory Lending Reform – comprehensively reform payday & auto title lending like Ohio & Colorado
  • Refundable Earned Income Tax Credit
    • HB 1435 Delegate Jay Jones- died in sub-committee
  • Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 by 2024! (Raise the Minimum Wage Fact Sheet)
  • Remove Exemptions to the Minimum Wage! Everyone deserves at least minimum wage (Minimum Wage Exemptions Fact Sheet)
    • HB 338 Delegate Price- Removes exemption for domestic workers- Carried over to 2021
    • HB 339 Delegate Price- Removes exemption for micro-businesses- Carried over to 2021
    • HB 583 Delegate Guzman- Removes exemption for farm workers- incorporated into HB 395
    • SB 78 Senator Howell- Removes exemption for workers paid by the piece (quantity)- passed both chambers!
    • SB 804 Senator McClellan- Removes exemption for domestic workers- passed both chambers!
  • Prevent Misclassification of Employees
    • HB 984 Delegate Delaney- Creates a private cause of action for misclassification
    • HB 1199 Delegate Tran- Prohibits retaliation against employee for reporting misclassification
    • HB 1407 Delegate Ward- Defines misclassification and prohibits State from contracting with employers engaged in misclassification
    • SB 662 Senator Boysko- Prohibits retaliation against employee for reporting misclassification
    • SB 744 Senator McPike- Defines misclassification
    • SB 894 Senator Saslaw- Creates a private cause of action for misclassification
    • All 6 bills passed!
Environmental Justice
See Virginia Interfaith Power & Light’s Priorities here
  • Codifying the Environmental Justice Council
  • Incorporating Environmental Justice into State Agencies
    • HB 704 Delegate Keam & SB 406 Senator Hashmi
      • both bills passed!
  • Lower Energy Burden (electricity bills) on Virginia’s most vulnerable (Energy Burden Fact Sheet)
      • Use 50% of revenue from RGGI for energy efficiency and low-income households
        • HB 981 Delegate Herring & SB 1027 Senator Lewis
        • both bills passed!
      • Stop overcharging families on electricity bills by allowing the SCC its traditional oversight role
        • HB 1132 Delegate Jay Jones & Lee Ware
        • passed the house, died in the Senate committee
      • Create an Energy Efficiency Standard
        • HB 1450 Delegate Sullivan & SB 354 Senator Bell
        • HB 1450 passed the house but was left in the Senate, SB 354 was left in committee
Health Equity
  • Prenatal Care for All Children  — regardless of a mother’s status
    • Prenatal Care Fact Sheet
      • HB30, Item 312, #2h Delegate Guzman
      • SB30, Item 312 #1s Senator Ebbin
      • This was not included in the budget
  • Support the priorities of the Healthcare for All Virginians (HAV) coalition
Racial Equity
  • Establish a position; Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • HB 394 Delegate Ward
      • passed both chambers!
  • Create a Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent De Jure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination Against African Americans
    • HB 1519 Delegate McQuinn
      • passed both chambers!
Welcoming All
  • Driver’s Licenses for All- allowing all Virginia residents access to a driver’s license
  • In State Tuition for All- allowing all Virginia residents access to in-state tuition for higher education
  • De-ICE Virginia- Removes provision requiring jails to ascertain citizenship of anyone taken into custody
    • HB 1150 Delegate Lopez & SB 491 Senator Surovell
      • HB 1150 passed!
  • Office of New Americans- Establishes the Office of New Americans within the Department of Social Services, as well as an advisory board, to assist immigrant integration within the Commonwealth on an economic, social, and cultural level
    • HB 1209 Delegate Tran & SB 991 Senator Hashmi
      • both bills passed!

OPPOSING!!!!

  • Allowing weapons into houses of worship
    • HB 373 Delegate McGuire- died in sub-committee
    • HB 596 Delegate Walker- died in sub-committee
    • HB 1486 Delegate LaRock- died in sub-committee
    • SB 958 Senator Chase- died in committee

 

2020 Special Session Legislative Priorities

Paid Quarantine Leave- will allow all employees that work more than 20/hrs. week to receive 2 weeks of paid quarantine time to prevent the spread of COVID 19.

Stop the Evictions Crisis, prohibit termination of rental agreements during pandemic

Lower Energy Burden on Virginians & require utilities to create a debt-repayment plan

  • HB 5117– Delegate Aird- referred to Labor & Commerce

Allow Virginia to require immigrant detention facilities to have health and safety standards, inspections; Correctional Facility clarification.

  • SB 5017– Senator Boysko- passed the Senate & House, sent to the Governor

Authorizes locality to establish Civilian Review Board

  • SB 5035– Senator Hashmi- passed the Senate & House, sent to the Governor

Establishment of a Mental Health awareness response & community understanding services

  • HB 5043– Delegate Bourne- passed the Senate & House, sent to the Governor
  • SB 5084– Senator McClellan- referred to Judiciary

Prohibition on No-Knock Search Warrants

  • HB 5099– Delegate Aird- passed the Senate & House, sent to the Governor

Establishes conditions of early release for terminally ill & physically disabled prisoners

  • SB 5034– Senator Boysko- passed the Senate & House, sent to the Governor

Paid Sick Leave

  • SB 5076– Favola- did not pass out of Commerce & Labor committee

Paid Sick Days for all school employees

  • HB 5078– Delegate Coyner- referred to Education
  • SB 5094– Senator Dunnavant- did not pass out of the Finance committee

Lower Energy Burden on Virginians & refund Dominion over-earnings

  • HB 5088– Delegate Jay Jones- referred to Labor & Commerce
  • SB 5085– Senator John Bell- referred to Utility Commission for study

Budget: We will be supporting the following budget proposals:

  • Prenatal Care: The proposed budget amendment reintroduced by Del. Elizabeth Guzman will offer FAMIS prenatal care regardless of an expectant mother’s immigration status. Item 312 #2h
  • Budget Monies for the Rent Relief Fund: The Governor’s budget includes $88 million for the Rent Relief Fund. Thousands of renters will be evicted if this (and more) money is not allocated. Much more is needed.
  • Eliminate 40 quarter rule for Medicaid: This rule excludes immigrants from Medicaid. Item 482.20 #6h
  • Fund a position for an Environmental Justice Director at the Department of Environmental Quality. Item 380 #1h

Criminal Justice Reform/Policing Reform: Most of the major criminal justice reform ideas are being worked on for the regular session beginning in January. There are dozens of bills that have been introduced or will be introduced on policing reform. VICPP supports the general direction of reforms proposed by the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.