What happens when Democrats take control of a State General Assembly?
"It is hard to overstate what the new Democratic majority has done toward creating a more equitable and forward-thinking Commonwealth. Though we might have lost a lot of sleep over the past 60-days, it’s been worth it to see Virginia waking up from history." - Senator Adam Ebbin
Here's the list:
▪ Ratified the ERA
▪ Ended mandatory ultrasounds before abortions
▪ Ended the 24-hour waiting period before abortions
▪ Passed universal background checks on gun purchases
▪ Limited gun purchases to one per month
▪ Made Election Day a state holiday
▪ Passed early voting for all Virginians
▪ Passed same day voter registration
▪ Passed automatic voter registration
▪ Passed parole for juvenile offenders
▪ Ended zero tolerance policies for disciplinary infractions in schools
▪ Banned hair discrimination
▪ Expanded hate crimes protections to include the LGBTQ community and those with disabilities
▪ Created best practices for trans students in schools
▪ Banned conversion therapy for minors
▪ Enacted anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community
▪ Enacted anti-discrimination protections for pregnant people
▪ Decriminalized marijuana
▪ Established the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice
▪ Extended the green job creation tax credit
▪ Joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to cut carbon emissions
▪ Passed mental health training for teachers
▪ Eliminated the requirement that race be disclosed on marriage records
▪ Passed protections for undocumented immigrants who are victims or witnesses to crimes
▪ Passed in-state tuition for DREAMers
▪ Cracked down on wage theft
▪ Protected the Affordable Care Act at the state level
▪ Increased the minimum wage to $12/hour
▪ Ended ban on collective bargaining
▪ Repealed unnecessary abortion clinic regulations
▪ Repealed voter ID laws
VPAP analyzed the fate of 3,001 bills introduced during the annual General Assembly session. How many passed? How many failed and where were they killed? The analysis shows a big increase in the percentage of bills that passed despite running into significant opposition along the way.
