Democratic-controlled Virginia Senate committees have defeated multiple GOP bills that passed the House of Delegates.
Chief among them was legislation to repeal Virginia’s “red flag” law, which allows authorities to temporarily remove firearms from gun owners declared a danger to themselves or others.
Del. Marie March (R-Floyd County) told the Senate panel considering her measure that the “red flag” law had eroded Virginians’ constitutional rights in the two years since its passage.
Supporters of the law argued law enforcement had used it judiciously to save lives.
The Democrat-led panel defeated March’s legislation, HB 509, by a vote of 9-6.
Other bills that Democrats stopped include:
- HB 204 — allowing individuals to obtain firearms before their background checks are complete.
- HB 827 — repealing firearm prohibiting measures in public venues, including government buildings, community centers and public parks.
- HB 73; HB 74; HB 118 — all of which would have roll-backed provisions in the Virginia Clean Economy Act.
Lynchburg’s ABC 13 has more:
“Under Governor Northam, Democrats passed a historic agenda addressing the climate crisis, protecting Virginians from gun violence, and strengthening workers’ rights,” said DPVA spokesperson Gianni Snidle. “This session Republicans have attempted to undo all that progress, but Democrat-led committees in the Senate have remained steadfast in their opposition to rolling back our progress. One thing is clear, Governor Youngkin and his far-right allies will be met with heavy resistance if they continue their assault on the progress we’ve made.”
On the other side of the Virginia legislature, Republicans in the House of Delegates recently shot down measures on gay marriage and the voting rights of convicted felons.
Governor Glenn Youngkin this week also used his veto power for the first time to block HB670, which would allow the Arlington County Board of Supervisors to appoint an independent policing auditor.
Amid the flurry of activity, Republicans in the House of Delegates also killed a bill that would have given a large percentage of Virginia’s murders a chance to one day get their freedom.
Per Bacon’s Rebellion:
The bill, SB 378, would have allowed Virginia prison inmates to seek release from prison after 10 or 15 years if they hadn’t committed a specified “disciplinary offense” in the preceding five years or if a soft-on-crime prosecutor or judge waived such “behavioral standards.” Progressives argued that the bill should be approved because everybody deserves a second chance. Conservatives opposed the bill, saying that it would increase the crime rate and reopen old wounds for crime victims. The Democratic-controlled state senate had passed the bill on February 15.
