Week 4 Brings Real Progress

Dear Friend,

This past week, committee meetings continued into the late hours and advocates for many good causes descended upon the Capitol. Lawmakers advanced consumer protection bills, gun safety legislation, and climate change mitigation proposals, to name just a few successes. Although the long hours were tedious, it was incredibly satisfying to see progressive values prevail in so many important areas.

Payday Lending Reforms - A major reform bill that modernizes Virginia’s payday lending practices was passed out of the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee. Today, Virginia borrowers often pay more than residents of other states for loans and suffer harmful outcomes, such as vehicle repossession and fees and interest that exceed the amount they received in credit. The Virginia Fairness in Lending Act requires that all loans have affordable payments, enough time to repay, and prices that are three times lower than they are in Virginia today. The bill is modeled on reforms proven to maintain widespread access to credit that have passed in other states. There are still legislative hurdles to overcome and the business interests benefitting from the current law are aggressively fighting the reform. I will continue to “whip” the votes in an effort to pass this much-needed legislation.

Worker Protection Bill - A number of bills that will protect against wage theft and hold employers more accountable are working their way through the system. It is my hope that these bills will garner some bi-partisan support because “work” should be rewarded and employers who exploit workers should be punished. As you might suspect, those who are most victimized by these unscrupulous practices are immigrant workers who fear initiating any contact with a government agency.

Financial Abuse of Elders - Unfortunately, this issue is becoming more and more common. Virginia's Department of Social Services reports that elder financial abuse has risen over 30 percent between 2017 and 2018, and most experts believe the increase is higher than that because of under-reporting. I amended a bill on the Senate floor to require financial institutions to report to the local departments of Social Services or to an elder abuse hotline any actions taken to close an account or stop payment on an account because of suspected financial abuse.

Gun Safety - The House has passed nearly all of the gun safety measures requested by the Governor. The Senate has passed four such measures and continues to work through the remaining proposals. This past week, bills to protect children from accessing firearms and bills requiring the removal of firearms from those who are the subject of permanent protective orders passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I am still working on my proposal to remove firearms from those who have been convicted of a misdemeanor sexual assault, assault of a family or household member, or stalking. I expect I will have to carry-over this bill because of remaining questions regarding the intersection of relevant Federal and State statutes, and the large docket of the Judiciary Committee. A big “Thank You” to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the Brady Group for their unwavering advocacy and moral support on my misdemeanor conviction bill.

Ban on Death Penalty for those with Serious Mental Illness - My bill bans the death penalty if it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of a judge or jury that an individual was seriously mentally ill at the time the crime was committed. The individual could still be found guilty, and sentenced to life in prison, but the death penalty would be removed as a sentencing option. I am honored to have earned recognition for my efforts in this area from the Alternatives to the Death Penalty advocates. Although bills have been introduced to completely repeal the death penalty, I do not expect them to pass. Should this dynamic change, my bill would become unnecessary. However. it is always good to have a safety-net proposal when navigating the legislative process.

Driver’s Licenses for Undocumented Virginians - I am proud to say that the Senate Transportation Committee, a committee on which I serve, passed a proposal to provide driver’s licenses to undocumented Virginians. The vote was along party lines and it was long overdue. The license would clearly say that it could not be used for Federal identification purposes, but it would enable our immigrant friends and neighbors to legally drive cars. So much of today’s economy depends on immigrant labor and our new Virginians need to provide for their families by driving to work. I truly hope this transformational legislation makes it to the Governor’s desk.

Climate Change Mitigation Proposals - My Green Energy Plan bill passed the Senate on January 24th and it is now in the House. This bill requires the Governor to come up with a plan every four years to reach ambitious carbon emission reduction goals. Another bill, the Clean Economy Act (I am a co-patron), which describes specific strategies for reaching carbon emission reduction goals has not yet made it through the committee process. These environmental bills are proving to be challenges to pass because so many business interests want to implement change in their own way and at their own pace. I am confident, however, that this will be the year for significant progress on implementing climate change mitigation strategies.

Next Week - I am sponsoring bills to require paid sick leave, ban workplace discrimination because of pregnancy, and stop surprise billing practices for medical care. Hopefully, these bills will successfully make it through the process. I will keep you posted.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Senator Barbara Favola

31st District - Representing Parts of Arlington, Fairfax & Loudoun