Special Session 2020: Police Reform Passes Key Senate Committees

Sunday, September 6, 2020

Dear Friend,

Nobody expected the General Assembly to be meeting into September, but we are accomplishing important things and truly making progress towards a more perfect union.

Virginia Becomes A Leader In Making Voting Easy - I am proud to note that an editorial in The Washington Post this weekend applauds Virginia's leaders for making the state a model of how to conduct an election during a pandemic. On Friday, the Governor signed into law a bill that:

• Provides $2M in funding to pre-pay postage on return envelopes for absentee ballots;

• Requires registrars to contact voters if an absentee ballot is incorrectly completed, so the voter has the opportunity to make the ballot eligible to be counted; and

• Authorizes local registrars to establish drop-off boxes for the collection of absentee ballots.

These are helpful steps in keeping voters safe while they exercise their constitutional right to vote. This is a great example of why elections matter.

Additional highlights of this past week's session are noted below:

Comprehensive Police Reform Bill - Myself and other lawmakers spent time over the summer holding listening sessions and drafting legislation to address racial inequities in policing and the criminal justice system. The horrific death of George Floyd and continual examples of police brutality against people of color has been a call to action that has not been ignored.

An important bill that I helped draft and co-sponsor has passed two important committees in the Senate – the Judiciary Committee and the Finance Committee. In addition to prohibiting excessive force, requiring the use of de-escalation techniques, improving the decertification process of officers, and sharing that important information with future employers, the bill attempts to change the culture of policing. 

For example, SB 5030 requires the Criminal Justice Services Board to adopt statewide professional standards of conduct applicable to all certified law-enforcement officers and certified jail officers. More importantly, the legislation changes the composition of the Committee on Training to include a behavioral health specialist, an indigent defense attorney, a civil rights attorney, and representatives from communities suffering from inequities in policing. I was proud to write this important part of the legislation, in consultation with the NAACP, community-based groups, and law enforcement organizations. 

Transparency in Policing - Civilian Review Boards (CRBs) - Legislation passed key Senate committees that grants jurisdictions the authority to establish CRBs. Under this legislation, localities will have broad authority to adopt a framework that brings citizens, advocates, and law enforcement experts together to investigate disciplinary complaints. I co-sponsored this bill with Senator Hashmi. We are very excited about this new transparency tool and look forward to hearing updates on how CRBs are being implemented throughout the Commonwealth.

Improving Virginia’s Response to COVID for Vulnerable Populations - Many constituents have asked about accessing information regarding potential outbreaks in facilities and day care centers. For many weeks, the Governor’s team dragged its feet regarding this request, citing privacy issues, but eventually complied. However, the General Assembly determined that clarifying the public disclosure statute regarding release of public health information was in the public’s best interest. I strongly believe that the release of aggregate information related to the number of COVID positive cases in licensed medical care facilities, schools, or summer camps far outweighs any arguments presented by these organizations about potential violations of patient privacy or public relations concerns. Going forward, there will be no ambiguity to hide behind when it comes to the release of such important information. The information must be posted on the Virginia Department of Health’s website.

Priority Testing in High Risk Environments - I am proud to say that the Senate unanimously passed a bill to ensure that the Commissioner of Health gives residents and employees of nursing homes or licensed assisted living facilities first priority in accessing COVID-19 testing. I felt that articulating this “sense of the General Assembly” was an important step even though Governor and his team have been prioritizing these populations for testing.

Preventing Homelessness - With possibly more than half a million Virginians at risk for eviction, I am hoping we can finalize negotiations to mandate the moratorium on evictions until April 1st. As the pandemic continues, having a home, a safe place to be, is more important than ever. Governor Northam established the Virginia Rent and Mortgage Relief Program with $50M in Cares Act funding. This program provides financial assistance for rent or mortgage payments for eligible households. The financial assistance is a one-time payment with the opportunity to renew, based on the availability of funds and a household's need for additional assistance. It is my hope that through the budget process and additional federal funding, this program can be expanded.

Utility Debt Relief - I am working with Senator McClellan and interest groups on a bill that will ensure that Virginians who are suffering from unemployment and the inability to pay for utilities can continue to receive basic services. Folks cannot live a healthy and sustainable life without clean public water, air conditioning and heat, phone and internet services, and other necessary supports. As a start, the Governor has proposed that Dominion use the estimated $320M rate overpayment currently in the utility’s coffers toward forgiveness of unpaid residential electric bills. I support the Governor's proposal. The negotiations have been a struggle, but we are not giving up.

Thank you for your continued support. If you agree with the work I am doing on your behalf, any donation you can make would be greatly appreciated. I enjoy hearing from you and look forward to connecting through a virtual get-together. Stay tuned – we will be sending out an invitation soon. I am also happy to participate in any virtual events you may be organizing to provide an update on the General Assembly session in a more personal way and/or to respond to questions.

I wish you and your family a good Labor Day Weekend, and I hope that those of you gearing up for virtual learning and other new experiences enjoy a good start to the academic year. Please continue to wear your masks, social distance, and wash your hands frequently. We are all in this together.

Sincerely,