You know how some people like to (falsely) claim that it doesn’t matter which party, D or R, is in charge, because they’re supposedly “all the same,” blah blah blah? Well, see below from VPAP, which has 88 bills that were killed in Republican-controlled House of Delegates and State Senate committees last year, but which THIS year are well on their way to becoming law, under Democratic stewardship. And these bills aren’t just in one issue area, either, but span the spectrum, including (a few examples):
- Increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour
- Establishing family and medical leave benefits
- Prohibiting retaliation against employees who report violation of the law
- Requiring universal background checks on firearms purchases
- Banning housing discrimination based on income, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.
- Preventing “bias-based” profiling by police
- Promoting solar power, energy efficiency, etc.
- Cracking down on predatory lenders
- Authorizing localities to impose a tax on plastic bags
- Making it easier for people to vote
- Limiting civil asset forfeiture and increasing the felony larceny treshold
- Decriminalizing marijuana
So…yeah, there are huge differences between the parties, and…yeah, elections – and your activism – really do matter.
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