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With Just a Few Days Left in 2024 General Assembly Session, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia Provide “Update on Reproductive Health Care Legislation Headed to Governor Glenn Youngkin”

By
lowkell
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4

See below for a helpful update from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, with just a few days left in the 2024 Virginia General Assembly regular session:

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As we approach the end of the 60-day legislative session, many reproductive health care bills are on their way to Governor Youngkin for his review and action. Some bills require his action before the end of session (“7 day bills”) and others he will need to review within thirty days after the conclusion of session. Bills that the Governor acts on during the 7-day window will be before the General Assembly for their action before they adjourn. They could decide to take the bill by for the day until the reconvened session or they could decide to vote before adjournment.

The General Assembly reconvenes on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 for the purpose of considering bills which may have been returned by the Governor with recommendations for amendment or bills that received a veto.

Quote from Jamie Lockhart, Executive Director, PPAV:

“We applaud the steadfast champions for reproductive rights in the Virginia General Assembly for successfully passing legislation that safeguards access to essential reproductive health care, including contraception. Protecting the right to access contraception resonates deeply with voters across the country, and we know there is widespread desire among Virginians for comprehensive reproductive freedom. As Governor Glenn Youngkin contemplates his actions, it is our fervent hope that he sides with the majority of Virginians who are calling for the protection of abortion rights and contraceptive access. We strongly encourage him to embrace this moment, stand in solidarity with the citizens of Virginia, and ensure the enactment of these crucial bills, thereby prioritizing the health and freedom of all Virginians.”

Legislation on Way to Governor Youngkin

SB238 (Hashmi): The “Contraceptive Equity Act” requires health insurance carriers to provide coverage for contraceptive drugs and devices without burdensome copayment or additional fees. The bill passed the Senate on a bipartisan vote of 24Y-14N and the House on a bipartisan vote of 69-29. Governor’s Action Deadline: 11:59 p.m., March 8, 2024

Note: HB819 (King) is the cognate and has passed both the House and Senate. The Senate substitute passed the House on 2/28 by a bipartisan vote of 57-Y 43-N.  The legislation is on its way to Governor Youngkin where he will have 30 days to act once session concludes.

SB16 (Favola)/HB78 (Watts): This legislation protects menstrual health data from a search warrant, subpoena, court order, or other process for the purpose of search and seizure. The bills passed the Senate on a bipartisan vote of (22Y-17N/22Y-18N) and a vote of 51Y-49N in the House of Delegates. The legislation is on its way to Governor Youngkin where he will have 30 days to act once session concludes.

SB15 (Favola)/HB1539 (Simon): This legislation aims to mitigate the risk of extradition against those assisting with and providing abortion care to patients from our commonwealth and elsewhere. It is critical that our legislators take every available opportunity to protect patients and providers from criminalization as a result of extreme anti-abortion laws in other states. SB15 is on its way to Governor Youngkin where he will have 30 days to act once session concludes. HB1539 is moving through the process and will be on the floor this week for final passage.

SB716 (Carroll Foy)/HB519 (King): These bills will help ensure that those who provide legal abortion care in Virginia can maintain licensure in Virginia. Individual lawmakers in hostile states have suggested they would be interested in cross-border enforcement. This bill will help to protect a health care provider’s license in Virginia if they face penalties from a hostile state for the provision of or assistance with abortion. Both of these bills have passed both bodies and are on their way to the Governor. They received bipartisan support in the House (54Y-45N) and passed on party-line votes in the Senate.

SB237 (Hashmi)/HB609 (Price): These bills protect the right to access contraception. Despite overwhelming public support, the constitutional right to contraception is being targeted by a range of candidates and policymakers who oppose reproductive health care, and indeed by the Supreme Court itself. In his concurring opinion of Dobbs, Justice Clarence Thomas voiced support for overturning the constitutional right to contraception – a right established in Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965. This legislation passed on a party-time (21Y-19N) vote in the Senate and received support from all Democrats and a few Republicans in the House of Delegates.  The legislation is on its way to Governor Youngkin where he will have 30 days to act once session concludes.

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Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia (PPAV) is a statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to preserve and broaden access to reproductive health care through legislation, public education, electoral activity and litigation in the Commonwealth of Virginia. PPAV works to ensure that individuals and families have the freedom, information, and ability to make their own informed reproductive choices.

Video: VA House, Senate Dems Call on Youngkin to Sign “7-Day Bills,” Including Those “raising the minimum wage, protecting women’s health, and banning assault weapons”

By
lowkell
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6

See below for video and highlights from this morning’s press conference by Virginia House and Senate Democrats, in which they called on Gov. Glenn Youngkin to “sign the 7-day bills that members of the [General Assembly] have sent to his desk.” According to the Virginia Senate Democrats, “These bills would ensure contraception access, reinstate Virginia’s ERIC membership and raise the minimum wage, among other priorities.” Also, per Virginia House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, bills that Youngkin should sign include those “raising the minimum wage, protecting women’s health, and banning assault weapons.” But will Youngkin sign ANY of these, let alone most or all of them? VERY unlikely, given that he’s a right winger through and through…and also continues to have “higher” political ambitions within the Trumpified/MAGA Republican Party.

Monday News: “Kamala Harris says there must be an ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza”; Biden “voices defiant confidence in his prospects for reelection”; Larry Sabato Says “The polls are incredibly premature”; It’s Looking Like a Not-So-“Super Tuesday”

By
lowkell
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43

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, March 4.

Virginia General Assembly 2024 Session Enters Its Final Week…Likely with Budget Not Completed

By
Cindy
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4

by Cindy, cross-posted from VAPLAN

The final week of (regular) session is ahead. It’s pretty apparent that the budget negotiations will not be completed before they need to adjourn sine die next Saturday, so they will have to come back for a special session to vote on the budget. Below we highlight what passed, what failed, and what’s outstanding as we go into the last week.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK, Lieutenant Governor Sears gives the world’s worst “apology” after misgendering Senator Danica Roem: “Let it be known, I am not here to upset anyone. I am here to do the job that the people of Virginia have called me to do. And that is to treat everyone with respect and dignity. I myself at times have not been afforded that same respect and dignity. But in this body, and as long as I am President of the Senate, and by the grace of god, I will be treated with respect and dignity and I will treat everyone else with respect and dignity.”

What passed:

  • Third time is the charm for a bill (SB14-McPike; HB805-Rasoul) to allow all localities to raise their local sales tax (if the voters approve in a referendum) to fund school construction projects–currently only nine localities have been approved to do so by the General Assembly.
  • 5 day waiting period for purchasing a firearm (HB1195-Hayes; SB273-Subramanyam) passed both chambers.
  • House (HB418-Simon) and Senate (SB259-Surovell) bills to allow class action lawsuits in Virginia (currently Virginians can participate in federal class action suits, but there is no such cause of action in Virginia state courts) passed on party-line votes.
  • A Paid Family and Medical Leave insurance program bill (Boysko) passed both the House and the Senate. It would begin paying claims of up to eight weeks for covered individuals beginning January, 2027, paid for through payroll deductions into the program.
  • Bill (SB212-Rouse)to legalize and regulate so-called skill game machines is headed to the Governor’s desk, although he has expressed concerns with the bills. The House cognate (HB590-Hayes) has not yet had its final floor vote.
  • Bills (HB698-Krizek; SB448-Rouse) to create a legal retail marijuana market have passed both chambers. Applications for licenses accepted 9/2024, with preference given to microbusinesses including those who suffered hardships due to the war on marijuana; retail sales begin 5/2025; tax rate is 11.625%.
  • House (HB568-Askew) and Senate (SB517-Williams-Graves) bills to remove the tax exemption for Daughter of the Confederacy and other Confederacy organizations are on their way to the Governor’s desk.
  • HB925 (Shin) to require 48 hours written notice on a vehicle in a residential parking lot before it can be towed for expired registration passed both chambers.
  • SB274 (Deeds) to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to increase drug pricing transparency and look for ways to lower costs passed both chamber. The House cognate (Delaney) should be voted on in the Senate next week.

What failed/was left in committee:

  • SB628 (Aird) to allow Petersburg to hold a referendum on whether to host a casino was left in House Appropriations.
  • A bill (HB210-Martinez) to allow trusts and medical directives to be signed and notarized electronically, and wills to be executed by electronic means failed to pass on the Senate floor.
  • House (HB834-Cousins) and Senate (SB427-Deeds) versions of the Second Look legislation to allow judges (with approval of prosecutor and victims) to reconsider long sentences in light of rehabilitative work done by the incarcerated person died in House and Senate Appropriations committees.
  • A *crappy* outcome on the Senate floor for a bill regarding notifying owners of alternative sewage systems of their maintenance responsibilities (HB1052-Batten).
  • SB316 (Salim) to allow the Town of Vienna to require a 10 year tree canopy in developments failed in the House, requiring a 2/3 majority vote.

What’s still outstanding:

  • The House budget bills HB29 and HB30 are in conference (conferees are Delegates Torian, Sickles, Bulova, Carr, Austin, Bloxom; and Senators Lucas, Deeds, Locke, Boysko, McDougle, Pillion). The Senate budget bills, per custom and tradition, were left in the House Appropriations committee.
  • HB81 (Simon) to eliminate the common-law crime of suicide reported from Senate Courts late this week and will have a floor vote early next week.
  • HB107 (Sullivan) to create the Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure program reported from Senate Finance and Approps but has not yet been to the Senate floor.
  • Related but not identical junk fee consumer protection bills have passed both chambers but will most likely need a conference committee. The House bill (Helmer) pertains solely to entertainment ticket prices–the Senate put a re-enactment clause on it stating that it would have to be passed again next session to take effect. The Senate bill (Pekarsky) pertains to junk fees more broadly for all sorts of consumer products–the House “conformed” it to their ticket price bill before passing it. Stay tuned.
  • After passing the House with bipartisan support, the Restroom Access Act (Coyner) to allow certain people with medical conditions to use employee restrooms was docketed to the wrong committee in the Senate, and will be heard in Commerce and Labor on Monday.

Sunday News: “Biden to hostage-ceasefire negotiators: Get me a deal”; Trump in Unhinged/Falsehood-Filled Richmond Speech – If You’re Not 100% MAGA, You’re Unwanted in GOP; Trump Also “mixes up Biden and Obama again” and Claims Credit for Electing Youngkin

By
lowkell
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22

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, March 3.

ICYMI: Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04), Reproductive Care Advocates Slam Trump Ahead of Rally in Richmond

By
Blue Virginia
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11

From the DNC:

ICYMI: Rep. McClellan, Reproductive Care Advocates Slam Trump Ahead of Rally in Richmond
Today, the DNC hosted a press conference with Biden-Harris National Advisory Board member Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) and reproductive care advocates to call out Donald Trump’s extreme anti-freedom agenda ahead of his rally in Richmond, Virginia. 

Read highlights from the press conference below:

  • “Trump is proud of appointing the Supreme Court justices necessary to overturn Roe v. Wade. He brags about ripping away reproductive freedom from millions of women across the country, he’s called for women to be punished for having an abortion and to punish the providers that provide that care, and he wants to take credit for the extreme abortion bans passed by Republicans in states across the country … and we’re here to give him that credit. Because even though Virginians stopped MAGA Republicans’ attempts to pass an extreme abortion ban here in Virginia by voting at the ballot box this past November, the stakes could not be higher for reproductive freedom this November,” said Biden-Harris National Advisory Board member Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan. “President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are fighting to protect reproductive freedom. They are the only candidates fighting to protect reproductive freedom and the right for patients and their doctor to make their own decisions. The choice is crystal clear: A vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is a vote for reproductive freedom. … A vote for Donald Trump is a vote to attack reproductive freedom.”
  • “If Trump and his MAGA Republicans enact a nationwide abortion ban, our Freedoms will be stripped away. Virginians and 80% of Americans, want the freedom to decide what is best for our bodies and our lives. We don’t want Donald Trump’s MAGA extremists taking away our options and controlling our futures. If Donald Trump gets his national abortion ban, Virginia women would have nowhere to turn for reproductive health care — We would all lose freedom,” said Dr. Sara Imershein, M.D., M.P.H., a Virginia abortion provider. “The stakes in November couldn’t be higher. Reproductive freedom is on the ballot and women’s health and safety are on the line. The answer: vote. Vote for reproductive freedom. Vote out extremist MAGA politicians. Vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
  • “In states that have passed strict abortion bans, my colleagues struggle with determining at what point a patient is sick ‘enough’ in the eyes of the law to allow her to abort a pregnancy. Often, physicians must confer with hospital attorneys to make these determinations, resulting in delays in care. This could be the reality in Virginia if a national abortion ban becomes law. … Isn’t this a decision that should be left to pregnant patients and their families rather than politicians?” said Dr. Jessica DeMay, M.D., a Richmond OB/GYN and maternal-fetal medicine specialist.
  • “I chose to have an abortion… I also desperately wanted another child. The quicker I could begin to heal, the sooner I could try to have a healthy baby. But most of all, I thought of my son. I didn’t want to risk my life going through a traumatic delivery when I knew there was something safer,” said Jessica. “I was able to make that life-or-death decision in one of the most difficult times in my life. I did not want to risk my life going through a potentially traumatic labor and delivery. I did not want to tell my son and everyone else in my life why I would not be coming home with a baby after clearly being pregnant. I wanted a baby and to move forward. … If Donald Trump got the national abortion ban he’s pushing for, I wouldn’t have been able to make this choice or access the care that I needed.”

VA House Dems on Trump Rally in Richmond: “House Democrats Reject MAGA Extremism; VA GOP Welcomes It”

By
Blue Virginia
-
6

From the VA House Democratic Caucus:

Virginia House Democratic Caucus Statement on Trump Rally in Richmond 

House Democrats Reject MAGA Extremism; VA GOP Welcomes It

RICHMOND, VA – Ahead of Donald Trump’s Rally in Richmond, the Virginia House Democratic Caucus released the following statement:

“Today, the MAGA Extremist Virginia GOP will welcome disgraced former president Donald Trump just weeks after House Republicans claimed not to stand with the most extreme wing of their party. This is a man who boasted about his role in the fall of Roe and, consequently, the downfall of women’s healthcare across the nation.

His haphazard governance has poisoned the roots of his party and has led to the detriment of people in this country and in this Commonwealth. The nation recently witnessed how the latest aftershock of his ‘leadership’ devastated the women in Alabama and their ability to choose when and how they want to start a family. We’ve seen Trumpism manifest in our very own General Assembly with the introduction of bills that would limit access to the ballot box, threaten our democracy, and end access to abortion and healthcare services for women in Virginia.

The Va. House Democratic Caucus is committed to standing in the face of extremism and will continue to protect the rights and freedoms of all Virginians. There is no place in the Commonwealth for Trump’s rhetoric, for his extremist ideals, and for his dangerous policies.

Virginians rejected this extremism last November and they will do so again this year.”

Video: Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) Talks About Leading Prayer for Alexei Navalny, the GOP Going From the Party of Reagan to Putin Enablers, the Need to Unite Around Joe Biden and Save Democracy, the “very ultra-right political Supreme Court”‘s “terrible ruling,” etc.

By
lowkell
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3

Great job by Katherine White of NetworkNOVA interviewing Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) yesterday See below for video, as well as a few highlights, including:

  • “There was…a big House delegation that included Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, as well as the ranking members of Intelligence and Armed services and Foreign Affairs and the chairman the Republican chairman of the intelligence committee who’s a big supporter of Ukraine, Mike Turner of Ohio. And so he and I led this big delegation to the Munich security conference where Kamala Harris spoke, and to the NATO parliamentary assembly…in Brussels…And when we were there we got the news that Alexei Navalny had died. And it turned out that his widow was at the Munich security conference, so she was a surprise guest and she had the poise and self-possession to be able to speak, which was amazing because she had just learned her husband had died that morning. We the US delegation met with her privately later that day and it was very moving. She talked about the fact that she was going to carry on the work of her husband and that she wasn’t going to give up and that sooner or later someday Russia was going to be a free country again – free of Vladimir Putin and free of authoritarian, dictatorial…She is an extraordinary person, her composure was amazing; you could tell she was holding back a lot of emotion in order to speak to people to remind them what Alexei stood for and what the stakes are…At one point, Nancy Pelosi even said I think we need to have a prayer in memory of Alexei, with Julia being there. And there were 18 House members plus staff and others in the room, and everyone saying well who who’s going to lead us in prayer, and finally they all said well Gerry, so the Irish guy. So I led us in prayer. And when it was all finished, Nancy said to me privately, who knew you were so spiritual? And I looked at her and her staff and I said what does she think, she’s the only Catholic in the room?”
  • “It is amazing as you said Katherine. I mean here’s the Cold War party, this is the party of Ronald Reagan who talked about the Soviet Union being an evil empire, this is the party of Ronald Reagan going to the Berlin Wall saying Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall. What happened to them? Now they’re Putin enablers and it’s all because of Donald Trump. They are so terrified of crossing him on anything, they’re willing to actually cede their longterm commitment to fighting Russian and before that Soviet assertiveness to please Donald Trump, who has a problem with Russia. I mean, there is something very weird about Donald Trump and his connections with Putin and with Russian operatives.”
  • “I wish I could have given them reassurance. I had to couch everything I said in ‘we’ll have to see’. This is a absolutely critical election. Donald Trump cannot win. We’re gonna fight tooth and nail for aid to Ukraine, but also more importantly for democracy not only surviving but hopefully flourishing here in the United States. If we can basically smite Donald Trump and his acolytes in this election, I think it’s a turning point, we put this virus behind us. If we don’t, god help us, and I’m not even going to speculate on that because I am determined to make sure we win. The stakes are so high. And I will say, any one of us as Democrats  – with a big D or a small d – can pick apart something we don’t like with Joe Biden. Every time we do that we are eroding the edifice we’ve built to counter Donald Trump. This is not the time to to be equivocal. This is not the time to be overly critical of Joe Biden. Put it aside for now; he’s our nominee, he’s going to be our nominee and we need him to win. And I know Joe Biden; I worked for him for 10 years. The man has mental acuity…He’s slowed down physically, that’s true, but that doesn’t mean he can’t do the job. And the alternative is too horrifying to contemplate. So  I’ll take the 81 year old with the acuity he has over the orange-headed monster who is alternative.”
  • “…when we look at reproductive rights, exactly what we predicted after the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v Wade has happened...So we see an Alabama Supreme Court invoking god…god infuses personhood at the moment of conception so an embryo is the equivalent of a child. Now the irony of that ruling is that IVF is used by couples to have children…and you’re making it harder for people who want to have families and you’re also threatening medical treatments where IVF has been a a miracle in terms of curing illnesses or managing them, saving lives. And what pro-life movement is that?”
  • “I think this is a very ultra-right political Supreme Court. And the idea that Supreme Courts aren’t political is nonsense; they’ve been political since they were created, you know if Thomas Jefferson were still alive he’d tell you all about how political John Marshall was. And so they don’t even hide their their politics. And clearly the decision to hear the immunity  case is designed to delay a criminal trial – a criminal trial – because they are trying to help Trump avoid the possibility of Trump being convicted in a criminal trial and being sentenced. So I think it’s a terrible ruling, I think it’s blatantly partisan and political to help Donald Trump, and I think it’s going to set back the cause of justice in holding everybody accountable to the rules of law, including former presidents…It’s unbelievable.”

Ahead of Super Tuesday, DNC Mobile Billboard Campaign in Richmond Calls Out Trump’s Plan to Deny Health Care Coverage from Millions

By
Blue Virginia
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5

From the DNC:

As Donald Trump heads to North Carolina and Virginia, the DNC is deploying a mobile billboard campaign in both states to remind voters that Trump’s extreme MAGA health care agenda would rip away coverage from millions of Americans, ban abortion nationwide, and threaten access to IVF for Americans trying to grow their family.

If Trump gets a chance to “terminate” the Affordable Care Act like he’s promised, up to 600,000 North Carolinians and 725,000 Virginians covered under Medicaid expansion could lose access to affordable health care. And his cruel anti-choice agenda could take away basic rights from millions of Americans across the country, threatening everything from abortion to IVF.

With North Carolinians, Virginians, and many more headed to the polls on Super Tuesday, we’re reminding voters that they have a clear choice in November on what the future of their health care looks like – and what basic freedoms could be at risk under Trump.

Please find the DNC statement and the billboard campaign for your coverage below:

DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement: 

“Donald Trump is bad for your health. His extreme MAGA agenda includes ripping away health care coverage from millions, siding with greedy insurance companies over hardworking families, banning abortion nationwide, and taking away parents’ ability to grow their families with IVF. While Trump is pushing the same failed and disastrous agenda that lost him the last election, President Biden is expanding access to affordable care, taking on Big Pharma and lowering drug prices, and defending reproductive freedom. The future of health care in America is on the ballot this November, and the choice couldn’t be more clear. While Republicans try to rip away our freedoms, Democrats are fighting to safeguard Americans’ basic rights and protect access to affordable health care for millions.”

WATCH

Find details below for your coverage:

  • Then, the mobile billboard truck will run in Richmond, Virginia from 5 to 8 p.m. EST at the route [above].

Saturday News: “The Real Reason Trump Loves Putin”; “Biden announces U.S. will airdrop food aid into Gaza”; “Supreme Court Picks Up Where the Jan. 6 Mob Left Off”; Many Virginia Rs Endorse Sexual Predator and Wannabe Dictator with 91 Felony Charges

By
lowkell
-
7

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, March 2.

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