The 2022 General Assembly session is in full swing. In November’s election, Republicans flipped the House of Delegates, taking a 52-48 lead after two years in which Democrats controlled all three chambers of government. In recent weeks, GOP House members have worked to undo many of the laws Democrats put into place during their time in the majority.
In 2020, Democrats passed a law allowing localities to disallow possession of firearms on city property. Both Charlottesville and Albemarle have since taken advantage of that law, passing ordinances banning guns from parks and government offices. Last week, House Republicans passed HB 827, which would “remove the authority for a locality by ordinance to prohibit the possession or carrying of firearms” on that locality’s property.
Democrats also passed bills to increase Virginia’s minimum wage. The Dems’ new $11 minimum wage went into effect this January, and the party had set up a schedule that would see the minimum wage hit $12 an hour starting in 2023 and $15 an hour in 2026. A GOP bill which passed the House 51-48 last week cancels those increases and leaves the minimum wage at $11.
Expanding ballot access was a major component of Virginia Democrats’ platform, but new laws in that area are now on the Republicans’ chopping block. Last week a party-line vote saw HB 185 pass the house—the bill repeals a 2020 law that made it possible to register to vote on the day of an election.
All of these bills have yet to be debated by the state Senate, which Democrats still control 21-19. Stay tuned for more updates as the legislature continues to work in the coming weeks.
Other House bills aimed at rolling back Democratic reforms are coming up down the pipe too, even if they haven’t reached a vote yet. Democrats expanded the authority of civilian review boards to investigate reported police misconduct, but a bill introduced by the GOP would completely remove the ability of towns and cities to set up civilian oversight review boards at all.
In addition to the ballot access measure mentioned above, House Republicans also have bills in the works to repeal absentee voting by drop-off ballot, require an excuse for voting by mail, shorten the early absentee voting period, and require photo ID to vote. All of these measures, if passed, would invalidate Democratic reforms from the last two years.
Can’t we all just get along
Virginia’s legislature passes most of its bills unanimously or close to it. State-level legislatures are responsible for running the day-to-day operations of their states, not just arguing over high-profile issues. That work is very much ongoing, too. Thus far, unanimous votes have included extending the duration of oyster farming season, requiring law enforcement to train in human trafficking prevention, allowing Bath County to charge for solid-waste removal, establishing the position of mental health care coordinator at the Department of Veterans Services, and many more.
Virginia’s legislative session began on January 12 and will conclude on March 12.