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Covid 19...and More
September 15, 2020Blog Post
Dear Friends,
These past few weeks have been hectic. Not only did we wrap up the most productive and progressive session in Virginia History, we also entered into uncharted territory with a health crisis none of us have seen in our lifetimes.
Read moreVirginia lawmakers just made it easier to vote. Local registrars have only weeks to carry it out.
September 11, 2020News Clip
In the nearly 10 years since Norfolk voter registrar Stephanie Iles began working in the local elections department, she’s never been in such a crunch to get everything ready for an election with so much still uncertain.
With the election just over two months away, Virginia’s voter registrars say they already were inundated with work as they prepare to carry out changes state lawmakers approved in their regular session earlier this year. Recently, they’ve had to deal with questions surrounding the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to deliver absentee ballots.
Read moreBills Requiring Disclosure of Some COVID-19 Outbreaks Advance
September 11, 2020News Clip
It took months for state officials to begin publishing the names of nursing homes with COVID-19 outbreaks.
Now, an effort to establish mandatory reporting requirements has passed both houses of the General Assembly.
Read moreOne day after defeat, House committee approves bill limiting qualified immunity for police officers
September 5, 2020News Clip
ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) -One day after a House of Delegates committee failed to advance a key criminal justice reform, the measure resurfaced.
And this time, a bill that would make it easier to sue law enforcement officers for violating an individual’s rights moved closer to becoming law.
The legislation would limit the qualified immunity, the legal doctrine which currently shields officers from lawsuits.
It would create a civil action in state law for the deprivation of rights.
Read moreVirginia legislators advance protections for nursing home residents
September 5, 2020News Clip
Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration faced bipartisan criticism throughout much of the COVID-19 pandemic for its decision not to release the names of nursing homes and assisted living centers with outbreaks of the virus — largely leaving families and residents in the dark unless the facility chose to disclose the information itself.
Read more