Weekly Recap: DPVA Announces Essay Contest Open to High School Students in VA to Highlight Civil Rights Activists, Veto Session Brought Forth Big Changes to VA Laws…

18 min readApr 4, 2019

Did someone say FREE training? THIS SATURDAY: PAT JENNINGS TRAINING!

You don’t want to miss out on this amazing opportunity for people interested in running for local office! Do you want to attend a *FREE* day-long training in Blacksburg TOMORROW to learn about communications, field, digital organizing, and VAN from the DPVA and NDTC? It’s not too late to get a last minute spot for Friday!

This is an amazing, and cost free opportunity, for people who are interested in running for office to learn about the many different facets of a strong campaign.

What: DPVA Pat Jennings Project Training with the NDTC

When: April 6th, 2019 — All Day

Where: Virginia Tech

Hahn Hall North — Room 130

900 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24601

Click here to sign up for the Pat Jennings Project Training

April 20th: DPVA’s Barbara Johns Panel and Reception!

The Democratic Party of Virginia’s 4th Annual Barbara Johns Panel and Fundraiser will celebrate the life and legacy of Barbara Johns and shine a light on the important work still being done by Democrats around the Commonwealth and nation to ensure the civil rights of all Americans. We are honored to host both events at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center.

The panel, which is free to the public, will feature Eric H. Holder Jr. the 82nd Attorney General of the United States and stakeholders from around the Commonwealth to discuss the ongoing fight to ensure civil rights for all Virginians, their work towards racial justice, and how these experiences shaped them into the leaders they are today. RSVP TO PANEL: http://bit.ly/brjpanel19

Following the panel, we will hold a ticketed fundraiser reception to support DPVA efforts to flip the Virginia Legislature in November 2019. Eric H. Holder Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States, will headline the reception and discuss his work with guests. RSVP TO RECEPTION: http://bit.ly/dpvabjohns19

Barbara Johns Civil Rights Essay Contest

The Democratic Party of Virginia is excited to announce an essay contest in conjunction with our annual celebration of the life and legacy of Barbara Johns, who led a walkout of her tar-paper shack school building in 1951 to protest and draw attention to the inequality in education between African-American students and their white counterparts. Barbara became a significant figure in a lawsuit that would join the historic Brown v. Board decision.

Open to all high school students, the essay should be about a civil rights figure who has made an impression or impact on the student. Students are free to select a past or current civil rights leader from across the country whose work embodies the fight for equality and justice.

Two winners will be selected from the submissions and each winner will receive two tickets (value $300) to the 2019 Blue Commonwealth Gala, as well as having their essays published in our weekly e-newsletter, the Demo Memo, and on the Democratic Party of Virginia’s website.

Contest Details:
Submission Deadline: May 15, 2019 at 5 PM
Essay Length: 500–1000 words
Essay Submission: submissons@vademocrats.org
Questions?Please contact Nick Scott at (804) 335–0971 or nick@vademocrats.org

Veto Session Brought Forth Big Changes to Virginia Law Yesterday, April 3.

General Assembly approves Northam’s funding plan for I-81 (Roanoke Times)

RICHMOND — Lawmakers have broken through the congestion and have backed a plan to fund improvements to Interstate 81.

The General Assembly passed amendments from Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday, turning around what had been a failure by the legislature this past session to agree to a funding mechanism. It also marked a major triumph for the legislature, which has been talking for nearly two decades about making significant upgrades to the 325-mile highway and coming up with the money to do them.

Under Northam’s amendments, tractor-trailer registration fees will increase later this year. The diesel tax will increase to 2.03% of the statewide average wholesale price per gallon, which would begin in July 2021.

Based on truck miles traveled on interstate highways, revenues will be distributed between the I-81 Corridor Improvement Fund as well as other transportation projects across the commonwealth, including Interstate 95 and Interstate 64.

Also, in the localities that line the I-81 corridor, the regular gas and diesel tax paid would go up, with a 2.1% wholesale tax added. All of the revenue from the local gas and diesel tax will go directly toward I-81 improvements.

Of the total $280 million these funding amendments would raise annually, I-81 will receive about $150 million. The funding can be leveraged through bonds to support $2 billion in critical projects identified by the Virginia Department of Transportation and approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board.

The regional and state gas tax does not have a defined expiration date, so once the debt is paid, an advisory committee can recommend to the General Assembly that those taxes end.

The House passed the amendments 58–39. The Senate took separate votes on the truck registration fees — approving those 25–13 — and the diesel and gas tax on a vote of 22–14.

“This is important not just to my region, but to other regions, as well,” said Sen. Bill Carrico, R-Grayson, who co-patroned a Senate bill to fix I-81 this past session and voted in favor of all the amendments.

Lawmakers adjourned in February without establishing a funding plan for I-81. Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, and Del. Steve Landes, R-Augusta, both presented bills to put tolls on I-81. The legislation would have charged 17 cents per mile for trucks and 11 cents per mile for other drivers. Car drivers — but not truckers — could purchase a $30 annual pass.

But the legislation appeared doomed to fail if put to a floor vote. Northern Virginia lawmakers expressed discontent over the idea that tolls would be much lower along I-81 than its own highways. Even along the I-81 corridor, legislators on the southern end said it was unfair for them to pay tolls when their road projects were valued at less than repairs along the rest of the highway. The trucking and manufacturing industries pushed back against the tolls, saying they put an unfair burden on them.

“It’s been an arduous path that this has taken,” Obenshain said on the Senate floor.

So Obenshain and Landes revised their bills to create the Interstate 81 Corridor Improvement Fund and create a committee — made up of state legislators and local officials — focused on fixing the highway.

Northam amended their legislation to put in place the funding plan, which drew support from truckers, business groups and lawmakers committed to passing a funding plan.

Landes did not vote to approve the governor’s amendments. Obenshain voted for the truck registration fees but opposed the gas tax.

Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe emailed all the Democrats in the House and Senate Tuesday night encouraging them to support the amendments.

“These funds will be essential to making major improvements to I-81, thus providing more economic and job creation opportunities along the more than 300 miles the interstate covers across Southwest, Western and Northern Virginia,” he wrote.

Del. David LaRock, R-Loudoun, took issue with the Northam administration rolling out this proposal last week without it going through the legislative process and without allowing an opportunity for the public to comment. He admitted he didn’t understand the amendments.

“I have a few things I do during the week,” he said. “I don’t fully understand what’s going on with this money.”

Del. Terry Austin, R-Botetourt, who co-patroned the House bill and has played an integral role in trying to improve I-81, pushed back at the notion that information was unavailable to lawmakers. Public hearings and conversations over funding options and the highway projects took place over last year.

“I think there have been multiple opportunities for conversation throughout this whole process,” Austin said.

The breakthrough on fixing I-81 came last year, when Obenshain authored legislation to set in motion a study about I-81 upgrades and how to pay for them.

“This is a serious issue that needs to get resolved,” Obenshain said.

Crash-related traffic jams plague I-81. There are about 2,000 crashes a year, about 45 of which take more than four hours to clear. Transportation Secretary Shannon Valentine said the improvements will reduce the number of crashes.

“This is an opportunity to save lives,” said Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax.

Nearly 12 million trucks travel I-81 each year, hauling freight valued at $312 billion. No other interstate in the commonwealth carries a heavier share of truck traffic.

Carrico said this funding mechanism will free up about $930 million from Smart Scale, a competitive program that scores locally submitted transportation projects seeking state funding. That money can go toward other transportation projects. In the last round of funding requests, it received $7 billion in requests, but it could only fund $780 million in projects.

Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach, voted in favor of the amendments, saying improvements will create a more reliable highway, which is important to keeping and attracting new businesses.

“Transportation is critical to economic growth in Virginia,” Wagner said.

Virginia lawmakers vote to scrap license suspensions for unpaid court fees (Richmond Times)

UPDATE: Virginia lawmakers vote to scrap license suspensions for unpaid court fees

The Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates on Wednesday voted to scrap Virginia's policy of suspending driver's…

www.richmond.com

The General Assembly has ended the state’s practice of suspending people’s driver’s licenses for unpaid court fines and fees, setting the stage for restoration of suspended licenses for 627,000 Virginians on July 1.

The House of Delegates, in its first full vote on an issue that has been bottled up in subcommittee, voted 70–29 on Wednesday to scrap the policy. The Senate sealed the issue on a 30–8 vote, despite a late glitch that sent supporters scrambling to fill an unanticipated budget hole for funding state trauma centers.

“I think the General Assembly rose to a tremendous occasion and passed a budget amendment that brings fairness and justice to the lives of hundreds of thousands of Virginians,” said Amy Woolard, senior attorney at the Legal Aid Justice Center, which worked with a bipartisan coalition from both ends of the political spectrum.

The vote to abolish the license suspension policy also was a victory for Gov. Ralph Northam, who had proposed the amendment at the request of Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County. Stanley had sponsored the legislation that a House subcommittee killed in February despite bipartisan support in the Senate.

Northam, attempting to regain his political standing after a scandal that erupted two months ago over a racist photo on his medical school yearbook page, also won passage of a package that will raise $278 million a year to make crucial improvements to Interstate 81 and generate money for work on other interstates across Virginia.

Stanley told senators that the move to end license suspensions for unpaid fines “gives those people the opportunity to rejoin society and the community. They don’t have to drive in fear anymore because they’re trying to keep their job.”

Northam called the elimination of the license suspension policy “another great step forward on criminal justice reform,” in a statement issued Wednesday night after lawmakers wrapped their one-day session to consider the governor’s vetoes and proposed amendments.

“This inequitable policy criminalizes poverty and a change was long overdue,” he said.

House Majority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, castigated the House for approving a measure that he had helped kill legislatively during the winter session. Gilbert said it removes accountability for people who violate the law and fail to pay their fines.

“The idea that we’re not giving a pass to these people is just preposterous,” Gilbert said. “That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Interstate 81

As for the highway funding measure, Northam said: “For too long, we have discussed action to make Interstate 81, a major transportation artery, safer and more reliable for all who travel on it and I am pleased we have finally arrived at a solution.”

After the assembly failed to find a way to pay for improvements to I-81 during the regular session, the governor proposed a package of amendments that will impose a 2.1 percent regional gas tax in five western Virginia planning districts, raise diesel and road taxes on trucks by almost 17 cents a gallon over three years, and increase truck registration fees.

The package passed the House by a 58–39 vote. The Senate voted 25–13 for amendments to raise the truck registration fees, based on vehicle weight, and 22–14 for the remainder of the tax package. Both chambers later approved each other’s version of the same amendments.

The package does not include use of bonds to pay for more than $2 billion in improvements the state says are necessary to improve safety and reduce long waits to clear crashes on I-81, a heavily traveled truck route that runs 325 miles along the length of western Virginia.

“It’s a ’50s-era highway,” said Del. Terry Austin, R-Botetourt, one of 12 Republicans to back the I-81 package in the House. “It’s had very limited improvements.”

But the sweeping tax package shocked Republicans in both chambers, in that it came ahead of elections for all 140 seats in the assembly and it bypassed the normal committee process for approving legislation.

“This is a major tax increase,” said Del. Dave LaRock, R-Loudoun. “Let’s just call it what it is.”

LaRock won his seat in the political fallout after passage in 2013 of a $6 billion package of state and regional taxes that replenished Virginia’s transportation trust fund and set the stage for major transportation projects in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.

“In 2013 we were told that that was going to be the solution,” said Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County, a former aide to Sen. Ralph Smith who replaced his boss in the Senate in 2016.

But Suetterlein said the new taxes didn’t collect as much money as hoped as gas tax revenues decline. “I believe that this bill is part two of the 2013 transportation bill,” he said. “And I didn’t trust what happened in 2013. And I don’t trust what’s happening today.”

Central State

Both chambers approved $4 million in additional funding for the Virginia House Trust Fund to expand affordable housing opportunities and authorized $315 million in bonds to replace Central State Hospital, both priorities of Northam and the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.

Separately, they approved the governor’s proposal to allow the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to use $6.3 million of private money to begin planning a proposed $125 million expansion of the facility in Richmond and count the money toward its share of the cost of the project once it’s approved in the future.

However, Northam suffered several major setbacks during the so-called “veto session” Wednesday. As promised, House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, ruled out the governor’s attempt to revive a proposed ban on motorists holding cellphones while driving on any road. Cox said the amendment was not germane to the underlying bill, which would bar motorists from holding cellphones while driving in work zones.

Cox’s ruling killed the amendment, which the Senate had approved Wednesday by a 34–3 vote. The work zone bill now returns to the governor for action.

As a result of party-line action in the House, GOP measures will remain in the budget to prevent Virginia from joining a regional initiative without assembly permission to control greenhouse gases and combat the effects of climate change. The House also blocked any state funding of abortion services unless required by federal law.

…

From roads to furloughed feds, Va. makes big changes in veto session (WTOP)

Virginia will raise truck fees and diesel taxes statewide and add gas taxes along Interstate 81 to pay for major interstate upgrades across the state and to fill a hole in Northern Virginia left by last year’s Metro funding deal.

The changes include more funding for the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and for interstate corridors across Virginia, including I-95 and I-66.

It was one of the most significant actions during the one-day reconvened session in Richmond Wednesday, often referred to as the “veto session.”

On another significant transportation measure, House Speaker Kirk Cox blocked a safety measure that had significant support during the session to ban handheld cell phone use behind the wheel.

Gov. Ralph Northam had added the hands-free provisions to a bill that only banned handheld cell phone use in work zones. Cox found the amendments were not relevant enough to the bill to proceed since the Virginia General Assembly had failed to give final approval to the broader hands-free bills during the regular session this winter.

Near the end of the session, a conference committee made changes to the bills that had passed each chamber by wide margins, which led to the bill’s defeat in the House in February.

Lawmakers also rejected Wednesday an even tougher “move over law” than the new penalties approved this winter. It will now be reckless driving to fail to move over for law enforcement, firefighters and EMS, but a traffic infraction to fail to move over or slow down for other vehicles with
flashing lights on the side of the road, such as tow trucks. The amendments would have treated vehicles with flashing amber lights, such as tow trucks and highway help vehicles, the same way as police and fire vehicles.

The General Assembly put off Virginia’s first speed cameras for at least another year.

600,000-plus driver’s licenses to be restored as part of budget

In votes that sparked applause in each chamber, lawmakers approved a change to restore drivers licenses to more than 600,000 Virginians who have had their driving privileges revoked solely due to unrelated court fines and fees.

The budget amendment also provides funding to avoid reinstatement costs and
to prevent the suspensions in the future.

The hope is that restoring driver’s licenses will allow people to get or keep jobs to pay off the fines and fees. Opponents were concerned that there is not always another way of enforcing fine payment, and some of the reinstatement fees will also be waived for drivers who had licenses
suspended for traffic violations. The budget language is only applicable for one year starting July 1, so additional bills would need to be passed in future sessions to make the change permanent.

Lawmakers also approved budget amendments from Northam, adding $4 million more than initially approved by the General Assembly to an affordable housing fund, and guaranteeing a legislative watchdog’s access to Department of Corrections records.

The state Senate rejected an amendment that would have increased the number of lower-income people who will get special one-time tax refunds. Sen. Tommy Norment said it would have equated to supporting part of Northam’s proposal in December to make the earned income tax credit refundable, to which he had objected.

The Senate also rejected adding $1.5 million in funding back for census outreach to ensure all Virginians are counted. The state gets federal funding based on the count, but opponents of the spending said it was considered in the conference committee in February and lawmakers determined it was not needed.

Elections

The General Assembly rejected an effort by Northam to change a bill meant to reduce the governor’s power to choose the state’s elections commissioner.

They approved changes to stagger terms for a newly expanded five-member board, even as the current three-member board met across Capitol Square. It was the first meeting for all three new members.

Northam still has the power to sign or veto bills sent to him from Wednesday’s session.

Lawmakers failed Wednesday to override any vetoes on bills from this winter’s session, including a bill Northam vetoed that would have required voter information be checked against the flawed federal Social Security database.

Northam had also vetoed other bills including ones that would have restricted regional agreements on greenhouse gas emissions further than the state budget, further restricted so-called “sanctuary” policies toward immigrants, and expanded no-frills health care plans.

Foster parents leave

The General Assembly approved an amendment to guarantee state workers who become foster parents paid family leave once in a calendar year, enshrining current policy in state law.

The bill initially passed by the General Assembly included paid family leave for adoption and new biological parents.

Other action

The General Assembly approved a change to a bill meant to help feds furloughed during the government shutdown.

The bill allows some temporary relief from legal penalties for late mortgage or rent payments from furloughed workers. The law is specifically tied to the shutdown that began in December, but could help people who are still catching up on payments.

The change makes the bill effective immediately when Northam signs it, rather than July 1.

Lawmakers rejected a proposal by the governor to somewhat loosen a bill’s new restrictions on sex offenders in emergency shelters during evacuations.

The House also rejected an amendment offered by the governor to clarify a bill meant to toughen penalties for drug dealers whose product is used in an overdose. The amendments would have provided exceptions for people who act as good Samaritans or who did not sell the drugs.

Animals

The House rejected amendments adding additional space or leash length required for companion animals, such as dogs, when tied up to require the animals have at least 15 feet or four times the length of the animal, whichever is greater. The underlying bill going back to the governor requires 10 feet or three times the length of the animal.

The House also rejected amendments changing a newly proposed mandatory minimum sentence for killing a police animal to an optional sentence, since the bill as written applied more broadly than to just police dogs in the line of duty.

Last day at work

The day ended with tributes to the many retiring lawmakers who have decided not to run for re-election this year. All 140 General Assembly seats and a number of local positions are on the ballot this fall.

Virginia Governor signs ‘Tommie’s Law,” making animal cruelty a felony offense (ABC News)

Virginia governor signs 'Tommie's Law,' making animal cruelty a felony offense

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday signed a bill into law that will make animal cruelty toward cats and dogs a…

abcnews.go.com

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday signed a bill into law that will make animal cruelty toward cats and dogs a felony in the commonwealth.

The state’s current law requires the animal to die from its injuries for the abuse to be deemed a felony. But under the new law, which comes into effect July 1, anyone who “tortures, willfully inflicts inhumane injury or pain,” or “cruelly and unnecessarily beats, maims or mutilates any dog or cat” can be found guilty of a Class-6 felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.

The bill was unanimously approved by both Virginia’s House of Delegates and Senate before advancing to the governor’s office.

Forty-eight U.S. states as well as Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands now have laws making certain types of animal cruelty a felony offense, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Virginia was the most recent. There is no federal law that criminalizes animal cruelty, apart from animal fighting and creating or distributing videos that show the killing or torture of animals.

Virginia State Sen. Bill DeSteph introduced the legislation earlier this year after meeting with Virginia Beach Animal Control officials in his constituency who told him about a dog named Sugar.

Sugar was found severely injured in Virginia Beach in 2016 after her owner allegedly beat her with a machete. Authorities arrested the owner, but because Sugar survived the brutal attack, they could only charge him with a Class-1 misdemeanor at the time, punishable by no longer than 12 months in jail and a fine of not more than $2,500.

Although Sugar’s case was the catalyst for toughening the state’s animal cruelty legislation, the bill was soon dubbed “Tommie’s Law” after a pit bull named Tommie was tied to a pole, doused in fuel then set on fire in Richmond on Feb. 10.

Tommie was rescued by Richmond Animal Care and Control but died five days later. A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever was involved.

“We have heard from folks all over the commonwealth who share our belief that anyone who intentionally tortures a dog or cat is a threat to public safety, and should be dealt with severely,” DeSteph said in a statement. “We were so saddened by the stories of Tommie, the pit bull who recently died after being set on fire, and Sugar, who was viciously attacked with a machete, but are grateful that their stories helped propel this important legislation forward.”

DeSteph told ABC News he plans to send the legislation to other state lawmakers and work with national animal welfare groups to get the law introduced across the country.

There have been studies that show a connection between animal cruelty and many other crimes, from drug and firearm offenses to battery and sexual assault, according to the Humane Society.

“This bill allows our officers to prosecute cruelty regardless of lifesaving medical interventions,” Christie Chipps Peters, director of Richmond Animal Care and Control, told ABC News in a statement. “We are grateful to everyone that made this change a reality.”

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