Virginia Senate takes action on several social justice, pandemic-related bills

It was a busy day for the Virginia Senate Wednesday, as Senators met to consider high-profile legislation that would have direct social justice and COVID-19 pandemic effects, as the crossover point of the General Assembly’s special session nears.

Senator Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax) was able to champion her much-debated earned credit bill, which would allow those who are incarcerated the chance to earn a decrease in their sentence with good behavior.

Republicans repeatedly insisted that they support the idea but are are opposed to the number of applicable crimes still included in the bill. Democratic Senator Barbara Favola said that the bill "encourages individuals to take responsibility for future behaviors.”

"We want safer communities for everybody, everyone in Virginia wants that," said Boysko prior to the vote. "But we also are a nation and community that believes in personal responsibility and redemption."

"I'm not opposed to this bill," said Senator Richard Stuart (R-Westmoreland) prior to the vote. "I think giving incentive is a good thing."

Stuart still voted against the bill but said he had worked for hours with Boysko to make it more appealing by removing certain crimes.

The Senate also passed another bill from Boysko that would reclassify the Farmville Ice Detention Center as a local correctional facility. This would allow local officials to complete an inspection of the facility.

In the afternoon, the Senate Judiciary Committee killed a House bill sponsored by Delegate Mark Levine (D-Alexandria) that would have required police officers to report misconduct they witness from other officers.

"The Senate of Virginia Judiciary Committee just voted to legalize police coverups of misconduct, including bias-based profiling and stealing money," said Levine after the vote. "They wouldn't even require it be reported to superiors!"

The Senate passed a criminal justice reform bill introduced by Senator John Bell (D-Loudoun) that would provide the option for geriatric and terminally ill prisoners to petition the parole board for early release.

All 21 Democratic senators and Republican Senator Emmett Hanger (R-Augusta) voted in favor of passing the bill.

"I wrote the original compassionate release bill, years ago," Hanger said on the Senate floor. "The concern I've had is that it has not been used enough. They are no longer a threat to society, but we are mad at them still."

Prior to the full chamber meeting, the Senate committee on Labor and Commerce voted nearly unanimously to kill the paid quarantine leave bill sponsored by Delegate Elizabeth Guzman (D-Prince William).

The bill had passed the full House of Delegates, but there was little optimism among supporters that it would pass the Senate, which already had killed a similar version of the bill earlier in the special session. Only Senator Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) voted against killing the bill.

“I worked hard to address all the concerns the committee had with Senator Barbara Favola’s broader paid sick days bill, which I had originally planned to introduce in the House," said Guzman after the committee killed the bill. "I significantly pared down the bill to apply only to people with COVID-19. There is a sunset. There is an exemption for small businesses. There is an exemption for certain workers to minimize the fiscal impact to the state. I did all this to get a bill that would pass and at least help some people. Yet the Senate still said no, we don’t want anyone to have paid quarantine leave."

Senate and House Committees are beginning to hear bills from the other chamber this week. The same bill must be passed by both chambers in order for the legislation to reach Governor Ralph Northam’s desk for signing. The only legislation to do so and be signed by Northam this session is the election legislation that created ballot drop off boxes and additional funding for mail-in absentee voting.

Northam has not spoken much about individual bills, saying they will change several times before reaching his desk so he would rather wait before discussing them.