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ACROSS SESSIONS
- Subject Index: Since 1995
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2019 SESSION
Chairman: Jill Holtzman Vogel
Clerk: Hobie Lehman
Staff: Meg Lamb
Date of Meeting: January 22, 2019
Time and Place: 15 minutes after adjournment of Senate, Senate Room 3, Capitol
Patron: Chase
Congressional and state legislative districts. Provides criteria for the General Assembly to observe in drawing districts, including respect for political boundaries, equal population, racial and ethnic fairness, contiguity, compactness, and communities of interest. The bill prohibits use of political data or election results unless necessary to determine if racial or ethnic minorities can elect candidates of their choice.
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 24.2 a section numbered 24.2-304.04, relating to standards and criteria for congressional and state legislative districts.19100068D
Patron: Peake
Congressional and legislative district boundaries; alignment with boundaries of counties and cities; review of a voter's registration. Provides that, for purposes of congressional, senate, and House of Delegates districts, if a boundary of such a district virtually coincides with the boundary between two or more localities, the boundary of the congressional district shall conform to the boundary between the localities that has been (i) agreed upon by those localities, (ii) adopted in ordinances by those localities, and (iii) reported by those localities to the United States Bureau of the Census prior to the previous decennial census. If two or more localities sharing a boundary cannot agree on the true boundary line between them, the boundary shall be that which was in existence on April 1, 2011, and was reported by the United States Bureau of the Census in the 2010 Census reports provided pursuant to United States Public Law 94-171. The bill provides a process by which a voter who believes he has been incorrectly assigned to an election district or precinct may request and have his assignment reviewed by the general registrar and, if necessary, the governing body of the county or city.
A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-302.2, 24.2-303.3, and 24.2-304.03 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 3 of Title 24.2 an article numbered 5, consisting of a section numbered 24.2-314, relating to congressional and legislative district boundaries; alignment with boundaries of counties and cities; review of a voter's registration.19101188D
Patron: Barker
Potomac River Bridge Towing Compact. Adds the Harry W. Nice Bridge, Sandy Hook Bridge, Brunswick Bridge, and Point of Rocks Bridge to the Potomac River bridges subject to the Potomac River Bridge Towing Compact to facilitate the prompt and orderly removal of disabled and abandoned vehicles from the bridges by giving the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia appropriate authority anywhere on the bridges.
A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-1239.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the Potomac River Bridge Towing Compact.19102225D
Patron: Edwards
State Board of Elections; membership; Commissioner of Elections. Increases the membership of the State Board of Elections from three members to five members, with representation given to each of the political parties having the highest and next highest number of votes in the Commonwealth at the last preceding gubernatorial election. Three Board members are to be of the party of the Governor. Terms of Board members are initially staggered. The Governor shall designate one member of the Board as the Commissioner of Elections to head the Department of Elections and to act as the principal administrative officer. The Commissioner shall also serve as the chair of the Board. The bill requires the Board to submit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2020.
A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-102 and 24.2-103 of the Code of Virginia, relating to State Board of Elections; membership; Commissioner of Elections.19102905D
Patron: McClellan
Standards and criteria for congressional and state legislative districts. Provides criteria by which congressional and state legislative districts are to be drawn, including equal population, compactness and contiguity, racial and ethnic fairness, protection of racial and language minorities to participate and elect a preferred candidate, and respect for existing political boundaries and communities of interest. The bill prohibits the use of political data when drawing districts. There is a delayed effective date of April 1, 2020.
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 24.2 a section numbered 24.2-304.04, relating to congressional and state legislative districts; standards and criteria.19102236D
Patron: Stanley
Voter referendum; school modernization commission. Provides for a statewide referendum on the question of whether the General Assembly shall issue state general obligation bonds in the amount of $3 billion for the purpose of K-12 school building construction, repair, or other capital projects related to the modernization of school facilities. The results would be advisory only and are intended only to demonstrate the preference of the citizens of the Commonwealth on developing such a commission. The referendum would be held at the November 2019 general election.
A BILL to provide for a statewide advisory referendum relating to the establishment of a school modernization commission in Virginia.19104238D
Patron: Vogel
Department of Elections and the State Board of Elections; reorganization as independent agency; membership of State Board of Elections; appointment of Commissioner of Elections. Continues and reestablishes the Department of Elections as an independent agency that includes a Commissioner of Elections and the State Board of Elections. The State Board is continued as a supervisory board and its membership is increased from three to nine members, with terms of three years after an initial staggering of terms. The Governor, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, and the Senate Committee on Rules each appoint three members; of those three, two members represent the political parties receiving the highest and next highest number of votes in the Commonwealth for Governor at the last preceding gubernatorial election, and one is a former judge of a court of record. Under the bill, the State Board is responsible for appointing a Commissioner of Elections and has the authority to remove the Commissioner of Elections; such appointment or removal requires an affirmative vote of six of the nine Board members. The bill places restrictions on political activities of State Board members, the Commissioner, and employees of the Department.
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 1 of Title 24.2 an article numbered 1.1, consisting of sections numbered 24.2-101.2 through 24.2-101.5, and to repeal § 24.2-102 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Department of Elections and the State Board of Elections; reorganization as independent agency; membership of Board; appointment of Commissioner of Elections.19100854D
Patron: Suetterlein
Standards and criteria for congressional and state legislative districts. Provides criteria by which congressional and state legislative districts are to be drawn, including equal population, racial and ethnic fairness, respect for existing political boundaries, contiguity, compactness, and communities of interest. The criteria set out would apply to those districts drawn following the 2020 United States Census and thereafter.
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 24.2 a section numbered 24.2-304.04, relating to standards and criteria for congressional and state legislative districts.19101768D
Patrons: Hanger, Locke
Constitutional amendment (first resolution); apportionment; criteria for legislative and congressional districts; Virginia Citizens Redistricting Commission. Provides for the establishment of the Virginia Citizens Redistricting Commission (the Commission), a 10-member commission responsible for establishing legislative and congressional districts following a decennial census. A selection committee consisting of five retired judges of a circuit court in Virginia, selected by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the minority leader in the House of Delegates, and the majority and minority leaders in the Senate from a list compiled by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, is tasked with adopting a process by which registered Virginia voters may apply to serve on the Commission and selecting from the applicants a list of 22 candidates. The amendment requires five of the candidates to be voters who affiliate with the political party receiving the highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, five candidates to be voters who affiliate with the political party receiving the next highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, and 12 candidates to be voters who do not affiliate with any political party. The Speaker of the House of Delegates, the minority leader in the House of Delegates, and the majority and minority leaders in the Senate then strike names from the list until there is the final list of 10 Commission members, three of whom affiliate with the political party receiving the highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, three of whom affiliate with the political party receiving the next highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, and four of whom do not affiliate with any political party. Final approval or adoption of a redistricting plan requires an affirmative vote of seven of the 10 Commission members, including at least one vote from each of the political parties represented. The amendment also contains criteria for the Commission to adhere to when drawing the legislative and congressional districts and imposes certain requirements on the Commission's activities to ensure accessibility by the public.
Proposing an amendment to Section 6 of Article II of the Constitution of Virginia and proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia by adding in Article II a section numbered 6-A, relating to apportionment; criteria for legislative and congressional districts; Virginia Citizens Redistricting Commission.19101637D
Patron: Reeves
Constitutional amendment (first resolution); personal property tax exemption; motor vehicle of a veteran who is disabled. Provides that one motor vehicle of a veteran who has a 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability shall be exempt from state and local taxes. The amendment provides that only automobiles and pickup trucks qualify for the exemption.
Proposing an amendment to Section 6 of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to personal property tax exemption; motor vehicle owned by a disabled veteran.19101842D
Patron: Hanger
Constitutional amendment (first resolution); qualification of voters; restoration of civil rights. Authorizes the General Assembly to provide by general law for the restoration of civil rights for any person who has been convicted of a felony not designated by the General Assembly as a barrier crime for the purpose of rights restoration and who has completed service of his sentence and paid in full any restitution, fines, costs, and fees assessed against him as a result of his conviction. The proposed amendment retains the authority of the Governor to restore the civil rights of persons convicted of felonies.
Proposing an amendment to Section 1 of Article II of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to qualifications of voters; restoration of civil rights.19101665D
Patron: Deeds
Constitutional amendment (first resolution); Virginia Redistricting Commission. Establishes the Virginia Redistricting Commission to redraw congressional and General Assembly district boundaries after each decennial census. Appointments to the 13-member Commission are to be made as follows: two each by the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the minority leader in each house, and the state chairman of each of the two political parties receiving the most votes in the prior gubernatorial election. The 12 partisan members then select the thirteenth member by a majority vote or, if they cannot agree on a selection, certify the two names receiving the most votes to the Supreme Court of Virginia, which will name the thirteenth member. The standards to govern redistricting plans include the current constitutional standards on population equality, compactness, and contiguity and additional standards to minimize splits of localities and to prohibit consideration of incumbency and political data.
Proposing an amendment to Section 6 of Article II of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to apportionment of legislative districts; criteria for legislative districts; creation of the Virginia Redistricting Commission.19103779D
Patron: Deeds
Constitutional amendment (first resolution); eminent domain; public utility. Provides that an interstate natural gas pipeline is not considered a utility service for the purpose of determining whether a public service company or public service corporation is exercising the power of eminent domain for a public use.
Proposing an amendment to Section 11 of Article I of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to eminent domain; public utilities.19103162D
Patron: Sturtevant
Constitutional amendment (first resolution); apportionment; criteria for legislative and congressional districts; Virginia Citizens Redistricting Commission. Provides for the establishment of the Virginia Citizens Redistricting Commission (the Commission), a 10-member commission responsible for establishing legislative and congressional districts following a decennial census. A selection committee consisting of five retired judges of the circuit courts in Virginia, selected by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the minority leader in the House of Delegates, and the majority and minority leaders in the Senate from a list compiled by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, is tasked with adopting a process by which registered Virginia voters may apply to serve on the Commission and selecting from the applicants a list of 22 candidates. The amendment requires five of the candidates to be voters who affiliate with the political party receiving the highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, five candidates to be voters who affiliate with the political party receiving the next highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, and 12 candidates to be voters who do not affiliate with any political party. The Speaker of the House of Delegates, the minority leader in the House of Delegates, and the majority and minority leaders in the Senate then strike names from the list until there is the final list of 10 Commission members, three of whom affiliate with the political party receiving the highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, three of whom affiliate with the political party receiving the next highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, and four of whom do not affiliate with any political party. Final approval or adoption of a redistricting plan requires an affirmative vote of seven of the 10 Commission members, including at least one vote from each of the political parties represented. The amendment also contains criteria for the Commission to adhere to when drawing the legislative and congressional districts and imposes certain requirements on the Commission's activities to ensure accessibility by the public.
Proposing an amendment to Section 6 of Article II of the Constitution of Virginia and proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia by adding in Article II a section numbered 6-A, relating to apportionment; criteria for legislative and congressional districts; Virginia Citizens Redistricting Commission.19103211D
Patron: Barker
Constitutional amendment (first resolution); Virginia Redistricting Commission. Establishes the Virginia Redistricting Commission, a 16-member Commission tasked with establishing districts for the United States House of Representatives and for the Senate and the House of Delegates of the General Assembly. The Commission consists of eight legislative members and eight citizen members. The legislative members consist of four members of the Senate of Virginia and four members of the House of Delegates, with equal representation given to the political parties having the highest and next highest number of members in their respective houses. The citizen members are selected by a selection committee consisting of five retired judges of the circuit courts of Virginia. The selection committee is tasked with adopting a process by which registered Virginia voters may apply to serve on the Commission and selecting from the applicants a list of 16 candidates. The amendment requires four of the candidates to be voters who affiliate with the political party receiving the highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, four candidates to be voters who affiliate with the political party receiving the next highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, and eight candidates to be voters who do not affiliate with any political party. The Speaker of the House of Delegates, the minority leader in the House of Delegates, and the majority and minority leaders in the Senate then strike names from the list until there is the final list of eight citizen members, two of whom affiliate with the political party receiving the highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, two of whom affiliate with the political party receiving the next highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, and four of whom do not affiliate with any political party. The Commission is required to submit to the General Assembly plans of districts for the Senate and the House of Delegates of the General Assembly no later than 45 days following the receipt of census data and plans of districts for the United States House of Representatives no later than 60 days following the receipt of census data. In order to be submitted to the General Assembly for a vote, a plan must receive an affirmative vote of at least six of the eight legislative members and six of the eight citizen members. No amendments may be made to a plan by the General Assembly or the Governor. In the event that the Commission fails to submit a plan by its deadline, or the General Assembly fails to adopt a plan by its deadline, or the Governor fails to act on or vetoes a plan by his deadline, districts shall be decided by judicial decision.
Proposing an amendment to Section 6 of Article II of the Constitution of Virginia and proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia by adding in Article II a section numbered 6-A, relating to apportionment; Virginia Redistricting Commission.19104200D
Patron: Vogel
Confirming Governor's appointments; January 8. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Ralph Northam and communicated to the General Assembly January 8, 2019.
Confirming appointments by the Governor of certain persons communicated to the General Assembly January 8, 2019.19104362D