General Assembly Update We have continued to see amazing and unprecedented successes at the General Assembly this week. The Senate version of the Virginia Values Act, Senator Adam Ebbin’s SB 868, advanced in the Senate’s General Laws and Technology committee on Wednesday – it passed with resounding bipartisan support in a vote of 12-0! SB 868 is now headed for a full floor vote early next week, so make sure to contact your Senator now to ask for their support. Additionally, Senator Scott Surovell’s SB 246 passed in committee with a vote of 10-5. This bill would allow for people to mark “X” when indicating their gender on applications at the Department of Motor Vehicles, including driver’s licenses. This would be a much needed update so that non-binary Virginians can have accurate state documents that reflect their gender identity. In the House of Delegates, FOUR bills important to the LGBT community passed in committee! Delegate Mark Sickle’s HB 1663, the House version of the Virginia Values Act, passed out of the General Laws committee with a vote of 16-6 and it passed out of the Appropriations committee on Friday with a vote of 14-8. This marks the first time ever that an LGBT non-discrimination bill has advanced past the committee stage in the House of Delegates, which is a truly historic win. The bill’s next stop is a full vote on the House floor next week. Make sure you ask your delegate to support HB 1663! Delegate Nancy Guy’s HB 1490, a bill that repeals the statutory ban on same-sex marriages passed in a full floor vote in the House of Delegates with a healthy bipartisan vote of 63-34. Delegate Danica Roem’s HB 1429, which would ban discrimination in health insurance on the basis of gender identity, was reported from its committee with a vote of 13-9. Last but certainly not least, Delegate Patrick Hope’s HB 386, which would ban the practice of conversion therapy on minors, advanced in its House committee with a vote of 18-4. This was a fantastic week for supporters of LGBT equality in Virginia, and next week we expect to see more historic successes for the Virginia Values Act and several other bills. To keep up with what bills being heard next week and how you can help transform Virginia’s legal landscape, please follow EV’s Facebook page and check out our 2020 General Assembly web page. | 
