Friends,

This week, we began our special session of the General Assembly. Because of the COVID19 crisis and the need to maintain safe distancing practices, the Virginia Senate is meeting in the Science Museum of Virginia. It’s already been a very busy week.

Office of New Americans
On Monday, Governor Northam held a virtual ceremonial signing of SB991 and its companion HB1209, which I and Delegate Kathy Tran championed (respectively) during the General Assembly in February and March. SB 991/HB1209 established the Office of New Americans within the Department of Social Services, as well as an advisory board, to assist immigrant integration within the Commonwealth. The new Office will help our immigrant communities establish businesses, find housing, and help with general integration efforts. This bill is just one of many steps forward towards building a more inclusive, welcoming Virginia.

Criminal Justice Reform
As we reconvened for the General Assembly special session this Tuesday, we jumped right into delivering for the people of our Commonwealth. On the first day, Senator Locke’s police reform omnibus bill passed through the Judiciary Committee.

This sweeping police reform legislation is a critical part of the reform measures that Virginians throughout the state have been rallying for. This bill:

Authorizes a board to create statewide standards of conduct for police officers and a decertification process for officers who violate the rules
Gives prosecutors access to police disciplinary records
Sets up safeguards to prevent officers with records of misconduct from moving from one police department to another
Eliminates the use of no-knock warrants
Limits the use of chokeholds
These are just some of the crucial steps we need to rebuild trust between our communities and law enforcement. By increasing transparency and holding officers accountable, we will build public trust and have stronger, safer communities.

Protecting our elections during COVID-19
Governor Northam also put forward three proposals aimed at addressing the challenges COVID-19 presents to our elections this year. We must ensure all Virginians have safe and fair access to the ballot box on Election Day. Here is what Governor Northam has proposed:

Prepaid postage: The proposed budget sets aside $2 million for prepaid return postage on all absentee ballots sent out.
Drop off boxes and drop off locations: The Governor’s proposal includes language expressly permitting localities to use drop boxes or implement drop off locations for Virginians who choose to vote absentee, under security standards to be set by the Virginia Department of Elections.
Absentee cure process: This measure will ensure Virginians’ voting rights are protected by allowing them to fix an error on their absentee ballot. Currently, Virginians who make an error are not able to fix that error, and therefore their ballot may be discarded. Many Virginians will be voting absentee for the first time this November, and this measure will help ensure Virginians’ votes are counted.
These proposals will be voted on by the House and Senate during this Special Session.

New appointments
I was recently appointed by the Senate Rules Committee to several Boards and Commissions. These appointments allow me to extend my areas of effort for all Virginians:

Broadband Advisory Council Disability Commission
Joint Commission on Healthcare
Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation
Online Virginia Network Authority
Joint Commission on Technology and Science
Virginia Housing Commission
Board of Visitors of Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind
Additionally, I was appointed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth to the Virginia Interagency Coordinating Council.

Public input on the special session
Public input is an essential part of our General Assembly, and members of the public can continue to participate even during these new arrangements necessitated by the COVID19 crisis.

You can find the committee meeting schedule here. [link removed]
If you would like to comment on legislation, you will need to register to speak at the Senate Committee Meetings. Click here to register. (Please note the following registration times for committee meeting)
For morning meetings, you can register 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm the day before
For afternoon meetings, you can register 9:00 am - 11:00 am the day of
As always, if you need assistance or if you want to schedule a Zoom or phone call with our team, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office. As a reminder, email is the best way to contact us. We can be reached at [email protected].

-- Ghazala


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| Paid for and authorized by Friends of Ghazala Hashmi |
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Friends of Ghazala Hashmi
PO Box 72923
Richmond VA 23235 United States

Senator Ghazala Hashmi was elected to represent Virginia Senate District 10 in 2019. She has led efforts in the General Assembly to support education, protect healthcare and the environment, and prevent gun violence. Senator Hashmi is committed to ensuring Virginia's government works for everyone.


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