Many of the marriage equality bills including, Senator Adam Ebbin’s SJ 3 and SJ 270, Senator John Edwards’ SJ7, and Delegate Mark Sickles’ HJ 113, have been continued from the 2020 session to 2021. Additionally, Delegate Alfonso Lopez introduced HJ 557 and Delegate Mark Levine introduced HJ 539. These bills seek to repeal the Virginia constitutional amendment that defines marriage as “only a union between one man and one woman” and make Virginia in line with the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which guarantees same-sex couples the fundamental right to marriage. Delegate Mark Levine’s HB 1948 reported out of the Public Safety committee on Friday with bipartisan support 15-6. This bill would require any law enforcement officer on duty to provide assistance to a person experiencing a life-threatening condition or serious bodily injury. It would also require reporting of bias-based profiling, including sexual orientation and gender identity. HB 1805, introduced by Delegate Dawn Adams, reported out of the Health, Welfare and Institutions committee with substitute (13-9). Through this bill, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services would be required to include LGBTQ older Virginians when providing aging services. Senator George Barker has introduced the companion bill, SB 1366, which has been referred to the Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services. Delegate Mark D. Sickles’ HB 1848 was recommended for reporting with a substitute from the Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process subcommittee (8-0) and will be moving on to the General Laws committee. This bill will make discrimination based on disability an unlawful employment practice under the Virginia Human Rights Act. Two employment nondiscrimination bills have been introduced by Delegate Vivan Watts (HB 2155) and Senator Jennifer McClellan (SB 1360). These bills define sexual and workplace harassment, including sexual orientation and gender identity, and extends the length of ability to file after the incident. Senator McClellan has also introduced SB 1310, which would prevent the exclusion of domestic workers (i.e. those who work in a private residence such as a babysitter, caretaker, or housekeeper) from employee protection laws and the Virginia Workers Compensation Act. It would also extend the protections of the Virginia Human Rights Act to apply to employers that employ one or more domestic workers, which is similar to the goal of Delegate Cia Price’s HB 1864. Additional bills that EV is supporting include: Delegate Danica Roem’s HB 2132, which would ban the LGBTQ panic defense, Senator Jennifer Boysko’s SB 1321, which would allow second-parent adoption, and Senator Mamie E. Locke’s SB 1138 which would modernize laws that currently criminalize people living with HIV. We are also supporting Delegate Mark Levine’s HB 1932, which would repeal the conscious clause for child-placing agencies, Senator Ghazala Hashmi’s SB 1203, which redefines the categories of victims for hate crimes, and Delegate Alfonso Lopez’s HB 2130, which would establish the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. We look forward to keeping you updated as this year’s session progresses. To keep up with what bills are being heard next week and how you can help transform Virginia’s legal landscape, please follow EV’s Facebook page and check out our website with our newly updated bill tracker. | 
