At our recent Bagels and Bills event, we heard from Dr. Carol Schall, a plaintiff in the case that legalized same-sex marriages in Virginia, Zowee Aquino from NAKASEC, and Bruce Rieder from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington. They all spoke about the importance of supporting the marriage amendment process. We also heard from Senator Adam Ebbin and Delegate Mark Sickles, patrons of the proposed amendments, on why they felt it was important to bring Virginia up to date with the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. Thankfully, this week we saw SJ 270 adopted by the House of Delegates (60-37) and HJ 582 was agreed to by the Senate (22-12). Early in the week, SB 1366 introduced by Senator George Barker, passed the House of Delegates with substitute (58-41). However, the Senate has rejected these substitutes. Similarly, Delegate Dawn Adams’ companion bill, HB 1805, was passed in the Senate with amendments (25-14). The House of Delegates requested a conference committee and the Senate appointed Senators Barker, Favola, and Reeves. These bills are focused on categorizing LGBTQ older Virginians in the definition of greatest social need in the Older Americans Act. On Friday, the House passed (56-44) an amended version of Senator Locke and Senator McClellan’s SB 1138, which unfortunately includes a felony penalty. We know that felony penalties specifically target people living with HIV for criminalization and if it stays this way, LGBTQ Virginians - especially Black transgender women - will continue to be disproportionately impacted. While the recent House floor vote means that lawmakers agree that we need to protect Virginians living with HIV, the bill needs additional work to lower felony penalty to a Class One Misdemeanor. Delegate Mark Sickles’ HB 1848, which would add discrimination based on disability to the Virginia Human Rights Act, passed in the Senate (39-0). It was then signed by both the Senate President and House Speaker and is now off to Governor Northam's desk. HB 2132, introduced by Delegate Danica Roem, would remove the panic defense for crimes against LGBTQ Virginians. It was reported from the Senate Judiciary committee with substitute (9-5) with one abstention. It is now rereferred to the Finance and Appropriations committee. Senator Jennifer Boysko’s SB 1321, which would expand second parent adoption, has made its way through multiple committees this week. It was recommended for reporting by the House of Delegates’ Social Services subcommittee (5-1). Then it reported from the Health, Welfare and Institutions committee (20-2), and the Health & Human Resources Subcommittee (8-0). Finally it reported from the Appropriations committee (20-0), and is preparing for its final read on the House floor. Unfortunately, Delegate Mark Levine’s HB 1948 on biased based policing failed to report in the Senate Judiciary committee (6-9). The bill was amended by Delegate Levine and reintroduced to the committee, but it was passed by indefinitely (7-6). Delegate Levine’s HB 1932, focused on removing the conscience clause for child placing agencies has been recommitted to the Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee. HB 1864, introduced by Delegate Marcia Price would change the definition of employer to include those who employ one or more domestic workers. HB 1864 was rereferred from the Senate General Laws and Technology committee (13-2) and then reported from the Judiciary committee (9-6). Senator Jennifer McClellan’s SB 1310 which is similar to HB 1864, reported from the House of Delegates Labor and Commerce committee (13-9) and then passed the House of Delegates (55-44). We were disappointed to see Senator Jennifer McClellan’s SB 1360 defeated in committee last week, but Delegate Vivian Watts’ companion bill, HB 2155, is still alive. It was referred from the General Laws and Technology committee 12-0 and has now been rereferred to the Judiciary committee. HB 2130, introduced by Delegate Alfonso Lopez, which would create an LGBTQ+ advisory board for the Governor, reported from the Senate General Laws and Technology committee (10-2) and now heads to the Senate floor. We are quickly approaching the end of the legislative process for 2021. To stay up to date 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 2021 bill tracker. | 
