John,

Great news from the Capitol: A key House subcommittee just gave HB 1663 the green light, meaning it will advance to a vote in the House General Laws Committee next Tuesday, January 28.

And after a brief delay (these things happen when lawmakers have a lot of bills to get through), SB 868 will be back up for a vote in the Senate General Laws Committee on Wednesday, January 29. 

After that, the clock starts counting down to a full vote in both chambers. We have to be ready.

Will you send a quick note or log a quick call to your Senator and Delegate to make sure they’re voting YES on the Virginia Values Act? You'll also be able to separately thank Sen. Adam Ebbin and Del. Mark Sickles for their leadership as bill sponsors.

We need to get every single vote we can in committee, John, so that lawmakers who will cast the final votes in the House and Senate see there’s overwhelming support for the Virginia Values Act.

And not every committee vote—let alone every vote in the House or Senate—is locked down yet. 

The message our Senators and Delegates need to hear is simple: SB 868 and HB 1663 will protect LGBTQ people from discrimination and boost our economy. As these critical committee hearings draw closer, we urgently need your help to make passing the Virginia Values Act a reality in 2020. 
 
It takes less than five minutes to make a call or send an email to your lawmakers. Use our contact tool to tell them: Vote YES.

Sincerely,  

Vee Lamneck,
Executive Director, Equality VA 

PS: If you want to advocate for LGBTQ protections in person, join us at our Day of Action on February 4! Get more information and sign up. We'll meet at the Library of Virginia, 800 E. Broad Street in Richmond.