Although controversies surrounding Gov. Ralph Northam, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring may have sucked much of the oxygen from news cycles during this year’s General Assembly session, lawmakers passed significant measures that deserve attention, including cleanup of coal ash sites and banning tobacco sales to those under 21. Here, we highlight a few other changes that will take effect in July.
License Restitution
For the next year at least, Virginia will no longer suspend a driver’s license because of unpaid court fees. The budget amendment will restore the licenses of more than 627,000 people come July. The governor, who announced after his blackface scandal that he would dedicate the remainder of his term to addressing racial injustice, called the measure “another great step forward for criminal justice reform.”
Kings Dominion Law
The decades-old “Kings Dominion law,” named for the amusement park that represented the tourism interests supporting it, is finally coming to an end. Since the 1980s, Virginia school systems have had to open after Labor Day, unless they received a waiver. Now, they will be able to open two weeks earlier, as long as they give students a four-day Labor Day weekend.
Better Foster Care
The governor signed a number of measures this year aimed at improving the state’s foster care system. The legislation will provide new services for children who are at risk of entering foster care, encourage post-adoption contact with birth parents for children in foster care and ensure that social services departments take steps during foster care placements to find relatives who may be able to provide a home for the child.
Justice for Officers
The General Assembly sought justice for Virginia State Police Special Agent Michael T. Walter in the form of legislation. The officer was fatally shot while on duty in Mosby Court in 2017, and his killer received a 36-year sentence. Now, anyone convicted of capital murder of a law enforcement official would receive a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison. Walter’s widow, Jaime Walter, testified in support of the bill in January.
Tommie’s Law
After a pit bull was tied to a pole and set on fire in Richmond’s Abner Clay Park in February, lawmakers passed a bill that would stiffen the penalty for abusing a dog or cat. The bill, dubbed “Tommie’s Law,” will increase the penalty for animal cruelty to a Class 6 felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $2,500 fine. Under current law, an animal has to die as a result of the abuse for there to be a felony charge.
Northam Says ‘No’
These measures were among the bills passed by the General Assembly but vetoed by the governor.
Voter Access
Gov. Ralph Northam vetoed a bill that would have required people who conduct voter registration drives to provide their name, telephone number and the name of the group they’re affiliated with. The governor called it an “unnecessary and burdensome requirement.”
Immigration Enforcement
The Republican-controlled legislature also passed a bill that would have required officials in charge of local jails to notify federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement of undocumented inmates’ release dates. But the governor said that discretion should be left up to local law enforcement officials.
Emissions Ejection
Northam wasn’t a fan of a bill that would have required a super-majority vote from the General Assembly, or two-thirds approval from both chambers, to allow Virginia to enter a regional agreement to cut carbon dioxide and air pollution from vehicles. He said such legislation would impede attempts to fight climate change.
