Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 15:14:39 -0500 From: Virginians For Justice Subject: VJ Legislative Update February 12, 1996 Virginians for Justice ***** LEGISLATIVE UPDATE HB234 AND HB1468 FAIL TO MOVE TO HOUSE FLOOR ------------------------------------------------------------------- On Sunday, February 11, the House of Delegates Courts of Justice committee failed to move HB234 or HB1468 out of committee for consideration by the entire House. Officially, the bills were "carried over" until the 1997 General Assembly, but effectively, they were killed. With legislative deadlines looming and hundreds of bills yet to be resolved, the twenty-two member Courts of Justice committee voted to carry over HB234, Delegate James Almand's (D-Arlington) attempt to add "sexual orientation" and "gender" to Virginia's hate crimes law. A roll call vote was called on a motion to report the bill, but as it became apparent that the motion was going to fail, a substitute motion was made to carry the bill over. This is often a courtesy to a bill's sponsor so that a recorded defeat is avoided. HB1468 suffered a similar fate. The bill's sponsor, Delegate Karen Darner (D-Arlington) presented the committee with several language options for overriding or eliminating the oppressive portions of the Crimes Against Nature law that refer to consensual adult sexual behavior. After a motion was made by Delegate Ken Melvin (D- Portsmouth) to report the bill, a show of hands vote was initiated. Discomfort among the committee members seemed to be building as many legislators voted neither for or against the bill. The bill appeared to be failing, so a substitute motion to "carry over" passed and HB1468 died for the year. Despite the setbacks, there were continuing signs of progress. For the first time, the C.A.N. reform bill was heard by the full Courts of Justice committee rather than just in subcommittee. Moreover, many of the committee members, both supporters and the opposition, are addressing VJ's lobbyists and supporters with the respect given mainstream lobbying concerns. The persistent and professional work of VJ lobbyists David Perry and Campbell Spencer during the General Assembly, combined with grassroots lobbying and constituent phone calls by hundreds of VJ supporters, bring the passage of C.A.N. and hate crimes reform much closer to reality. Earlier in the session, a House subcommittee heard expert testimony in support of each bill from Virginians for Justice lobbyists and staff and from several supporters of the legislation, including Al Eisenberg, of the Arlington County Board of Supervisors who gave impassioned testimony supporting HB234. As always, Delegate Darner was eloquent in her introduction and testimony of HB1468. Several other lobbying concerns in the General Assembly were instrumental in opening lines of communication to several newly-supportive legislators. Virginia Partisans, the Virginia ACLU and Virginia NOW were particularly helpful. According to VJ Legislative Coordinator Patrick Heck, "Both bills may have failed to make it to the floor, but we feel that remarkable progress was made. Several influential legislators, whose endorsement is required for virtually every piece of successful legislation, are now on first-name basis with our lobbyists and spent a substantial amount of time and energy debating the merits of both bills. We haven't made it to the floor yet, but we are no longer considered to be an ephemeral or oddball constituency." In the coming months, Virginians for Justice will be working to build a strong coalition of political, religious and social justice concerns to ensure that both bills move substantially forward next session. Heck added, "The legislators can no longer claim ignorance of these issues. We have educated the House Courts of Justice committee with expert testimony and documentation for several years now and it is time for them to exhibit publicly what they privately tell us they've learned. It is also past time for them to quit hiding behind the political process and instead, to take the moral high ground." VJ lobbyists will continue monitoring the 1996 General Assembly to assure that anti-gay bills and rhetoric do not go unchallenged. They are already busy building bridges for next year's session. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Virginians for Justice advances equal justice for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and those affected by the HIV epidemic, through the state's legislative, administrative and judicial systems. Virginians for Justice PO Box 342 Richmond, VA 23218-0342 804-643-4816 va4justice@aol.com