Virginia, Do You Progress OR Regress?

There is an election in Virginia on November 2, which will determine whether Virginia continues to progress or regress. Comparing Virginia’s recent policies, under a Democratic Governor and General Assembly, to those of Texas, under a Republican Governor and Legislature, is enlightening. 

VOTING RIGHTS

Unlike Texas which restricted voters’ rights, Virginia passed the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, providing comprehensive protections to voters, including:

  1. No excuse absentee voting;
  2. Election Day being a state holiday;
  3. Automatic voter registration when applying for a license;
  4. Allowing individuals to sue in cases of voter suppression.

In the wake of a number of counties expanding voting rights during COVID, Texas limited localities’ ability to expand voting options, including:

  1. Banning 24-hour and drive-thru voting;
  2. Banning officials from mailing unsolicited mail-in ballots;
  3. Adding mandates to those who vote by mail.

EDUCATION/BOOKS

In the past session, Virginia did the following:

  1. Made investments in capital improvements, broadband access, busses, etc.;
  2. Investments in preK-higher education, including increasing teacher salaries and benefits;
  3. Added additional counselors to K-12;
  4. Required cultural competency for all teachers, superintendents, etc. 

Texas, on the other hand, did the following:

  1. Passed the “critical race theory” bill.  Teachers cannot be compelled to teach current events and if they do, they must give deference to “both sides.” The question of both sides was highlighted when a school board member suggested to teachers that when they teach the Holocaust, they must also teach “the other side;”
  2. Students are to receive no credit for civic engagement, working on campaigns, writing letters to legislators, etc. For context, Fairfax County requires their students taking government classes to volunteer for political campaigns, of their choice, their first semester and then do volunteer work their second;
  3. Banned teaching of the New York Times “1619” project which discusses the history of slavery since 1619.

More recently, the question of censorship and/or banning of books has become more vitriolic. In Texas, a state legislator has begun an investigation into Texas school districts to determine whether they have any of 850 book titles in their libraries. Most of the books are about race or have LGBTQ themes. 

A Texas parent claimed that the book, “Lawn Boy,” is pornographic and advocated for its removal. A Fairfax County parent and community member and a Virginia Beach School Board member have done the same. The Republican gubernatorial candidate in Virginia issued an ad with the parent behind the “Beloved” bill who advocated from the school, district and state level to remove the book “Beloved” from the AP curriculum. The Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Virginia vetoed those bills when he served as Governor. 

GUNS

After years of common sense gun laws getting buried in the Republican dominated House Militia, Police & Public Safety committee, Virginia, in the last two years, passed a number of laws to address gun violence:

  1. Background checks on all sales;
  2. Extreme Risk Protective Orders, allowing the removal of guns from those deemed a danger to themselves or others;
  3. One gun a month;
  4. Reporting lost or stolen firearms;
  5. Preventing child access to firearms;
  6. Allowing localities to regulate firearms;
  7. Removal of guns from those with protective orders. 

Texas, on the other hand, recently passed the following: 

  1. Anyone 21 or older can carry handguns, without training or a permit;
  2. Localities cannot enforce new federal regulations;
  3. Bars government contracts with those who discriminate against the firearms industry;
  4. Removes firearm suppressors from list of prohibited weapons.

Both Virginia and Texas have had multiple mass shootings, yet, their approach is far different. 

LGBTQ POLICIES

In the past two years, Virginia passed the following:

  1. The Virginia Values Act, to protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination in employment, housing and accommodations and expanding their ability to sue in state court;
  2. Protections for LGBTQ seniors;
  3. Criminal Justice Reform, including banning the “gay panic defense;”
  4. Establishment of an LGBTQ advisory board to advise the Governor.

Texas, on the other hand, has either enacted policies or passed the following legislation:

  1. Denying transgender athletes the right to participate in athletics; 
  2. No protections for LGBTQ individuals from discrimination in employment, housing or accomodations;
  3. Allowing professionals to deny care to LGBTQ individuals. 

CHOICE

During the McDonnell administration, Virginia became the laughingstock of the country when the General Assembly passed a bill requiring women to have a vaginal ultrasound before terminating a pregnancy. McDonnell vetoed it. More recently, the Democratic Governor and General Assembly rolled back a number of the restrictions that had been in place.

Texas, meanwhile, passed a bill blocking abortion after 6 weeks and allows anyone, even non-residents, to sue for $10,000 in damages anyone who may be liable. It also holds anyone who “aids” and “abets” to be held liable. The Supreme Court will be reviewing this new law.

For decades, Virginia could not expand voting rights, gun violence protections or rights for LGBTQ individuals. But, in the past two years, it could and did. So, Virginia, do you continue to progress or do you regress?