March 4, 2024
RICHMOND, VA – This morning, the Democratic-led General Assembly gathered to discuss a number of bills sent to the Governor’s desk on Friday under the seven day timeline – including some bipartisan priorities.
[House and Senate Democrats Discuss Seven Day Bills]
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell stated, “With the seven-day bills we sent the Governor, Virginians are going to finally get to find out where he stands on issues like protecting contraception, on firearm violence prevention, and economic security.”
“As the legislature has recognized, I hope that the Governor will also recognize the will of the voters and sign these critical pieces of legislation in the next few days,” said House Majority Leader Charniele Herring. “Virginia voters sent a message in November that they wanted representatives that protect their rights and freedoms. We heard what they’ve had to say and that is exactly what we’ve done in the last 54 days. Two of these bills represent a crucial step in keeping healthcare, specifically reproductive healthcare, affordable and accessible for women in the Commonwealth – especially at a time when we’re seeing the barrier to access becoming greater and greater in other states across the Country.”
House Democratic Caucus Chair Kathy Tran said, “An overwhelming majority of the legislation that we have passed this session has been on a bipartisan basis, and that should not surprise anyone. Every one of us, in every corner of the Commonwealth, no matter our backgrounds, want to build a better future for our families. The Governor has a choice, and I hope he will choose to stand with an overwhelming majority of Virginians. I hope we will continue to move Virginia forward.”
“I am extremely proud of the work that Democrats have done in both the House and the Senate,” said Chairman of Senate Privileges and Election Aaron Rouse. “We have been hard at work to deliver the results on issues that matter most to Virginians. The blue brick wall is steadily transforming into the foundation that will uplift all Virginians.”
At the press conference, the Joint House and Senate Democratic Caucus highlighted the following bills:
- HB136 (Campbell)
- HB673 (Feggans)
- HB597 (Price), cognate to SB479 (Aird)
- HB1336 (Sickles), cognate to SB568 (Deeds)
- SB606 (VanValkenburg), cognate to HB1177 (Sickles)
- SB238 (Hashmi), cognate to HB819 (Mundon King)
- SB189 (Rouse), cognate to HB416 (Convirs-Fowler)
The full list of 7-day bills that were sent to the Governor’s Desk can be found here. The Governor has an Action Deadline of 11:59pm, March 8, 2024. Members of the press with additional questions should contact Morgan Hopkins at morgan@vahousedems.org or Allison Lawrence at allison@vasenatedems.com.
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