Del. Patrick Hope

Commending Chris and Jeanne Mussig.

Commending Karen Campblin.

Constitutional amendment (first reference);marriage; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition; recognition ofsame-sex marriages. Repeals the constitutional provision definingmarriage as only a union between one man and one woman, as well asthe related provisions that are no longer valid as a result of theUnited States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges,576 U.S. 644 (2015). The amendment provides that the Commonwealthand its political subdivisions and its agents are required to issuemarriage licenses, recognize marriages, and treat all marriages equallyunder the law, regardless of the gender of the two parties to themarriage. The amendment further provides that religious organizationsand clergy acting in their religious capacity have the right to refuseto perform any marriage.

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Conventionon the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Constitutional amendment (first reference);franchise and officers; felon disenfranchisement; automatic restorationof political rights. Provides that no person who has been convictedof a felony shall be qualified to vote until the completion of hissentence of imprisonment or active supervision, at which time, withoutfurther action required of him, his political rights, including theright to vote, shall be restored. A person convicted of a felonymay also have his civil rights restored by the Governor or otherappropriate authority.

Electric utilities; rate reductions. Eliminates provisions that limit any rate reduction ordered by the State Corporation Commission in the first triennial review of Dominion Energy Virginia after January 1, 2021, to $50 million in annual revenues and provides that in any triennial review, regardless of whether the Commission has ordered bill credits, the utility earned above its authorized rate of return during the test period under review, or the utility has made a request regarding any customer credit reinvestment offsets, the Commission may order any rate reduction it deems necessary and appropriate unless it finds that the resulting rates will not provide the utility with the opportunity to (i) fully recover its costs of providing its services and (ii) earn not less than a fair combined rate of return on its generation and distribution services. This bill was incorporated into HB 1835.

Automatic expungement of criminal records.Establishes a process for the automatic expungement of criminal recordsfor misdemeanors, certain felony convictions, deferred dispositions,and acquittals and for offenses that have been nolle prossed or otherwise dismissed. The bill also provides a process for the automatic expungementof criminal records for charges arising from mistaken identity orthe unauthorized use of identifying information. The bill has staggereddelayed effective dates in order to develop systems for implementingthe provisions of the bill.

Commending Jaden Wang.

Commending Ryan Tully.

Celebrating the life of Michael Stephen Horwatt.