Constitutional amendment (first reference); qualifications of voters; right to vote; persons not entitled to vote. Provides that every person who meets the qualifications of voters set forth in the Constitution of Virginia shall have the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth and that such right shall not be abridged by law, except for persons who have been convicted of a felony and persons who have been adjudicated to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting. A person who has been convicted of a felony shall not be entitled to vote during any period of incarceration for such felony conviction, but upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him, such person shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote. Currently, in order to be qualified to vote a person convicted of a felony must have his civil rights restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority. The amendment also provides that a person adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction as lacking the capacity to understand the act of voting shall not be entitled to vote during this period of incapacity until his capacity has been reestablished as prescribed by law. Currently, the Constitution of Virginia provides that a person who has been adjudicated to be mentally incompetent is not qualified to vote until his competency is reestablished.
Sponsored bills
Virginia retirement system; enhanced retirement benefits; animal control officers. Adds full-time animal control officers to the list of local employees eligible to receive enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service for service earned in such positions on or after July 1, 2025, and in certain circumstances service earned prior to that date. Under current law, localities may provide such benefits to first responders, including firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and certain other hazardous duty positions. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment; pilot program. Directs the Department of Veterans Services to establish a pilot program with two locations to make electroencephalogram (EEG) combined transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment available for certain military members, veterans, first responders, law-enforcement officers, and certain agents of federal agencies, and family members of the aforementioned individuals. The bill requires the Department to establish regulations for administration of the pilot program.
Supervision of certified registered nurse anesthetists; work group; report. Clarifies that supervision of a certified registered nurse anesthetist requires that a licensed doctor of medicine, osteopathy, podiatry, or dentistry is present during an operation or procedure or is immediately available to respond and provide patient care as needed. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, in collaboration with the Board of Medicine, Board of Nursing, and Department of Health Professions, to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to evaluate and make recommendations to increase the anesthesia provider workforce in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the work group to report its recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health and Human Services by November 1, 2024.
Commissioner of Health; work group to study the occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water; report. Directs the Commissioner of Health to convene a work group to study the occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water and develop recommendations for the reduction of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water. The bill requires the work group to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committees on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and Education and Health by December 1, 2024.
Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution honors the memory of John Jacobus Alewynse, a respected educator who passed away in April 2024. The bill formally acknowledges his significant contributions to academia and community service, including his leadership roles at Hampton University and his long tenure on the Williamsburg-James City County School Board. It directs the Senate Clerk to send a copy of the resolution to Alewynse's family as a gesture of respect. This measure is a commemorative action that does not create new laws or alter existing policies.
Maddy summaryThis resolution directs the Comptroller of Virginia to issue payments from the Senate's contingent fund to cover expenses for the 2024 Special Session I. It authorizes session per diem and mileage reimbursement for senators attending scheduled floor sessions, while excluding legislative assistants and senators during recesses from these payments. Additionally, it permits compensation for specific committee members, including those in standing committees and conference committees, even when the General Assembly is not in session.
Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution honors the memory of Bradford Windley Phillips, a respected attorney and community leader from Hampton who passed away in April 2024. The document formally acknowledges his contributions to civic engagement, his career as a lawyer specializing in criminal and family law, and his service to the Hampton Democratic Committee. It directs the Senate Clerk to create a copy of the resolution to present to Phillips' family as a gesture of respect from the Senate of Virginia.
Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution honors the life and legacy of Dr. Golden Bethune-Hill, a respected healthcare executive and civil rights advocate who passed away in April 2024. The document outlines her significant career achievements, including her role as the first African American director of nursing at Riverside Regional Medical Center and her leadership in founding the Charlie W. and Golden Bethune Hill Community Health Clinic. It also recognizes her legal work in voting rights cases and her community service through various organizations. Finally, the resolution directs the Senate Clerk to present a copy of the document to Dr. Bethune-Hill's family as a gesture of respect.
Purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., of assault firearms and certain ammunition feeding devices prohibited; penalty. Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases, possesses, transports, or transfers an assault firearm, as that term is defined in the bill, and prohibits a person who has been convicted of such violation from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm for a period of three years from the date of conviction. The bill provides that an assault firearm does not include any firearm that is an antique firearm, has been rendered permanently inoperable, is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action, or was manufactured before July 1, 2024. The bill also prohibits the sale of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, as that term is defined in the bill. The bill provides that any person who willfully and intentionally (i) sells an assault firearm to another person or (ii) purchases an assault firearm from another person is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor and that any person who imports, sells, barters, or transfers a large capacity ammunition feeding device is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill also makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person younger than 21 years of age to import, sell, manufacture, purchase, possess, transport, or transfer an assault firearm regardless of the date of manufacture of such assault firearm.