Progress Virginia today celebrated the passage and signing of HB5103, which expands voters’ options to participate in this fall’s election amidst a deadly pandemic. The legislation allows localities to establish secure drop boxes for voters to return their absentee ballots while social distancing, eliminates the witness requirement for voting absentee in this general election, provides […]
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Virginia House Joins State Senate and Squashes Bill To Shield Corporations That Fail To Protect Workers & Customers
Action Makes Virginia First State to Reject Sweeping Corporate Immunity Legislation Richmond, VA – Earlier today, the Virginia House of Delegates followed the State Senate and scrapped attempts to shield corporations from liability when they fail to prevent workers and customers from contracting COVID-19. The House re-referred the immunity bill, HB 5074, to the House […]
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What Virginia’s Lawmakers Are Doing to Defend Black Lives During Special Session
There’s a lot of ish going down that we need our lawmakers to address in the Commonwealth. We’ve got the pandemic. We’ve got police violence against the Black community. We’ve got a budget shortfall. We’ve got elections during a pandemic and the Trump administration’s attempts to sabotage the elections. That’s why state lawmakers are convening […]
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Voters Breathe Easier as House and Senate Pass Bills to Make Voting Safer and More Secure
Voters Breathe Easier as House and Senate Pass Bills to Make Voting Safer and More Secure Richmond, Virginia—Voters can feel secure in the knowledge that when they go to vote this election season, their vote will be safe and secure, as always. Members of the House of Delegates and State Senate voted to pass Delegate […]
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So, You Want To Know About the 2020 Special Session?
You’ve probably heard by now that the General Assembly convened on August 18 for a special session to address the impact of COVID-19 on the state budget and police reform. But you might be wondering what it’s going to look like, what we’re looking for, and, most importantly, how to make sure your voice is […]
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Keep Dirty Politics Out of Our State Constitution: Vote No on Amendment 1
Election season is coming! We can start voting in just a few weeks, and whether you plan to vote by mail, vote early in person, or vote on Election Day, you’re probably thinking about how you are going to vote. You probably know how you are voting for president, but have you thought about the […]
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House and Senate Committees Take First Step Towards Ensuring Voting During a Pandemic Is Even Safer and More Secure for Everyone
Richmond, Virginia—Today, members of the House Appropriations Committee voted 13-9 to advance Delegate Mark Sickles’ bill HB5103. Members of the Senate Finance Committee voted 11-5 to advance Senator Janet Howell’s SB5120, an identical version of the same bill earlier this morning. These bills would allow registrars to establish secure drop boxes for voters to return […]
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Abortion Access Advocates Release Documentary Featuring Virginians Sharing Their Abortion Stories
Abortion Access Advocates Release Documentary Featuring Virginians Sharing Their Abortion Stories Shine The Light: Abortion Access in Virginia is a four-part documentary series that will be released episodically online over the next few weeks. Virginia—Shine The Light: Abortion Access in Virginia is a documentary featuring four Virginians sharing what it was really like to have […]
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Advocates Disappointed Governor Northam Won’t Use Rainy Day Funds To Support Hardworking Families in Pandemic
Richmond, Virginia—Between a pandemic that is causing families to struggle with massive unemployment, a child care crisis, police brutalizing protesters in the streets on a near-nightly basis all summer long, and reckoning with our racist past, it is not just raining in Virginia, it’s pouring. But this morning, Governor Ralph Northam unveiled a budget that […]
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ICYMI: Get Ready for Election Season, Not Election Night
Richmond, Virginia—This year, be prepared for election season. With new laws expanding access to absentee voting and a global pandemic pushing more voters to vote by mail, election results are unlikely to be available on election night in all races. A new law expands eligibility for ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by noon […]