Dear ,

Yesterday was “crossover” in the General Assembly. That’s the day by which all bills except the budget must be out of their respective chambers and sent to the other. Some of the bills we are supporting look good, others have been killed, some got through one chamber and will struggle in the other, and a few strong bills that we had been following although weren’t priorities surprised us by getting through one chamber. Here’s a quick summary of what is still in play (not killed): 

Criminal Justice Reform 

Solitary confinement. A strong bill got through the Senate. A weaker one got through the House, in part, because the Attorney General weighed in to weaken the bill. We are exploring what can be done in the coming days.  

DOC oversight bill. An important bill to create an ombudsman for the Department of Corrections passed the Senate unanimously. This bill could help with solitary confinement oversight as well as many things. We will add this to our bills to advocate.  

Free phone calls. A bill passed the Senate to allow those incarcerated and their families to have free phone calls. This is critical because families struggle to afford to communicate with their loved ones. 

Reducing misdemeanor confinement by one day. Immigrants who are confined for 365 days are subject to expedited deportation, so the bill reduces maximum confinement for a misdemeanor from 365 to 364 days in many parts of the code. The bill passed the Senate and is headed to the House. 

Health Equity 

Maternal health hubs. The bill to study the use of health hubs passed the House unanimously and should pass the Senate. 

Midwives administering life-saving drugs during labor. Bill passed both the House and Senate and should become law. 

Cover All Kids. VICPP is adding “Cover All Kids” to its 2023 agenda. This bill would expand Medicaid coverage for children without documentation from low-income families. It passed the Senate with bipartisan support, but its companion was killed in the House. It will be an uphill fight to win this in 2023, but it is not a huge budget increase and would help lots of children.

Economic Justice  

Paid sick days. A watered-down bill passed the Senate. The House is unlikely to pass anything.  

Paid Family and Medical Leave. A bill finally (after many years) passed the Senate but will likely be killed in the House.  

Utility shutoffs. A bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support, so it might have a chance in the House. 

Early childcare study. A bill to create a commission to plan how Virginia can expand access to early childhood education passed the House unanimously, so it should pass the Senate.

Tenant Protections 

Expanding “pay or quit” period. This bill gives tenants 9 additional days to pay up before they can be evicted. Passed the Senate with bipartisan support, so has a chance in the House.  

Allows breaking a lease if a place is uninhabitable. Passed the House with bipartisan support, so has a good chance in the Senate.  

Makes rental application more transparent. Passed Senate unanimously, so good chance in the House.  

Requires 60-day notice to raise the rent. Passed the House with bipartisan support so has a chance in the Senate.

Budget 

The Senate and House budget committees released their budgets on Sunday. The big picture is that the House budget includes all the Governor’s tax deductions, and the Senate does not, thus giving the Senate a lot more money to allocate. Although all three budgets add money for Pre-K-12 Education, the Senate budget adds the most. On the education front (not an area where VICPP does a lot of work), VICPP is pleased to see the funds for additional instructors for English learners ($24m) and the preschool pilot program ($20m). 

In terms of money for criminal justice priorities, money for free phone calls and establishing the oversight office were in the Senate budget. There is also money for improving operations at the Lawrenceville Correctional Center, but not enough for the Department of Corrections to take over its management. 

The Senate budget includes the money for Cover All Kids, and all three budgets (Governor, House, and Senate) have increases for Medicaid reimbursement rates, with the Senate including the most.

There is some new money for affordable housing, but not all our priorities were included. There is money for housing for people with serious mental illness in all three budgets (more in the Senate), a small amount in both the House and Senate budgets for a statewide housing assessment that all the housing advocates support, and money in the Senate budget for a manufactured home park pilot program. Money for the Housing Trust Fund ($150m), which we supported, is in “contingent appropriations,” meaning there will be money only if there is extra money. More money for childcare subsidy grants ($80m) is in that same contingent category.

The Senate budget has an increase in TANF funds that would increase cash benefits and the income eligibility threshold. TANF is Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, our basic public assistance program which is terribly minimal.

Our partner organization, the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, has compiled this fabulous document comparing the budget proposals. Click here to read it.

As you can see, there are many things we care about that are still in play. Stay tuned.

Thanks, 

Kim Bobo
Executive Director

Don't forget! You can catch up on what’s happening and what’s next! At 7 p.m. on Monday, January 13, we will be hosting a Zoom meeting to review what has happened so far in the General Assembly, what more we can do to impact the legislature, and how to keep these justice issues alive in the off-season. Please join us by clicking the button below to register! 

VICPP's third annual Student Day of Action was held in person for the first time ever and it was a hit! One hundred and fifty young adults, from 15 colleges and seminaries across the state, plus 14 non-profit organizations, gathered in Richmond to address lawmakers on a variety of issues, including solitary confinement, maternal mortality, affordable housing, and paid leave. Arriving from as far as Harrisonburg, Winchester, and Norfolk, a Thursday night dinner with 80 students, legislators, and non-profit leaders kicked off an evening of training and fellowship. Friday morning saw students, faculty, and VICPP staff hit the sidewalk to the General Assembly from St. Paul's Episcopal Church, to where the group returned following a whopping 80 legislative visits! Afternoon sessions on topics like Higher Education in Prison, Filmmaking for Justice, and Environmental Justice brought students into contact with local, regional, and national experts and individuals with lived experience.

Challenging and lively conversations confirmed what we expected: Young Virginians are ready, willing, and able to stand up with Virginia Interfaith as a new generation of capable and passionate advocates for values inspired by faith and good conscience.

VICPP has hundreds of photos and videos to share. Click the button below or click here to view the photos that have been posted so far. Stay tuned as more photos and videos are continuing to be added daily! 

Check out our latest social media post, from yesterday -- Our Crossover special featuring none other than your faithful VICPP Faith Organizer, Sheila Herlihy Hennessee, breaking it down for all as she does so well. Make sure you're following and staying engaged with us on all our social media channels. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok, we're on them all as @vainterfaith! You can scroll to the bottom of this newsletter and click on the different social media icons to be instantly taken to each of our profiles. And be sure to click the button below to view this info-taining video! Don't forget to share, because sharing is caring.  

Upcoming events are posted to the web regularly. Please click the button below to check out the VICPP Events webpage.  

VICPP Executive Director Kim Bobo quoted in:

Reforming solitary confinement in Virginia gets bipartisan push — led by 2 Hampton Roads lawmakers

The Virginian-Pilot, Feb. 6, 2023

By Katie King

Excerpts:

The bill would require every person in prison to be offered a minimum of four hours of socialization per day. It would allow for some exceptions, including situations where the person was deemed a threat to others.

 
Kim Bobo, executive director of Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, believes this would be a meaningful change.

“We are humans, and we need other people,” she said. “Those who have come out of solitary have talked about losing their perception of reality, and they can have long-term post traumatic stress.”

...

Explaining that the United Nations defines prolonged solitary confinement as a form of torture, Bobo said the interfaith center would continue to push for a 15-day limit.

“We were certainly disappointed with the AG’s office weighing in, but on the other hand, this is the first time that we’ve gotten a bill this far, and we can try and build on it next year,” she said.

Shawn Weneta, policy strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, said the organization was dismayed the bill was “watered down” but appreciated the changes it would enact.

...

With a growing awareness about the psychological damage isolation can cause people, Bobo said there’s been a nationwide push to reduce its use. A few states, like New York and Connecticut, have enacted 15-day limits, she said.

Click the button below to read the full article.