Dear ,
Governor Northam had until this past Saturday night to sign bills into law, amend or veto bills and send them back to the legislators, or to allow bills to become law without his signature. Here’s the action the Governor took on legislation that VICPP supported. We hope the General Assembly will support most of his amendments. VICPP is quite pleased with the overall outcome of the session and most of the Governor’s amendments.
Governor Northam signed these bills into law as presented to him: Wage Theft Reforms. The Governor signed the following bills championed by VICPP: to create a private cause of action for wage theft (HB123 and SB838), add protections against retaliation (HB337 and SB48), strengthen the ability of DOLI to investigate wage claims (HB336 and SB49), remove the piece work exemption from minimum wage (SB78). VICPP also supported bills signed by the Governor: to create a private cause of action for misclassification (HB984 and SB894), establish prohibitions on noncompete agreements for low-wage workers (HB330 and SB480), remove the domestic worker exemption from minimum wage (SB804) and strengthen enforcement against misclassification (SB744, SB662, HB1407, HB1199). In-State Tuition. The bills (HB1547 and SB935) allow all who meet the Virginia residency requirements to receive in-state tuition. Office of New Americans. VICPP supported bills (HB1209 and SB991) to create an office to welcome and support newcomers. Governor Northam amended these bills as outlined below. The amendments will be voted on by the House and Senate on April 22: Minimum Wage Increase. Governor Northam’s amendment will postpone the initial minimum wage increase as outlined in SB7 and HB395 from January 1, 2021 to May 1, 2021- a four-month delay. Although VICPP is disappointed that working families won’t see an increase on January 1, 2021, we understand that the Governor and his team are facing challenging budget concerns at this moment. We also believe that the Governor missed an important opportunity to remove the farmworker exemption from the minimum wage. Farmworkers are essential workers and deserve the protection of the state’s minimum wage. VICPP will work to remove this exemption in the 2021 General Assembly. We are in conversation with coalition partners about the message to send to legislators about the amendment. Driver’s Licenses for All. The Governor amended the bills that give people of differing immigration status the ability to obtain a Driver's Privilege Card (HB1211 and SB34) and make the cards look more like other licenses so immigrants are less likely to be subject to discrimination. VICPP supports this amendment. Advocates are still concerned about the lack of privacy protections in the bill. Comprehensive Predatory Lending Reform. The Governor amended the predatory lending reform bills (HB789 and SB421) and moved the enactment day forward from July 1, 2021 to January 1, 2021. This is a great improvement that VICPP helped advocate and it will save Virginians approximately $50 million in fees. We just signed on to a statement by the Virginia Poverty Law Center to legislators urging them to support this amendment. Environmental Justice. The Governor amended the Environmental Justice Council bills (SB883) to add “disability” to the definition of environmental justice alongside “race, color, faith, national origin, and income.” In the Virginia Environmental Justice Act (HB704 and SB406), he added clarifying language to the meaning of the bill. Virginia Interfaith Power & Light (VAIPL) and VICPP advocated the amendments to both bills. Energy Burden. The Governor made some technical amendments to the bill to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and use some of the revenue to invest in energy efficiency (HB981 and SB1027). VICPP supports the amendments. We are still trying to assess which of the amendments will need the most advocacy. Be prepared for a few more action alerts in the next week to get bills across the finish line. Many Blessings, Kim Bobo Executive Director
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