RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — After hours of debate, the Virginia House of Delegates has passed hundreds of bills ahead of Tuesday’s crossover day deadline.
Crossover is the halfway point of the legislative session where bills introduced in one chamber must be passed out of that chamber in order to be considered during the rest of the General Assembly session. Any bills that don’t pass out of their respective chamber have no chance of becoming law during this year’s session.
Among the bills passed on Tuesday is one to create a retail market for the sale of recreational marijuana, something Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) has already implied he won’t sign into law. Plus, Democrats passed a bill to ban the sale of new assault weapons, something Republicans say violates the Second Amendment.
“We have to ban these weapons of mass destruction, these weapons of war from our streets,” House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) told 8News. “We should not be having our children learning how to hide in school. We should not be doing active shooting drills where even the police won’t go directly in the school. If you look at the last mass shootings, the police were on scene, but they were like, we are not going in there either, they waited for a long period of time, that cost more lives because they are afraid of these weapons.”
Plus, the Democratic-controlled House passed a bill to set up a state-run paid family and medical leave insurance program that would give people paid time off if they have a baby, a serious health condition, and more. Both employees and employers would pay into the program.
“Paid family and medical leave ensures that individuals have a roof over their heads, food on their table, and access to quality affordable healthcare during life’s toughest moments,” said Delegate Briana Sewell (D-Prince William).
“This, Mr. Speaker, is going to take money out of every paycheck, every employer. It is a $3 billion tax,” Delegate Joe McNamara (R-Roanoke) said.
