Weekly Column: Virginia Legislature Is Moving Bills, Addressing Problems

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of January 31, 2021.

Virginia Legislature Is Moving Bills, Addressing Problems

As the General Assembly begins its fourth week in session this year, vaccine deployment for Covid-19 has started to accelerate and we are discussing how to jump-start in-person schooling.  Virginia’s Secretary of Education believes all school personnel will be vaccinated by March 1 and a bill is pending to require in-person elementary-secondary school options no later than July 1.  Depending on how discussions go, the General Assembly might pass a mandate to require in-person learning sooner.

This is Why We Need Limits on Qualified Immunity: My Bill to Make Police Officers Civilly Liable for Misconduct

                                      

Last summer, several acts of police brutality against Black Americans and people of color forced Virginia to confront a long history of oppression and racial injustice. Although we have made substantial progress toward racial equality, implicit and explicit racism still persists in Virginia and across America.  

Last session we made significant progress modernizing the training, hiring, firing, discipline, and professional accountability for police departments.  However, some issues were too complex to take up in a special session including enhancing civil court remedies for individuals who are harmed by law enforcement officers who violate constitutional and legal standards.