Equality VA Lobby Day - January 17, 2007
And The 2007 Legislative Session to Date
Regarding Bills of Interest to the AGLA Community
On Wednesday, January 17th, over 200 Equality Virginia members and supporters gathered at Richmond City Hall. Over 20 of these EV participants were representative of Arlington County, including many active members of AGLA and the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Arlington (UUCA).
The day started off with very encouraging news that the Anti-GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Bill, HB1727, was defeated in Committee!
(As the Legislature Turns, however, that was not the end of the story.)
After a quick EV training session, and Arlington participant networking, it was off to the Virginia General Assembly Building to meet with our own fabulous, 100% GLBT Supportive Delegates and Senators representing Arlington (Delegates Brink, Ebbin, Eisenberg, and Englin. Senators Ticer and Whipple). First, we thanked each of them for all they have done and continue to do for our rights! Then, after some very friendly personal story sharing and discussion with our legislators, we asked each of them “what could we do to help them get the GLBT supportive bills that have been ntows: introduced, mostly by our own Arlington reps, in 2007 passed in the House and the Senate this year?” Some of these Bills are as follows:
HB2550/SB820 (Del. Adam Ebbin/Senator Jeanmarie Devolities-Davis) – Bill to prohibit employment discrimination in State Employment, to include and define “sexual orientation”.
SB1242 (Senator Mary Margaret Whipple) – Allowing localities (ie: Arlington County, City of Alexandria, etc) to provide domestic partner benefits to their own public employees.
HB2730 (Del. Dave Englin) – Require Virginia hospitals to allow hospital visitation rights for any individual that a patient has designated as their “next of kin”.
The answer to the above question we asked was most often expressed: Continue to express our own valuable personal experiences to them and other Legislators, so they can possibly use these stories in their Committee discussions. Also, it is important to watch which Committee’s that these bills are assigned and to write letters to and/or call Committee members.
At Noon, we all gathered out front for the exciting and energizing group picture (location of picture).
Then, as the electric energy of all the EV Lobby Day participants filled the hallways of the Legislative Assembly, icipants we continued talking with Delegates/Senators and Legislative Staff Members representing many of the other Virginia districts.
Into early evening we participated, networked, and had fun at the EV Legislative Reception which included most of our Arlington Legislators, many other GLBT supportive Legislators, and a visit from Governor Tim Kaine.
Following Lobby Day, the fun began watching each of these bills as they proceed through the Legislative process and following up on what our Legislators asked us to do.
The AGLA General Meeting held the following day discussed this strategy.
Letters and E-Mails were written and sent to important Committee Legislators.
The UUCA conducted a “Write-Here,Write-Now” letter writing campaign at the UUCA Church and generated 35 letters to Legislators on these issues!
So far, the good news is that Mary Margaret Whipple’s bill (SB1242) has PASSED through the Virginia Senate and is now its way to the House!
On the other hand, the GSA bill (HB1727), which was amended from its original requirement that Virginia schools would need to get expressed approval from parents before a student could participate in any school sanctioned club or group. This was amended, after failing in Committee, to still require that a letter would be sent to parents describing the purpose of any School club or group, such as GSA’s, but would then allow parents to “opt-out” of letting their sons and daughters attend. It has now been further amended to allow schools to put in a mandatory “opt-in” policy, as the bill was originally written, if the school desired. This bill passed the House and is on it’s way to the Senate.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Bills (SB820 and HB2550) have been held up in Senate Committee as of this writing. HB2730 has also not yet been moved out of Committee as of this writing.
Every step of the way on our long journey for fairness and basic human rights has put us out there, visible and ever-focused, and the results are becoming more apparent every day that we can and will make it happen!
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