On Friday February 19, 2021, the House passed Senator Jennifer McClellan’s (D-Richmond) SB1310, an omnibus bill. Today, the House accepted technical Senate amendments to Delegates Marcia Price’s (D-Newport News) HB 1864. Both bills now head to the Governor’s desk.

Under Virginia law – a relic of Jim Crow-era policies – domestic workers are not entitled to the same protections as other workers under the Virginia Human Rights Act and Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations. McClellan’s and Price’s bills remove these exemptions and protect domestic workers.

oday, the House passed Sen. Jennifer McClellan’s (D-Richmond) bill (SB 1257) to invest an additional $50 million per year into Virginia schools by implementing some of the Virginia Board of Education’s Standards of Quality recommendations for increased school support staffing. The bill passed the House 63-37 and now heads to Governor Ralph Northam’s desk.

Sen. McClellan’s bill will take steps toward meeting the support needs of students in Virginia by providing and funding more social workers, nurses, and mental health professionals in our schools to address students’ needs. The bill will require each school board to provide at least three specialized student support positions per 1,000 students.

Today, Senator Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) delivered a floor speech advocating for the removal of noted segregationist and former Virginia Governor and U.S. Senator Harry Byrd’s statue from the ground of the Virginia State Capitol.

Today, the House passed Sen. Jennifer McClellan’s (D-Richmond) Child Care Stabilization and Quality Care bill (SB 1316). Sen. McClellan’s bill will invest in the Virginia child care industry by launching a new two-year pilot program creating flexibility in how federal subsidy dollars are used while also addressing staffing shortages by implementing portable background checks. The bill passed unanimously in the House and now heads to Governor Ralph Northam’s desk.

Today, the Virginia Senate passed Senator Jennifer McClellan’s (D-Richmond) civic youth engagement bill (SB 1439), which will allow middle and high school students an excused absence per year in order to participate in a civic event. The bill passed the Senate 25-14 on final passage, accepting a technical amendment from the House.

Del. Sam Rasoul’s (D-Roanoke) companion bill passed on Wednesday. The bills are now on the way to Governor Ralph Northam’s desk.

The bills will allow students to get involved in government and communities and learn the importance of civic engagement. This bipartisan bill was the result of a collaboration between the Virginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus and the Teenage Republican Federation of Virginia.

“This is a historic day for criminal justice reform in Virginia. Today’s vote sets Virginia on a path to end a barbaric system that disproportionately punished Black and Brown people. Ending capital punishment is a critical step on the long path to build a justice system that is truly just.

I’m proud to co-patron this bill that will make Virginia the first state in the South to abolish the death penalty.”