Virginia Senate Bill 1395 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Completed Legislative Action
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: Passed on April 7 2021 - 100% progression
Action: 2021-04-07 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0528)
Text: Latest bill text (Chaptered) [HTML]

Elections; prohibited discrimination in voting and elections administration; required process for enacting certain covered practices; civil causes of action. Prohibits any voting qualification or any standard, practice, or procedure related to voting from being imposed or applied in a manner that results in the denial or abridgment of the right of any United States citizen to vote based on his race or color or membership in a language minority group. The bill further prohibits at-large methods of election from being imposed or applied in a locality in a manner that impairs the ability of a protected class, defined in the bill, to elect candidates of its choice or to influence the outcome of an election, by diluting or abridging the rights of voters who are members of a protected class. Prior to enacting or administering a covered practice, defined in the bill, the governing body of a locality is required to publish the proposed covered practice and accept public comment for a minimum of 30 days on the proposed covered practice; after the public comment period, a 30-day waiting period is required. During this period, any person who will be subject to or affected by the covered practice may challenge the covered practice as (i) having the purpose or effect of denying or abridging the right to vote on the basis of race or color or membership in a language minority group or (ii) resulting in the retrogression in the position of members of a racial or ethnic group with respect to their effective exercise of the electoral franchise. The bill permits the local governing body to instead submit the proposed covered practice to the Office of the Attorney General for issuance of a certification of no objection and, once such certification is issued, to enact or administer the covered practice. Certain unlawful actions, including knowingly communicating false information to voters, that are currently subject to criminal penalties will create civil causes of action under the bill. The bill authorizes the Attorney General to commence civil actions when there is reasonable cause to believe that a violation of an election law has occurred and the rights of any voter or group of voters have been affected by the violation. Civil penalties assessed as a result of such action are payable to the Voter Education and Outreach Fund, established by the bill. Current provisions related to language minority accessibility are moved to a newly created chapter relating to the rights of voters.

Discrimination; prohibited in voting and elections administration, etc.

Sen. Jennifer McClellan [D]

Sen. Mamie Locke [D]

2021-04-07 - House - House: VOTE: Agree To (55-Y 45-N) (Y: 55 N: 45 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2021-04-07 - Senate - Senate: Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (21-Y 19-N) (Y: 21 N: 19 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2021-02-15 - House - House: VOTE: Passage (55-Y 45-N) (Y: 55 N: 45 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2021-02-10 - House - House: Reported from Privileges and Elections (13-Y 9-N) (Y: 13 N: 9 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2021-02-05 - Senate - Senate: Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 17-N) (Y: 21 N: 17 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]
2021-02-03 - Senate - Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) (Y: 39 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2021-02-03 - Senate - Senate: Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (10-Y 4-N 2-A) (Y: 10 N: 4 NV: 2 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2021-01-26 - Senate - Senate: Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (9-Y 6-N) (Y: 9 N: 6 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]

Date	Chamber	Action
2021-04-07		Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0528)
2021-04-07	House	Enacted, Chapter 528 (effective - see bill)
2021-04-07	Senate	Signed by President as reenrolled
2021-04-07	House	Signed by Speaker as reenrolled
2021-04-07	Senate	Reenrolled bill text (SB1395ER2)
2021-04-07	Senate	Reenrolled
2021-04-07		Governor: Governor's recommendation adopted
2021-04-07	House	VOTE: Agree To (55-Y 45-N)
2021-04-07	House	House concurred in Governor's recommendation (55-Y 45-N)
2021-04-07	Senate	Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (21-Y 19-N)
2021-03-31	Senate	Governor's recommendation received by Senate
2021-02-22		Governor: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021
2021-02-22	Senate	Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on February 22, 2021
2021-02-18	House	Signed by Speaker
2021-02-17	Senate	Signed by President
2021-02-17	Senate	Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1395ER)
2021-02-17	Senate	Enrolled
2021-02-15	House	VOTE: Passage (55-Y 45-N)
2021-02-15	House	Passed House (55-Y 45-N)
2021-02-15	House	Read third time
2021-02-12	House	Read second time
2021-02-10	House	Reported from Privileges and Elections (13-Y 9-N)
2021-02-08	House	Continued to Special Session 1 in Privileges and Elections by voice vote
2021-02-07	House	Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
2021-02-07	House	Read first time
2021-02-07	House	Placed on Calendar
2021-02-05	Senate	Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 17-N)
2021-02-04	Senate	Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB1395S2
2021-02-04	Senate	Committee substitute agreed to 21103866D-S2
2021-02-04	Senate	Reading of substitute waived
2021-02-04	Senate	Committee substitute rejected 21103648D-S1
2021-02-04	Senate	Reading of substitute waived
2021-02-04	Senate	Read second time
2021-02-03	Senate	Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
2021-02-03	Senate	Committee substitute printed 21103866D-S2
2021-02-03	Senate	Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (10-Y 4-N 2-A)
2021-01-26	Senate	Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations
2021-01-26	Senate	Committee substitute printed 21103648D-S1
2021-01-26	Senate	Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (9-Y 6-N)
2021-01-13	Senate	Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
2021-01-13	Senate	Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21102738D

SB1395 (Carry Over) 2021-02-08 - Continued to Special Session 1 in Privileges and Elections by voice vote
HB1890 (Same As) 2021-04-07 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0533)
HB1890 (Same As) 2021-04-07 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0533)

Chapter	Article	Section	Citation Type	Statute Text
24	2	1000	(n/a)	See Bill Text
24	2	1005	(n/a)	See Bill Text
24	2	1005.1	(n/a)	See Bill Text
24	2	1005.2	(n/a)	See Bill Text
24	2	105	(n/a)	See Bill Text
24	2	124	(n/a)	See Bill Text
24	2	125	(n/a)	See Bill Text
24	2	129	(n/a)	See Bill Text
24	2	224.1	(n/a)	See Bill Text
24	2	306	(n/a)	See Bill Text
24	2	649	(n/a)	See Bill Text

Type	Source
Summary	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+SB1395
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1395+hil
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1395S1+hil
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1395S2+hil
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1395ER+hil
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1395ER2+hil
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+CHAP0528+hil
Amendment	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+amd+SB1395AG
Supplement	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+oth+SB1395F160+PDF
Supplement	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+oth+SB1395F122+PDF
Supplement	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+oth+SB1395F164+PDF
Supplement	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+oth+SB1395FS1160+PDF
Supplement	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+oth+SB1395FS1122+PDF
Supplement	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+oth+SB1395FS2122+PDF
Supplement	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+oth+SB1395FER122+PDF
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+vot+S08C0038+SB1395
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+vot+S05C0170+SB1395
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+vot+SC0293SB1395+SB1395
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+vot+SC0367SB1395+SB1395
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+vot+H18V0007+SB1395
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+vot+HV1573+SB1395
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+vot+SV0601SB1395+SB1395
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+vot+HV2097+SB1395