Richmond, VA– As legislation passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Northam becomes law tomorrow (July 1st), Eileen Filler-Corn, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, released the following statement:
“Last November, voters called for decisive, impactful action to make their communities safe and more prosperous. We have delivered on that mandate. We took that action. And tomorrow, the bills we passed will become law.
The unprecedented amount of legislation passed and signed by Governor Northam will strengthen our democracy, protect Virginians from gun violence, tackle discrimination to make our Commonwealth fairer, combat the climate change crisis, give women the ability to make their own reproductive decisions, make our criminal justice system fairer (with much work ahead) and build on our economic progress in every corner of the Commonwealth. Working families will now have greater access to quality healthcare and by transforming our transportation system, Virginians will be able to spend more time with their families and less in traffic.
This summer as we meet in a Special Session, we will address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our budget as well as take action on needed police and criminal justice reforms. Still, it is important to recognize the new laws that will go in effect tomorrow that will build a safer, more equal and more prosperous Commonwealth for all Virginians.”