Senator Creigh Deeds

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Session Update — January 31, 2020

January 31, 2020 by Creigh Deeds

The session grinds on with early mornings and late evenings. Meetings of committees and subcommittees go just about around the clock. Trying to find a balance of what is right for over eight million Virginians who are from areas as diverse as Fairfax and Arlington Counties and Wise and Bland Counties requires a lot of work.

Many times bills are changed and compromises reached by people who in the end can’t vote for them. The bottom line however is that many of the chefs in the kitchen have a hand in the final product.

Meeting with VMI Superintendent General J.H. Binford Peay III U.S. Army (Retired)

Meeting with VMI Superintendent General J.H. Binford Peay III U.S. Army (Retired)

Coming into this session one major issue before us is redistricting. In Virginia, before a constitutional amendment goes to the people for referendum, legislation must be approved by two sessions of the General Assembly with an intervening election. In 2019 a Resolution passed to move forward with a constitutional amendment to reform the redistricting process in a way to allow more input from the public. This year competing interests have been working together to address the many concerns raised about this approach.

One group within the majority party is determined that the amendment go forward as it did last year. Another group favors bipartisan redistricting but wants to address the imperfections in the bill last year before moving forward. A third group adopting a “to the victors go the spoils” approach would like to drop the whole idea of redistricting reform and just allow the Democrats to draw the lines next year under the existing rules.

Next week the Privileges and Elections Committee will consider a number of bills related to this matter. One of those bills is the second Resolution of the constitutional amendment. I anticipate that legislation will go forward and pass the General Assembly, thus placing the matter before the voters this fall. However, the amendment has several substantial flaws. The amendment does not include a list of criteria for redistricting, thus leaving it up to the General Assembly to decide what factors may be considered during the process. Legislators will also comprise half of the redistricting panel, leaving intact the inherent conflict of the decision-makers. Finally, the General Assembly must approve the plan. So the Commission anticipated by this amendment falls far short of the approach I have proposed over the years.

Nonetheless, despite these flaws, I believe Virginia will join the growing list of states with nonpartisan or bipartisan redistricting. This session, the amendment will go forward, a criteria bill will be passed, and the voters will approve this new approach to drawing district lines. Redistricting reform is incredibly important, as it affects the very foundations of our democracy. Legislators should not pick their voters, voters should pick their legislators. Despite its flaws, people have to decide if, in this case, the perfect is the enemy of the good. My view is that this amendment should go forward. We will have a broader discussion of the topic in committee next week and decide whether to take this approach or go back to the drawing board.

Advocacy Day for Students from Peabody School and Tandem Friends School

Advocacy Day for Students from Peabody School and Tandem Friends School

It continues to be an incredible honor and a humbling experience for me to serve you in Senate of Virginia. If I can be of service to you or if you have comments or questions, please contact my office at (804) 698-7525 or by email at [email protected].

P.S. One last photo from the week.

Go Nats!

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Filed Under: Virginia General Assembly 2020 Tagged With: legislative redistricting

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2021 Virginia General Assembly

2021 Session Preview

December 30, 2020 By Creigh Deeds

As 2020 is draws to a close, I cannot help but reflect on the unusual nature of this year as we prepare for the 2021 Session. From a legislative perspective, the regular session lasted 65 days, and we convened again in August for a 84-day special session. Of course, the General Assembly did not meet […]

Important Upcoming Dates

December 30, 2020 By Creigh Deeds

  • Budget hearings on January 6
  • January 13 is the first day of the 2021 Session
  • January 15 is the Senate budget amendment deadline
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2020 Virginia General Assembly

The Special Session Continues

September 14, 2020

We knew back in April that we would need to return to Richmond for a special session to address budgetary issues. The pandemic dramatically reduced the amount of revenue flowing into Virginia’s tax coffers. We experienced a $2.7 billion budget shortfall and have seen nearly every aspect of state government impacted by the pandemic. Budgetary matters, for the most part have yet to be considered. The first few weeks of this special session has been consumed by other issues, such as the eviction crisis and utility bills, and by criminal justice reform. [Read More…]

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More Newsletters from the 2020 Session of the Virginia General Assembly

Virginia General Assembly 2019

Major Accomplishments in Richmond This Week!

The General Assembly returned to Richmond on April 3 for our 2019 reconvened session to consider gubernatorial vetoes and amendments. The governor has 30 days from the adjournment of the regular session to sign, veto, or offer amendments to legislation. The authority of Virginia’s governor to amend legislation is atypical compared to the president and many other governors. This power provides an opportunity to impact policy in a significant way. [Read More…]

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