2024 Priority Legislation

of the Virginia Grassroots Coalition

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Climate

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Passed House & Senate

Vetoed

Approved by Gov

Gov made recommendations

Cat	Number	Title	Patron	House	Senate	GA	Governor	updated
2024 Priority Bills Gun Violence Prevention
guns	HB 2 Support	Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. more... Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases, possesses, transports, or transfers an assault firearm, as that term is defined in the bill, and prohibits a person who has been convicted of such violation from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm for a period of three years from the date of conviction. ...	Helmer (D)	Passed (51-49)	Passed w. substitute (20-Y 19-N)	Enrolled	Vetoed 03/26/24	3/29/24
guns	HB 362 Support	Purchase, possession, or transportation of firearm following an assault and battery. more... Provides that any person who knowingly and intentionally purchases, possesses, or transports any firearm following a misdemeanor conviction for an offense that occurred on or after July 1, 2024, for the offense of assault and battery against a person in a dating relationship, as defined in the bill, with the alleged offender or an offense substantially similar under the laws of any other state or of the United States is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.	McClure (D)	Passed (53-Y 46-N)	Passed (21-Y 19-N)	Enrolled	Vetoed 03/26/24	3/29/24
guns	HB 939 Support	Unlawful to knowingly carry a firearm within 100 feet of certain locations. more... Prohibits any person, with certain exceptions, from knowingly possessing a firearm within 100 feet of the entrance of a polling place, the building used by the local electoral board to meet to ascertain election results, or the building used to conduct a recount of an election. ...	Shin (D)	Passed (51-Y 47-N)	Passed w. substitute (20-Y 19-N)	Agreed by House (51-Y 49-N)	Vetoed 03/27/24	3/29/24
guns	SB 2 Support	Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited. more... Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases, possesses, transports, or transfers an assault firearm, as that term is defined in the bill, and prohibits a person who has been convicted of such violation from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm for a period of three years from the date of conviction. The bill provides that an assault firearm does not include any firearm that is an antique firearm, has been rendered permanently inoperable, is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action, or was manufactured before July 1, 2024. ...	Deeds (D)	Passed (51-Y 49-N)	Passed (21-Y 19-N)	Enrolled	Vetoed 03/26/24	3/29/24
guns	SB 47 Support	Firearm; transfers to another person from a prohibited person. more... Provides that a person who is prohibited from possessing a firearm because such person is subject to a protective order or has been convicted of an assault and battery of a family or household member may transfer a firearm owned by such prohibited person to any person who is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing such firearm, provided that such person who is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing such firearm is 21 years of age or older and does not reside with the person who is subject to the protective order. ...	Favola (D)	Passed (52-Y 47-N)	Passed (21-Y 19-N)	Enrolled	Vetoed 3/8/24	3/9/24
guns	SB 100 Support	Plastic firearms and unfinished frames, etc.; manufacture, import, etc. prohibited, penalties. more... Creates a Class 5 felony for any person who knowingly manufactures or assembles, imports, purchases, sells, transfers, or possesses any firearm that, after removal of all parts other than a major component, as defined in the bill, is not detectable as a firearm when subjected to inspection by the types of detection devices, including X-ray machines, commonly used at airports, government buildings, schools, correctional facilities, and other locations for security screening. ...	Ebbin (D)	Passed (52-Y 48-N)	Passed (21-Y 19-N)	Enrolled	Recommendations	4/10/24
guns	SB 273 Support	Firearms; waiting period for purchases, penalty. more... Provides that no person shall sell a firearm unless at least five days have elapsed from the time the prospective purchaser completes the written consent form to have a licensed dealer obtain criminal history record information, with exceptions enumerated in relevant law.	Subramanyam (D)	Passed (51-Y 49-N)	Passed (21-Y 19-N)	Enrolled	Vetoed 03/26/24	3/29/24
guns	SB 522 Support	Purchase of firearms; demonstrated competence with a firearm or completion of a firearms safety. more... Requires that a prospective purchaser of a firearm present proof that such prospective purchaser has demonstrated competence with a firearm or completed a firearms safety or training course, as specified in the bill, within the past five years.	Williams Graves (D)	Passed (51-Y 49-N)	Passed (21-Y 19-N)	CC Report Rejected by Senate		3/11/24

No. of bills: 8

General info

2024 Session dates

Jan 10: Session begins
Jan 19: Last day to introduce bills
Feb 13: Crossover*
Mar 7: Last day to act on remaining bills
Mar 9: Session adjourns
April 17-24: Reconvened session

House Meeting Schedule
Senate Meeting Schedule

Overriding a Veto

"The Governor may veto the bill if he objects to it by returning the bill with his objections to the house in which the bill originated. The house shall enter the objections in its journal and reconsider the bill. The house may override the veto by a two-thirds vote of the members present, which two-thirds shall include a majority of the members elected to that house. If the house of origin overrides the Governor's veto, it shall send the bill and Governor's objections to the other house where the bill shall be reconsidered. The second house may override the Governor's veto by a two-thirds vote of the members present, which two-thirds shall include a majority of the members elected to that house. If both houses override the Governor's veto, the bill shall become law without his signature. If either house fails to override the Governor's veto, the veto shall stand and the bill shall not become law." -Virginia Constitution

Constitutional Amendments

Amendments to the Virginia Constitution require that a resolution be passed by a majority of both houses during a session and then held over to be passed again by the next elected legislature, with an election intervening between the two approvals. If it succeeds the second time, voters must approve the change in a referendum before it can take effect.

Glossary

Dillon Rule. Restricts local government authority to enact ordinances.

Conference Committee. A temporary committee w. members from both the House and Senate, tasked with reconciling differences in legislation that passed both chambers.

Continued/Carried over. Action taken in an even-numbered year to postpone the consideration of a measure until the next regular session of the General Assembly.

Crossover. The last day for a bill to pass out of the chamber in which it was introduced and move forward for consideration in the opposite chamber. If a bill does not move forward, it is "Left" (dead).

Engrossed. A legislative stage when a bill passes the second reading in the House of origin. Every bill has to be "read" on the floor three times before voting on it. The action or any debate or discussion usually comes on the day of the second reading or the third reading.

Enrolled. Legislation which has passed both the House of Delegates and the Senate, signed by the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, sent to the Governor, but not yet signed.

Failed to report. Defeated. The rejection of a motion to 'report' a bill to the full chamber.

Incorporated. Rolled into someone another bill. Either because they're identical, or they have incorporated *some* of the language in, and the patron agreed to have her name on the other bill.

Patron. Bill sponsor. There can be many patrons.

PBI. Passed by Indefinitely. Action to allow a committee to reconsider legislation at a later meeting. If the committee takes no further action, the bill is dead. [Usually the bill is dead.]

Referred. The assignment of legislation to another standing committee with no stance on the policy of the measure (neither endorses nor rejects the legislation).

Reported. The approval of a measure by the majority of the committee. The legislation may be reported by the committee with or without amendments. A bill may also be reported and referred to another committee.

Stricken. Legislation removed from a committee's docket, frequently at the request of the patron.

More definitions from League of Women Voters Virginia
More definitions from University of Virginia