Virginia Democrats Have Been Busy

It’s been 17 days since Democrats took over both chambers of Virginia’s General Assembly. A few eager members of the newly empowered majority have been industrious, cooking up nanny-state bills as well as measures that expand abortion rights and restrict gun rights.

I perused every piece of pre-filed legislation so you wouldn’t have to. Let’s have a peek at what they’ve been up to, shall we?

Thousands of bills are introduced during every General Assembly session. The pre-filing period opened Monday, and some Dems got a jump start by churning out dozens of measures that would fundamentally transform Virginia.

Without the GOP firewall Virginia is about to become California or New York. You were warned.

There are a handful of gun control bills, with many more to follow. Michael Bloomberg’s campaign contributions did not come without strings, you know.

Not that it matters, but none of the proposed measures would have saved a single life in Virginia Beach last May. Still, wait and see how often that mass shooting is invoked when the bills are debated on the floor.

It’s all about emotion.

HB 2, by Del. Ken Plum, for instance, would require background checks for all firearm transfers. If your grandfather gives you his shotgun without running an FBI check on you before he moves into a nursing home, he’ll be guilty of a Class 6 felony. Then again, maybe a state prison cell is a more appealing place to live than an old folk’s home. So there’s that.

SB 22 by Sen. Richard Saslaw brings back the one-handgun-a-month rule. That wouldn’t have helped any of the Virginia Beach victims either.

SB 16, also from Saslaw expands the definition of an assault weapon and prohibits Virginians from “selling , transporting or possessing” one.

Uh-oh. Possessing? How are you going to get these firearms - legal now - away from their owners, Senator?

HB 19, courtesy of Norfolk Del. Joseph Lindsey, would repeal Virginia’s voter ID law, because he apparently doesn’t believe the poor or minorities are capable of obtaining simple forms of identification.

HB 16 by Del. Ibraheem Samirah will require all occupants of motor vehicles to wear seatbelts. 

(Look, I don’t back out of my driveway without buckling up. But why should government care if I choose to rocket through my windshield in an accident? The law already requires minors to be belted. What’s Richmond’s interest in adults?)

SB 26 by Sen. Chap Petersen of Fairfax wants to slap a 5-cent tax on all plastic bags.

SB 7, another gem from Saslaw, would raise the minimum wage from its present level of $7.25 an hour to $10 by next July and ultimately to $15, by 2025.

Apparently Saslaw hasn’t heard about the 15-buck-an-hour experiment in Seattle. According to news reports, soon after businesses were forced to give their workers a pay hike, they cut hours, netting many employees less money than they were making before the increase. Sigh.

SJ 2 by Saslaw introduces a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the “right to personal reproductive autonomy. “ Whatever that means. Sounds like it’s likely to enshrine late-term abortions as a constitutional right in Virginia. Lucky us.

HJ 1 from Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy of Woodbridge, would ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, you know, that unnecessary U.S. Constitutional amendment that was first proposed in 1972. It expired, one state short of ratification, in 1982. Five states have since revoked their ratification votes.

This amounts to empty virtue-signaling by Virginia Democrats. But a vote against this nonsensical measure will be used to accuse legislators of not supporting women. That’s how this works, folks.

Go ahead, name one right men have that I don’t have.

I’ll wait.

SB 25, from Petersen, will prohibit political candidates from accepting contributions from public service corporations, AKA Dominion Power, which apparently gave more to the GOP this time out than Dems.

I’ve saved the most heinous bill for last.

SB 21, also from the frantic-bill-writing machine that is Senator Saslaw, removes parental consent or judicial authorization for minors to obtain an abortion.

That’s right. Your teenaged daughter who can’t get a tattoo or body piercing in Virginia without your presence, will be able to sashay into an abortion clinic and have an invasive medical procedure - one that not only ends a life but could leave her severely depressed or suicidal - and you won’t know a damn thing about it.

This ghoulish measure undermines and weakens Virginia’s families. But is anyone surprised?

This is what happens when Planned Parenthood and Emily’s List heavily bankroll candidates and tip the balance of power.