This Week in Statehouse Action: A Little Less Legislation edition
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Last weekend, a tribute to Elvis Presley aired on NBC, and I was so confused. Why honor Elvis now? He was born in January, died in August, and … did nothing of particular note in any February. Last December was the 50th anniversary of his big 1968 comebaThis Week in Statehouse Action: A Little Less Legislation edition
Last weekend, a tribute to Elvis Presley aired on NBC, and I was so confused. Why honor Elvis now? He was born in January, died in August, and … did nothing of particular note in any February. Last December was the 50th anniversary of his big 1968 comeback special, so maybe NBC was trying to get in on that hot commemorative action but things ran just a bit behind schedule. Sometimes legislatures run behind schedule, too. That’s how we end up with special sessions, unfunded state governments, and creative timekeeping (yes, sometimes lawmakers do just turn the clocks in the room back to avoid missing that midnight deadline). Campaign Action ERA Blues: In Virginia, where Gov. Northam still hasn’t resigned, the House of Delegates dealt the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment a lethal blow on Thursday. The measure, which passed the state Senate earlier in the session with solid bipartisan support, had failed to make it out of a House committee—the traditional path to the floor for any piece of legislation. With just a couple of days remaining in the 2019 legislative session, House Democrats made a last-ditch play to save the ERA—specifically, a rules change that would have allowed the measure onto the House floor for a vote by the full chamber. And it almost worked. All 49 Democratic House members voted for the change, as did one Republican: Lucky David Yancey, who achieved infamy in early 2018 for keeping his seat—and keeping Republicans in control of the chamber—by literal luck of the draw. Fun fact! Clinton won Yancey’s seat in 2016 50-44, and his HD-94 is one of the districts that will become even bluer under the new court-drawn House maps that will be in effect this fall. The most bitter thing about this tie vote, though, isn’t Yancey’s obvious fear of losing his trending-Democratic seat. You see, two other Republicans actually signed on as co-sponsors of the ERA: Dels. Roxann Robinson and Chris Stolle. And both voted against allowing the measure they were willing to put their names on get a full vote on the House floor. Robinson’s HD-27 went for Trump 48-46 and will be unaffected by the new House map. Democrat Larry Barnett is taking her on this fall, though it’s not too late for other candidates to jump in. Stolle’s HD-83 went for Trump 51-44, but it’s going to move significantly towards the Democratic column under the new House maps a court drew to remedy the GOP General Assembly’s racial gerrymander—the redrawn district backed Clinton 48-47. Democrat Nancy Guy has filed to run against Stolle, but considering how much bluer this district is about to get, expect more Democrats to jump in the race before filing closes in March. Read more