RICHMOND, Va. (CN) — When Virginia’s General Assembly reconvenes in the state capitol on Tuesday, nearly five months will have passed since Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency related to the coronavirus outbreak.
Since then, a host of additional crises have sprouted: unemployment, evictions, school and public health and safety and nearly 70 straight days of Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers.
The special session, a rare occurrence in the Commonwealth where the state’s two legislative bodies only meet for two months at the start of the year, was called for by Northam, a Democrat, in July with the hopes of addressing the myriad of problems the state is facing.
“Virginians are hurting right now — and the commonwealth is stepping up,” said the governor in a tweet Friday afternoon announcing his agenda for the session which includes millions of dollars in support for housing, broadband projects and education, while also hoping for police reform called for by protesters.
The last special session happened in 2019 and aimed to address gun violence. While Northam asked for numerous new gun laws in the wake of mass shootings in Virginia and around the country, the Republican-controlled Legislature gaveled out in about 90 minutes.
But don’t expect such brevity this time.
While the session starts Tuesday, the initial meeting is expected to only give the 140 legislators a chance to vote on rules for the session going forward. While hopes of a quick meeting and omnibus bill from both chambers, now controlled by Democrats, was rumored, it quickly became clear that the complex range of issues would turn this special session into more of a lengthy regular session which could last weeks, if not months.
“It’ll take as long as it takes to get it right, get public input and be transparent,” said state Senator Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, in a phone interview. “There is a sense of urgency but we need to get it right and make sure the public has an opportunity to see what we’re doing and be heard.”
The nature of the coronavirus has presented new challenges. While usual sessions hold committee meetings to discuss each bill, large gatherings are limited due to the virus. Though not public yet, legislators and staffers told Courthouse News the rules are expected to allow those meetings to be held digitally, something required considering the pandemic but not fully supported by those on the right.
“We saw, when we moved the veto session 10 yards outside [of the capital], we still ran into technical difficulties,” said Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper in a phone interview, harkening back to a veto session held in April which was held in a socially distanced tent due to the virus, but faced problems involving live video streams and microphones.
“I think there are ways we can hold these on site so the public can engage,” he added hopefully before admitting he hadn’t seen the final rules yet. While they might get the chance to debate them, it’ll be up to the Democrats who have controlling votes to decide, but also take the blame if things go wrong.
As for public access to the session, besides a live video feed, there will be none with only limited seating for journalists to observe.
McClellan said members of both chambers have been holding digital meetings and opened their ears and inboxes to public comment so far and will continue to do so.
“We’re doing everything that we possibly can to make sure the public knows what we’re doing in a safe manner,” she added.