FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Virginia House panels to hold public hearings on police oversight, policies

Virginia House panels to hold public hearings on police oversight, policies

RICHMOND - Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, announced plans Friday for committee hearings on police and criminal justice issues that have been highlighted by weeks of public demonstrations against racial inequity.

Three joint sessions of the House Public Safety and Courts of Justice committees will take place in July and August ahead of a special General Assembly session that Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said he intends to call later this summer.

"It's quite clear that we're ready, and we need change," Filler-Corn said in an interview. "There's no reason to wait until the start of the special session, we need to start now."

She said the hearings will generate legislative proposals that could be debated during that session or when the General Assembly convenes its 2021 regular session in January.

Four weeks of protests nationwide against police brutality, touched off by the killing of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody, have sparked reviews of policy across the region. Lawmakers in the District acted early this month to ban the hiring of officers with a history of misconduct and make the disciplinary process more transparent.

In Maryland, state House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, D-Baltimore County, has convened a work group to review police practices and make legislative recommendations ahead of next year's General Assembly session.

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus rolled out a list of priorities earlier this week and said its 23 members are working on legislation for the expected August session. Many of the proposals have languished for years as Republicans controlled the legislature, but Democrats won majorities in both chambers last fall and now have the votes to act.

"The pressure generated by the protests has generated a larger public shift and facilitated avenues for such changes to be made in new and creative ways," the caucus said in a news release.

The proposals include declaring racism a public health crisis; a menu of police accountability measures such as establishing a civilian review board with subpoena power and standardizing police training and accountability policies; and requiring police to summon mental health professionals in certain crisis situations.

"A lot of those are great ideas," Northam said Thursday when asked about the list during a news briefing. He said that while the special session was originally intended to take up budget issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, he will urge lawmakers to take up police-related topics as well.

"There is clearly a need to address issues of racial injustice and police reform," he said, adding that he is in talks with legislators and community members about potential legislation.

Filler-Corn said she has been flooded with public input about police-related legislation, such as banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants and preventing police officers with a history of abuse from continuing to work in law enforcement.

The committee hearings will be held online and made open to the public, with ways to offer spoken or written comments. Dates are still being worked out, she said.

"My goal is to get as much input as possible from as many Virginians as possible prior to the special session," Filler-Corn said. "There's a strong cry for input."

Senate Democrats also planned a news conference for Friday afternoon to talk about priorities for police- and criminal justice-related legislation.

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