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Ben Cline on Civil Rights |
Excerpts from Veto Message: Although couched as a "religious freedom" bill, this legislation is nothing more than an attempt to stigmatize. Any legitimate protections afforded by SB41 are duplicative of the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution. Any additional protections are styled in a manner that prefers one religious viewpoint--that marriage can only validly exist between a man & a woman--over all other viewpoints. It equates to discrimination under the guise of religious freedom.
Legislative Outcome:: Rep. Cline voted YEA; passed Senate, 20-19-1, Feb. 12; passed House, 59-38-3, March 9; vetoed, March 30
Analysis by Virginia ACLU: Low-income Virginians, rural voters, racial and ethnic minorities, students, and the elderly may have been disenfranchised because they lack a valid, photo ID or have no access to a copier or scanner.
Veto message: This bill imposes barriers on an eligible voter's ability to obtain & cast an absentee ballot. The requirement would not in any way deter fraudulent voting since it provides no means of verifying the identity of the individual depicted in the submitted photograph.
Legislative Outcome: Passed House 62-34-4 on Feb/9/15; State Delegate Ben Cline voted YES; Passed Senate 20-17-3 on Feb/20/15; Vetoed by Gov. McAuliffe on Mar/27/15; House Veto Sustained 65-34-0 (needed 66) on Apr/15/15
H.J.Res.17: Removing the deadline for the ratification of the equal rights amendment: This joint resolution eliminates the deadline for the ratification of the ERA, which prohibits discrimination based on sex. The amendment was proposed to the states in House Joint Resolution 208 of the 92nd Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972. The amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.
Opinion to vote YES (Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL-7): The ERA was first proposed in 1923, shortly after women gained the right to vote. [The original] 1979 deadline was later extended before it expired. By the end of 1982, 35 of the 38 required state legislatures had voted to ratify the ERA. Nevada ratified the ERA in 2017, Illinois in 2018 and, in January 2020, Virginia became the 38th and final state required to ratify it. If passed in the Senate, H.J. Res. 79 would remove the arbitrary 1982 deadline.
Opinion to vote NO (Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-1): H. J. Res 17 would retroactively remove the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Regardless of your thoughts on the ERA, the deadline for the states to ratify the amendment expired four decades ago. By passing this resolution, House Democrats are virtue signaling and trying to take a shortcut around what is required in our constitutional amendment process. Those who want to pass an ERA will need to start this process from the beginning. Today's vote mocks the intentionally high bar set by our Founders to make changes to our precious Constitution.
Legislative Outcome: Passed House 222-204-4 on 03/17/2021; received in the Senate and read on 3/23. [OnTheIssues notes on the duration for ratification that the 27th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed by Congress in 1789 and was ratified by 3/4 of the States and became law in 1992, a ratification period of 202 years].