Weeks after winning control of both chambers of the state legislature and slaying Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s plan to rescue the GOP from Trump, Virginia Democrats are throwing his promised passage of a bill banning abortion access into reverse, introducing legislation that instead would enshrine abortion access rights into the state constitution, ABC News reports.
Other bills introduced by the Democrats on an “Elections Have Consequences” quest include raising the minimum wage to $15 across the state and banning certain assault rifles. Democrats also passed a proposed amendment that would re-enfranchise voting rights for some felons who have completed their sentences and repeal further disqualifications for people who fall under the same circumstance in the future.
With Virginia’s laws, a proposed amendment to the state constitution doesn’t require the governor’s signature to get on the ballot. Instead, it has to pass both chambers in two sessions over two years before it would be put on the ballot, meaning if Democrats maintain control after the next election, it will likely appear on a future state ballot.