Virginia House Bill 553 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)
Status: Engrossed on February 10 2020 - 50% progression, died in committee
Action: 2020-12-04 - Left in Rules
Pending: Senate Rules Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Engrossed) [HTML]

Policies against workplace harassment; legislative branch. Requires each legislative branch agency to adopt and implement the Commonwealth Workplace Harassment Policy established by the Department of Human Resource Management. The bill provides that the Policy applies to legislative branch employees, including General Assembly members and members-elect, when undertaking meetings with other state employees, contract employees, applicants for employment, customers, vendors, members of the media, members of the public, volunteers, or lobbyists or when conducting or performing election activities in the scope of official duties. Policies against workplace harassment; legislative branch. Requires each legislative branch agency to adopt and implement the Commonwealth Workplace Harassment Policy established by the Department of Human Resource Management. The bill provides that the Policy applies to legislative branch employees, including General Assembly members and members-elect, when undertaking meetings with other state employees, contract employees, applicants for employment, customers, vendors, members of the media, members of the public, volunteers, or lobbyists or when conducting or performing election activities in the scope of official duties. Under the bill, a victim of alleged workplace harassment will be able to file a complaint against a legislative branch employee, other than a member of the General Assembly, in accordance with the procedures of the Policy or with the Division of Human Rights in the Office of the Attorney General. The Division of Human Rights is authorized to investigate the complaint and use any other powers with regard to the complaint granted to it under law. The bill requires each house of the General Assembly to adopt rules governing procedures and disciplinary sanctions for General Assembly members and members-elect violating policies against workplace harassment. The 2018 Session of the General Assembly enacted legislation requiring full-time legislative branch employees to complete a sexual harassment training course once every two calendar years beginning January 1, 2020. In addition to other differences, this bill broadens the scope of training for legislative branch employees and provides for punitive damages if a party complaining of workplace harassment demonstrates that the defendant engaged in a discriminatory practice with malice or reckless indifference. The bill contains a reenactment clause and has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2022.

Workplace harassment; policies for legislative branch.

Del. Vivian Watts [D]	Del. Dawn Adams [D]	Del. Karrie Delaney [D]	Del. Patrick Hope [D]
Del. Chris Hurst [D]	Del. Mark Levine [D]	Del. Sam Rasoul [D]	Del. Ibraheem Samirah [D]
Del. Rodney Willett [D]

2020-02-28 - Senate - Senate: Continued to 2021 in Rules (12-Y 1-N) (Y: 12 N: 1 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2020-02-11 - House - House: VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) (Y: 99 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]
2020-02-07 - House - House: Reported from Rules with amendments (17-Y 0-N) (Y: 17 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]

Date	Chamber	Action
2020-12-04	Senate	Left in Rules
2020-02-28	Senate	Continued to 2021 in Rules (12-Y 1-N)
2020-02-28	Senate	Committee amendments
2020-02-12	Senate	Referred to Committee on Rules
2020-02-12	Senate	Constitutional reading dispensed
2020-02-11	House	VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N)
2020-02-11	House	Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N)
2020-02-10	House	Printed as engrossed 20101894D-E
2020-02-10	House	Engrossed by House as amended HB553E
2020-02-10	House	Committee amendments agreed to
2020-02-10	House	Read second time
2020-02-09	House	Read first time
2020-02-07	House	Reported from Rules with amendments (17-Y 0-N)
2020-01-05	House	Referred to Committee on Rules
2020-01-05	House	Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20101894D

HB553 (Carry Over) 2020-02-28 - Continued to 2021 in Rules (12-Y 1-N)

Type	Source
Summary	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+sum+HB553
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+ful+HB553+hil
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+ful+HB553E+hil
Amendment	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+amd+HB553ASC
Amendment	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+amd+HB553AH
Supplement	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+oth+HB553F122+PDF
Supplement	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+oth+HB553FE122+PDF
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+vot+H20C0078+HB0553
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+vot+HC0910+HB0553
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+vot+S10C0134+HB0553