The Virginia House will conduct its first-ever virtual session with remote voting next week, as the chamber is about a week behind the Senate, which has been conducting its special session business in person since Tuesday.
The decision to go virtual was supported by the House’s Democratic leadership, which said it was a matter of public health and an in-person session created too many risks for spreading COVID-19.
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House Democrats received fierce opposition from Republicans who expressed concern about technical problems and potential censorship from the virtual meeting host.
Committee hearings and floor sessions will be held through Zoom, a video conference and chat platform. The chamber will use a paid version of the platform, which is designed to hold more participants and provide additional services to subscribers.
Lawmakers will be given iPads on which they can cast their votes. They will be unable to use the iPads for other activities. Staff has been working to curtail potential technical problems and will be on-call during the virtual meetings to address any problems.
Garren Shipley, a spokesman for House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, told The Center Square that technical staff have been working to ensure the House does not run into too many problems, but he still has concerns about meeting virtually.
“The technical issues we’ve seen so far are concerning, as taking the roll and allowing for a robust debate are two very different scenarios,” Shipley said. “The House IT staff are the very best who are working diligently to ensure this session goes as smoothly as possible. Allowing the public to participate in their government is of the utmost importance to our caucus. It is our hope that the Democrat’s decision to hold a virtual session works, although the outcome is still to be determined. Our Senate colleagues, who are working in-person and socially distanced, are way ahead of us and we must now play catch up.”
House Clerk Suzette Denslow and the office of House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, would not comment on the record to The Center Square.
Stephen Haner, a senior fellow for state and local tax policy at the free-market Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, expressed concern that lawmakers will be unable to do their jobs properly in a remote session.
“It is a travesty, because by its very nature this needs to be an open process and the legislators need to be accessible,” Haner told The Center Square in an email. “It is a travesty because the individual members are being deprived of the ability to do their jobs and [be] heard and interact with each other. … The example of the State Senate, at least meeting in one room in Richmond and able to function, should be an embarrassment to the House and its new leadership.”
Although Haner said he believes a Zoom meeting violates the constitutional requirement that lawmakers be present and voting, he said the courts generally show deference to the Legislature on such matters.
During the special session, the General Assembly is considering policing reform and COVID-19-related budget issues, among other things.
