Governor Ralph Northam on Wednesday announced that his Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in the Law issued its second report outlining policy recommendations to confront the impacts of discriminatory laws. 

Many of these recommendations are already reflected in Northam’s current legislative priorities, including measures to restore voting rights, invest in education, and expand expungements of prior convictions.

“Our Commonwealth remains focused on acknowledging and righting the wrongs of our past,” Northam said. “This latest report makes clear that there is still work to do to shed the ugly remnants of Virginia’s history. The Commission is already having a significant impact on our shared legislative priorities and I look forward to continuing our partnership to build a more honest, equitable, and inclusive future for all.”

The Commission’s first report played a key role in the formation of Northam’s current legislative agenda, which includes proposals to automatically restore the voting rights of people with felony convictions, legalize adult-use marijuana, abolish the death penalty, invest in education infrastructure and early childhood education, expand expungement of previous convictions, and protect the ownership rights of “heirs property.” The Commission’s work also informed many of Governor Northam’s legislative proposals for the August 2020 special session that centered on meaningful police reform and COVID-19 relief.

Northam established the Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law in 2019 after his blackface scandal caused outrage across the Commonwealth. The Commission was initially tasked with reviewing the Acts of Assembly, Code of Virginia, and administrative regulations to identify racially discriminatory language still on Virginia’s books and making recommendations to address laws that were intended to or could have the effect of promoting or enabling racial discrimination or inequity. 

The Commission’s first report cited almost 100 instances of racially discriminatory language in Virginia’s laws from past years. The Commission worked with Northam and the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus to address these antiquated laws and remove the discriminatory language. The issues covered education, housing, transportation, healthcare, and voting rights.

In June 2020, at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, Northam extended the term and scope of the Commission with the goals of identifying existing state laws and regulations that have created and/or perpetuated racial disparities and developing policies that increase protections for minority and marginalized Virginians.

“We were honored to support the Governor and his effort to right historic wrongs and create a more just and equitable Virginia,” said Chair of the Commission and former Chief Deputy Attorney General of Virginia Cynthia Hudson. “This summer’s events demonstrated that the relevance of the Commission’s work could not be more clear, nor the research and recommendations we made more timely.”

The Commission is set to continue its work after the 2021 legislative session; its focus will be on laws and regulations that directly impact discrimination in economic achievement and stability.

The Commission’s full second report is available here. For more information about the Commission and its work, visit governor.virginia.gov/racial-inequity-commission.