According to the Associated Press, the Virginia Senate has put off a vote on legislation to block evictions until next year, a measure that supporters say is a vital protection for renters amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A Senate committee voted Wednesday to delay taking a vote on a measure to block evictions until next May after landlords expressed strong concerns about the bill.

Supporters said the economic distress caused by the virus requires the moratorium to keep people in their homes. The RVA Eviction Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University estimates that as many as 262,000 households in Virginia are at risk of eviction and that 16% of renters did not pay July’s rent.

Lawmakers in both parties said there were enough valid concerns about how the moratorium would affect landlords that a delay was needed before the measure is to be voted on. The moratorium is one of Gov. Ralph Northam’s priorities for the current special legislative session, which started Tuesday.

Earlier this month, the Virginia Supreme Court granted Northam’s request to block evictions through September. The high court instituted a moratorium in March, but allowed it to expire earlier this summer. The governor also wants to restore $23 million previously approved for a housing assistance fund and add an additional $25 million.

Under the bill advanced by the Senate, landlords could only evict tenants who “willfully refuse” to negotiate a payment plan or help the landlord apply for a government-funded rental assistance program. Tenants who commit criminal acts or are a threat to health and safety could also be evicted.

So, the Senate did kill the bill, but they introduced a much weaker substitute.

The PW Perspective spoke with Stafford community activist Ben Litchfield earlier this afternoon about the decision and its impact on minority communities.

“We are facing a growing eviction crisis in the Commonwealth of Virginia; a crisis that continues to have a disparate impact on black and brown communities,” said Litchfield. “Sadly, too many families will go to bed tonight worrying whether the current eviction moratorium, set to expire on September 7^th, will be the last. This is a stunning failure of leadership from the Virginia Senate.”