All 140 members of the Virginia General Assembly will return to Richmond this week for a brief session to consider the governor's amendments and vetoes. One of the amendments they'll be considering involves bullying in schools.
Last month, members of the General Assembly sent the governor a bill that would create special protections against bullying at public schools for groups that have the highest rates of victimization. Now, the governor is amending the bill to remove the special protections for bullying based on things like sexual orientation or gender identity.
Victoria Cobb at the Family Foundation says the governor's amendment makes the bill better.
"So, this amendment seeks to simply say that bullying is wrong and not worry about why someone is being bullied but instead focus on the actor and the action," says Cobb.
The bill was introduced by Delegate Joshua Cole, a Democrat from Fredericksburg who says the special protected categories came right from existing state law.
"That's why we included the language from the Virginia Human Rights Act – LGBTQ, people of color, people with disabilities – anything like that, we wanted to make sure they were protected. And the governor's amendment seriously waters it down," Cole says. "And so, we're very disappointed, and we're not looking forward to accepting the amendment."
He says he expects the General Assembly to reject the amendment, which would give the governor a choice: veto the bill or sign the version lawmakers sent him last month.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
