Virginia’s Lt. Gov. Northam casts his first tiebreaking vote

Today, Feb. 3, Lieutenant Governor Northam cast his first tie-breaking vote of the 2015 Virginia General Assembly in support of SB 785. His vote broke a 19-19 tie on the measure, which prohibits state agencies from discriminating in employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. After casting today’s tie breaking vote, Lieutenant Governor Northam released the following statement:

“Employment discrimination in any form is truly unacceptable, and the Commonwealth should be held to a high standard in this regard. I was proud to cast today’s tie breaking vote to ensure state employees are not treated differently simply due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Donald McEachin, now heads to the House of Delegates for consideration. Though each of the last four governors, beginning with Mark Warner, has issued an executive order prohibiting the practice, the protection is not codified in state law.