Virginia’s new Attorney General reveals his legislative priorities

Attorney General Jason Miyares has announced his legislative priorities and goals for the 2022 General Assembly session.

“As a former member of the House of Delegates, I have great respect and reverence for the General Assembly and its processes. While it is not the Attorney General’s job to supersede the judgment of the General Assembly, there are policies that I support and believe would help make Virginia the best and safest place to live, work, and raise a family.

“My legislative agenda includes policy proposals that will repeal several ‘criminal justice’ measures passed by the former far-left majority, support the voices of victims, fight back against human trafficking, provide greater protections to the elderly, help lower crime rates by fighting gun and gang violence through Project Ceasefire, and keep violent, repeat offenders behind bars,” said Attorney General Miyares.

“Crime victims and law enforcement deserve a prosecutor who will fight for justice. If the local Commonwealth’s Attorney won’t, then the Attorney General should be able to step in and ensure their voices are heard,” said Delegate Rob Bell (R-HD58).

“I’m proud to work with the Attorney General to create more safeguards for the elderly and protect the most vulnerable in our society from financial exploitation. It’s egregious for anyone to steal from, neglect or otherwise exploit older and vulnerable Virginians, but it happens all too often. We must equip law enforcement with the tools to catch, prosecute and punish these predators,” said Senator Mark Obenshain (R-SD26)

Delegate Emily Brewer (R-HD64) also voiced support for the Attorney General’s legislative agenda. “To win the fight against human trafficking, we have to address both prevention and rehabilitation. By requiring human trafficking training for law enforcement, we will ensure that our officers have all the tools they need to help us in this fight. Additionally, using proceeds from seized human trafficker assets to help survivors is crucial in stopping the cycle of abuse,” said Delegate Brewer.

“The combination of these policies will ensure that protecting and supporting victims, not criminals, remains our top priority. I will also be working with Governor Youngkin and the money committees to ensure that we fully support our law enforcement community by increasing salaries, supporting training and providing updated equipment to those who keep us safe.

“I have the utmost confidence that our new General Assembly and Governor will pass legislation that will move the Commonwealth forward,” said Attorney General Miyares.

Some of the legislative package includes:

HB 283 / SB 467: Human Trafficking Training for Law-Enforcement Personnel

HB 4, HB 59, HB 308, HB 985 / SB 2,SB 36, SB 287, SB 613: Reversing legislation that banned mandatory reporting of sexual assaults at school and other crimes to law enforcement

HJ 29 / SJ 32: Asset Forfeiture in Human Trafficking

SB 5: Making Virginia Parole Board member votes public records and subject to FOIA

HB 1235: Keeping violent criminals behind bars

HB 1198 / SB 563: Giving the Attorney General concurrent jurisdiction on specific violent crimes

SB 126: Gives more protections to the most vulnerable in our society

SB 124: Increases penalty on those with power of attorney to financial exploit vulnerable and elderly Virginians.

HB 108: Increases penalties for drug dealers whose drugs result in the death of another person