… But In The Virginia Senate, Jen Kiggans Repeatedly Voted Against Raises Or Bonuses For Law Enforcement Officers And Voted Against A Bill That Gave Law Enforcement More Training In De-Escalation And Guidelines For Use Of Deadly Force
August 2021: Kiggans Voted Against Bonuses For Law Enforcement Officers By Voting Against Virginia’s COVID Relief Package
Kiggans Voted Against Virginia’s COVID Relief Package Budget Bill. In August of 2021, Kiggans voted against HB 7001, which “Amends Chapter 1289 of the Acts of Assembly of 2020, as amended by Chapter 56 of the Acts of Assembly of 2020, Special Session 1, and Chapter 552 of the Acts of Assembly of 2021, Special Session” The bill passed the State Senate 23-16 and became law on August 10th, 2021. [Virginia General Assembly, HB 7001, 8/8/21]
- Virginia’s COVID Relief Package Included Bonuses Up To $5,000 For Law Enforcement. “Virginia lawmakers gave final approval Monday to a spending plan for most of the state’s $4.3 billion in federal coronavirus relief money […] The budget approved by the Senate and the House of Delegates preserves most of a plan crafted by Gov. Ralph Northam and fellow Democrats, but also includes several amendments proposed by Republicans in the Senate, including raising bonuses for law enforcement officers. Under a compromise worked out by a conference committee, state-supported sheriffs’ deputies and corrections officers will receive bonuses of $3,000, while state police will receive $5,000.” [Associated Press, 8/9/21]
March 2020: Kiggans Voted Against State Budget That Gave 2% Pay Increase For State Police
Kiggans Voted Against H.B. 30, The State Budget Bill. In March 2020, Kiggans voted against the conference report of H.B. 30, which “Provides for all appropriations of the Budget submitted by the Governor of Virginia in accordance with the provisions of § 2.2-1509, Code of Virginia, and provides a portion of revenues for the two years ending respectively on the thirtieth day of June 2021, and the thirtieth day of June 2022.” The conference report was agreed to by the Senate 27-11 and became law on May 21st, 2020. [Virginia State Assembly, HB 30, 3/12/20]
- State Budget Passed In March 2020 Included A 2% Raise For State Police In Its First Year And A 3% Raise In Its Second Year. ““The House and Senate both passed the budget Thursday with bipartisan — but not unanimous — approval. Clashes between the two chambers had prevented the General Assembly from adjourning as scheduled Saturday. The plan sent to Northam (D) reflects the liberal priorities that powered Democrats through the session, but retains some of the fiscally conservative traditions of recent Republican leadership. State employees would get a 3 percent bonus the first year of the budget and a 3 percent salary hike in the second — unless the state misses revenue projections. State police would see a 2 percent pay raise the first year and a 3 percent raise the second.” [Washington Post, 3/12/20]
October 2020: Kiggans Voted Against A Bill That Gave Virginia Law Enforcement More Training In De-Escalation And Guidelines For Use Of Deadly Force
Kiggans Voted Against Requiring De-Escalation And Lawful Use Of Force To Be Part Of Training Standards And Providing Guidelines For When Law-Enforcement Could Use Deadly Force. In October of 2020, Kiggans Voted against S.B. 5030 which, “adds requirements for training in de-escalation techniques and the lawful use of force to the compulsory training standards developed by the Department of Criminal Justice Services for basic training and recertification of law-enforcement officers. The bill provides that a law-enforcement officer shall not use deadly force against a person unless (a) the law-enforcement officer reasonably believes that deadly force is immediately necessary to protect the law-enforcement officer or another person, other than the subject of the use of deadly force, from the threat of serious bodily injury or death; (b) the law-enforcement officer has provided a warning before using such deadly force; (c) the law-enforcement officer's actions are reasonable, given the totality of the circumstances; and (d) all other options have been exhausted or do not reasonably lend themselves to the circumstances. The bill also prohibits the use of neck restraints by law-enforcement officers unless the use of a neck restraint is immediately necessary to protect the law-enforcement officer or another person. The bill bans law-enforcement officers from willfully discharging a firearm into or at a moving vehicle.” The bill passed state Senate 21-17 and became law on October 28th, 2020. [Virginia State Assembly, SB 5030, 10/14/20]
- S.B. 5030 Also Revised Training In Cultural Diversity And Awareness Of Racially Biased Policing. “The bill also revises the basic training and recertification requirement for training in sensitivity to and awareness of cultural diversity and the potential for biased policing to include (1) awareness of racism and the potential for racially biased policing and (2) recognizing implicit biases in interacting with persons who have a mental illness, substance use disorder, or developmental or cognitive disability.” [Virginia State Assembly, SB 5030]
- S.B. 5030 Also Required Law Enforcement To Provide Commonwealth Attorneys With All Data Relating To Wrongful Arrests And Use Of Force Complaints. “The bill also requires every chief law-enforcement officer, defined in the bill, to provide the attorney for the Commonwealth access to all records relating to wrongful arrest or use of force complaints, or other complaints that a person has been deprived of the rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the laws of the United States and the Commonwealth made against a law-enforcement officer that is employed by the chief law-enforcement officer's agency when such law-enforcement officer has a matter before the court.” [Virginia State Assembly, SB 5030]