top of page

JOE'S LEGISLATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Below is a list of bills that Senator Joe Morrissey has sponsored and has passed both the State Senate as well as the House of Delegates unless otherwise stated underneath the bill description.

 â€‹

  • 2020 General Assembly Session

    • SB 793 (Incorporated Chief Co-Patron) – A bill that granted parole eligibility and review for Fishback Defendants.

    • SB 7 (Incorporated Chief Co-Patron) – A bill that raises the minimum wage from $7.50 to $15.00 per hour by January 1, 2026.

    • SB 103 (Co-Patron) – a bill that granted parole eligibility and review for Juvenile Offenders.

    • HB 66 (Only Senate Co-Patron) – Caps Insulin payments at $50 per month.

    • SB 818 (Chief Patron) – Allows for localities to establish Mental Health Dockets in Virginia.

    • SB 94 (Chief Co-Patron) – Requires that Virginia achieve net-zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2045.

​

  • 2020 General Assembly Special Session

    • SB 5007 (Chief Patron) – A bill to allow for judges to sentence defendants after a jury trial (this bill changed 224 years of precedent).

    • SB 5030 (Incorporated Chief Co-Patron) – a police reform omnibus bill that i) bans the use of chokeholds by LEOs; ii) requires all LEOs to undergo training in de-escalation techniques; iii) creates a duty-to-intervene if LEOs witness misconduct by other LEOs; and iv) bans no-knock warrants.

    • SB 5029 (Co-Patron) – Prohibits vehicle searches based on the odor of marijuana.

    • SB 5035 (Co-Patron) – Expands the authority of Civilian Review Boards in Virginia to investigate incidents of police misconduct. The bill also grants Boards the authority to issue subpoenas.

​

  • 2021 General Assembly Session

    • SB 1315 (Co-Patron) – Requires criminal proceedings to take mental and emotional conditions into consideration.

    • SB 1442 (Chief Patron) – Creates a Public Defenders office in Chesterfield County.

    • SB 1165 (Co-Patron) – Abolishes the Death Penalty in Virginia.

    • SB 1406 (Incorporated Chief Patron) – Legalizes simple possession of marijuana.

    • HB 1936 (Co-Patron) – Creates degrees of robbery.

    • SB 1339 (Incorporated Chief Patron) – Allows for automatic expungement of certain misdemeanors from criminal records. Additionally, the bill allows for individuals to petition Circuit Courts to have certain misdemeanor and felony convictions expunged from criminal records.

    • SB 1443 (Chief Co-Patron) – Eliminates all mandatory minimum sentences except for Murder of a LEO.

      • Passed both the Senate and House of Delegates but died in Conference Committee.

    • SB 1266 (Chief Co-Patron) – Ends Presumptions against Bail.

    • SB 1262 (Chief Patron) – Allows for individuals to receive a restricted driver’s license without paying court fines.

    • SB 1301 (Chief Patron) – Bans the use of Solitary Confinement in Virginia DOC facilities and Juvenile facilities.

      • Passed the Senate and subsequently left in the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee.

    • SB 1282 (Chief Patron) – Allows DEQ to request Greenhouse Gas Emissions from emitters in order to establish a registry of emissions across Virginia.

    • SB 1306 (Chief Patron) – Removes the mandatory minimum sentence from Assault and Battery of a LEO. Additionally, the bill would allow for those on the autism spectrum to plead guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.

      • Passed the Senate but was left in the House of Delegates Courts of Justice Committee.

bottom of page