Lawmakers gather outdoors in Richmond
As drivers honked horns in protest of Gov.’s order, delegates mull bills and budgets
RICHMOND — They wore face masks and gloves, each sitting at their own little round table in the grass underneath a massive staked white tent that nearly touched the Virginia State Capitol.
They touched elbows instead of shaking hands, grabbed boxed lunches and searched the grass for outlets for their laptops. As they worked out the technical difficulties to answering roll call, honks could be heard down the hill in the streets surrounding the Capitol grounds — protesters showing their dislike of the governor’s stay-at-home order, imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Delegates sought warmth in the sunlight in between votes, their voices muffled against masks as they greeted each other for the first time in six weeks.
Nearly three miles away, 40 senators gathered in the Science Museum of Virginia, spaced out 10 feet apart instead of their usual two or three to a large desk inside the Senate chambers.
The last time they were all together, positive cases of the novel coronavirus were just starting to be reported by the Virginia Department of Health. When lawmakers last gathered to vote on the budget on March 12, Virginia had just 17 positive COVID-19 cases.
On Wednesday, as they gathered to take up the governor’s veto as well as amendments to bills and the budget, the number of cases had surpassed 10,000, with at least 349 deaths.
Norfolk Del. Joe Lindsey’s strategy during the reconvene session was to say as little as possible and to get out of there as quickly as possible.
“I’m most looking forward to getting away from a setting where 100 people are congregating,” the Democrat said. “I find that when you speak on issues, it just delays things.”
But controversial measures awaited votes from both chambers, including one to move May municipal elections to November, and another to release prisoners who have less than a year of their sentence to serve, all in the name of preventing the spread of the virus.
Del. Delores McQuinn, a Henrico Democrat, said she was “98%” recovered after testing positive for the coronavirus. She gave two thumbs up when asked how she was feeling, and received applause from delegates when she answered the roll call.
On the street below the makeshift House chamber, cars and trucks began circling the Capitol at 11 a.m. Drivers and passengers held signs that read “Reopen Virginia” and “My freedom does not end when fear begins.” American flags and Trump 2020 campaign flags were held out half-open car windows. One woman brought a cow bell and a foghorn.
Wendy Flournoy, who works as a hypnotist in Richmond, was driving an SUV and blaring her horn. She said she’s not concerned about catching COVID-19, and came to protest the governor’s executive order that closed several businesses, including hers and the tattoo parlor where her brother works.
“We feel like our constitutional rights are being infringed on,” she said. “We don’t want to live in fear.”
As horns blared, Lindsey said he was glad people were — for the most part — remaining in their vehicles.
“If they want to just drive by and blow their horns, I don’t have a problem with that,” he said.
The car horns continued to blast until around 2 p.m. as delegates cast votes to delay an increase in the state’s minimum wage and create a COVID-19 relief fund for small businesses by taxing so-called games of skill, slot-like gambling machines found in bars, restaurants and convenience stores.
Joe Macenka, a spokesman for Virginia Capitol Police, said there were “no incidents whatsoever” as a result of the protest.
Del. John McGuire, a Republican running for Congress, called the protest “cool.”