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Senator Thomas K. Norment, Jr.
Republican Leader

Senator Ryan T. McDougle
Republican Caucus Chairman

Senator Mark D. Obenshain
Republican Caucus 
Co-Chairman

Senator Stephen D. Newman
President Pro Tempore

Senator William M. Stanley, Jr.
Republican Whip

Senator Richard H. Black
Senator C.William Carrico, Sr.
Senator A. Benton Chafin, Jr.
Senator Amanda F. Chase
Senator John A. Cosgrove, Jr.
Senator William DeSteph, Jr.
Senator Siobhan S. Dunnavant
Senator Thomas A. Garrett, Jr.
Senator Emmett W. Hanger, Jr.
Senator Bryce E. Reeves
Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr.
Senator Richard H. Stuart
Senator Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.
Senator David R. Suetterlein
Senator Jill Holtzman Vogel
Senator Frank W. Wagner


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Speaker Howell and Majority Leader Norment
Call on Governor McAuliffe to Convene Special Session
 
Richmond, Va, 26 April 2016:  In a letter to Governor Terence R. McAuliffe (D), Speaker of the House William J. Howell (R-Stafford) and Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment, Jr. (R-James City) today called for the convening of a special session of the Virginia General Assembly to consider the Governor's "Order for the Restoration of Rights," issued Friday.

Article V, Section 5 of the Constitution of Virginia gives the governor the authority to call for special sessions of the General Assembly.
 
The letter from Speaker Howell and Majority Leader Norment calls Governor McAuliffe's order "a matter of great consequence to the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia," characterizing the action as a "flagrant disregard for the Constitution of Virginia."
 
Governor McAuliffe issued the order despite determinations by previous governors, including then-Governor Timothy M. Kaine (D), that the Constitution of Virginia restricts the governor's power to restore rights to a case-by-case basis.  Governor McAuliffe's order violated this limitation on his power, simultaneously restoring these rights to 206,000 convicted felons.  
 
In addition to the request for a special session to be convened, Speaker Howell and Majority Leader Norment are requesting detailed information regarding those to whom the order applies.  Specifically, they are calling for a list of the individuals to whom the order applies with information on the offenses for which they were convicted and the complete sentence imposed.  Since Governor McAuliffe's order restored these rights without requiring the convicted felons eligible to have paid their fines, court costs, or restitution to victims, the General Assembly leaders are also requesting that information.     
 
-END-
 
ATTACHMENT: Speaker Howell and Majority Leader Norment Letter to Governor McAuliffe, 26 April 2016

The Virginia Senate Republican Caucus is both the legislative and political arm of the twenty-one
Republican Senators representing upwards of four million Virginia citizens in the world's oldest, continuous, freely elected legislative body.

We come from all walks of life - educators, a number of small business owners, insurance and investment advisors, attorneys, and CPAs. And we come from all parts of Virginia - from coal country to the outskirts of Washington, DC to the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean and everywhere in between.

Virginia's one-term governors come and go, but the legislature remains. The purpose of the Senate Republican Caucus is to:
  • Promote the well being of the Commonwealth and its people.
  • Propagate the principles of the Republican Party of Virginia.
  • Provide leadership and serve as a voice for Republicans in Virginia.
  • Elect and reelect Republicans to the Senate of Virginia.
  • Create a forum whereby Republican Senators can organize, plan, and implement their legislative agenda.

Our operations receive no government or taxpayer funds.  We are fully-self-supporting through member dues and private sector contributions.  Please visit our website www.senators4va.com to learn more about us.

 
Paid for and authorized by the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus.