Request a Customized Parish Report
2023 General Assembly Session Customized Parish Vote Report
Request your customized Parish General Assembly Vote Report – a new resource for parishes from the Virginia Catholic Conference!
During the 2023 Virginia General Assembly session, the state senators and delegates in your area cast key votes on issues impacting human life, dignity and the common good. At the conclusion of the session, the Virginia Catholic Conference (VCC) issued its General Assembly Recap which highlights how legislators voted on over fifteen critical bills organized into four categories – Life, Religious Freedom, Families & Children, and Social & Economic Concerns.
As an exciting addition to the General Assembly Recap this year, the VCC is offering customized parish vote reports which show how the legislators in your parish area voted.
Why are we offering this? We at the VCC want to help Catholics live out the call of Faithful Citizenship as active advocates and voters. Legislators need to hear from us if we want them to take our concerns seriously, especially in a post-Roe world where state legislators will continue to cast vital votes on critical life issues. Many parishioners may not know who their state senator and delegate are, and we want to change that!
What will my parish receive? If you request a customized parish vote report your report will show how the two senators and up to four delegates in your parish area voted on over fifteen critical bills. This report comes in the form of:
- A two-page report for front-and-back printing and bulletin use
- A three-page report for web and digital use
Your parish will also receive social media graphics to help your parish share the report online. Preview a sample report here!
How can a report be requested? These customized reports are intended for parish use only and all requests must be submitted by an official parish representative. If your parish would like to receive these materials, please submit your request to Emily Jackson, VCC Social and Digital Media Outreach Specialist. *
If you are not a parish representative, we encourage you to share this alert with your parish and ask them to consider the possibility of requesting a customized report. Continue reading to learn more about the 2023 General Assembly Recap.
*Please note the last day to request your customized report is June 30, 2023.
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2023 General Assembly Session: How Did Your Legislators Vote?
During the 2023 Virginia General Assembly session, your state senator and delegate cast key votes on critical issues impacting human life, dignity and the common good. This report contains three charts:
- A “Senate” chart showing how your senator voted;
- A “House” chart showing how your delegate voted; and
- A “Senate Education & Health Committee” chart with key votes on abortion.
The Senate Education & Health Committee chart was included due to the high number of VCC-supported pro-life bills that the committee rejected and thereby blocked from receiving full Senate consideration.
At the conclusion of the report are:
- Descriptions of Legislation featured in the charts, organized into four categories – Life, Religious Freedom, Families & Children, and Social & Economic Concerns; and
- An Index of Legislation, for those interested in more detail than what the brief bill descriptions provide.
Note: The 2023 session was the last one for the current districts. New district maps (based on the 2020 census) will take effect for this year’s elections for all 140 General Assembly seats.
Learn More About the Virginia Catholic Conference!
What We Do
Led by Diocese of Arlington Bishop Michael F. Burbidge and Diocese of Richmond Bishop Barry C. Knestout, the Conference advocates for:
Respect life initiatives that protect human life and dignity in every stage of development and circumstance, from conception until natural death.
Social justice initiatives that protect the rights and serve the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable members of the human family, including children, the elderly, people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees.
Family life and education initiatives that preserve and support religious liberty, the institution of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, the family and parental choice in their children’s education.
During the 2023 General Assembly session, the VCC took positions on more than 60 bills, testified in front of various committees and subcommittees, sent out 21 alerts, and advocated directly with members of the General Assembly.
How We Do It
The Conference advocates by:
Building and maintaining relationships with state and federal lawmakers, as well as other advocacy organizations with shared interests.
Supporting diocesan efforts by providing resources that apply Church teaching to current issues.
Promoting grassroots and grasstops advocacy among Catholics and other people of goodwill. This includes using the VCC email advocacy network and in-person advocacy, such as visits to legislators’ district or capital city offices.
Communicating regularly with parishes and Catholic entities, as well as Catholic and secular print, electronic and social media.
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