Delegate Bob Marshall’s bill to block Virginia law enforcement officials from detaining citizens without a trial has been amended by Gov. McDonnell:
Marshall said that McDonnell has proposed altering the language of the bill to say that no state employee can “knowingly” participate in the indefinite detention of a citizen.
A paragraph has also been added to clarify that Virginia agencies will not participate in a joint task force set up for the purpose of detention and will drop out of a task force that decides to detain people during an operation.
Marshall says he’s ‘very pleased’ with the Governor’s actions. It seems likely that, given the overwhelming majorities by which the measure passed the House and Senate, the amendments will be agreed to and the bill will become law.
Kudos, then, to both Del. Marshall and the Governor for getting this measure on the books.
