Rob Bell (Virginia politician)

Election

Bell was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in November 2001, representing the 58th district in the Virginia Piedmont, including Greene County and parts of Albemarle, Fluvanna and Rockingham Counties.^[8] Bell's seat was previously held by Thomas Jefferson.^[9] On February 25, 2023 at the closing of the Virginia General Assembly Session, he announced that he would not seek re-election.^[10]

Abortion

In 2012, Bell voted in favor of a bill requiring all women to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound prior to having an abortion, except in cases of rape and incest, wherein police reports must be presented.^[11][12] While hundreds of people participated in a silent protest outside the Virginia state capitol, Bell, as the bill's patron, postponed a vote on the bill, which passed the next day.^[13] On March 1, 2012, Bell voted in favor of an amended version of the bill requiring women to undergo a transabdominal ultrasound prior to an abortion if written consent for a transvaginal ultrasound is not obtained, and no ultrasound at all if the physician deems it impossible to determine fetal age through the prescribed means.^[14][15] In 2020, Bell voted against the House Bill 552 on the definition of birth control "for the purposes of the regulation of medicine, as contraceptive methods that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and provides that birth control shall not be considered abortion for the purposes of Title 18.2 (Crimes and Offenses Generally)."^[16]

Citizenship inquiries

During the 2012 legislative session, Bell was the primary sponsor of a bill requiring police to inquire into the citizenship of anyone arrested, regardless of criminal charges. The bill was widely criticized by civil rights organizations and failed to pass.^[17]

Education

In 2012 and 2013, Bell patroned the "Tebow Bill", named for Tim Tebow, which would allow homeschooled students meeting academic standards the opportunity to participate in public school sports teams and other extracurricular activities.^[18]

In 2020, Bell voted against HB-1355 which authorized the development of community schools where parents and children can receive aid from social services.^[19]

In 2021, Bell voted against HB-1980 that establishes scholarships and support for descendants of enslaved people to empower them out of the cycle of generational poverty.^[20]

Employment

In 2020, Bell voted against HB-984 that allows civil action against an employer that knowingly misclassified an employee often as an independent contractor to avoid properly paying for labor.^[21]

In 2020, Bell voted against HB-582 that authorizes local government employees to form unions and bargain collectively.^[22]

LGBT community

In 2020, Rob Bell voted against the HB-1663 which "prohibited discrimination; public accommodations, employment, credit, and housing: causes of action; sexual orientation and gender identity" ^[23]

In 2020, Bell voted against HB-1041 that provided the opportunity for individuals to issue a new certificate to show a change of sex after their transition of their sex and verification from their healthcare provider to prove that the individual underwent the appropriate gender transition procedures.^[24]

In 2021, during a special session, Bell voted against HB-2132 which outlined that a person's sexual orientation and identity does not provide a proper defense to any charge of capital murder.^[25]

Public safety

As of 2013, Bell serves as the chairman of the Virginia State Crime Commission.^[26]

In 2006, Bell proposed legislation to bar violent sex offenders from school property, following public outrage over a convicted sex offender serving as a Santa Claus at an elementary school.^[27] In 2012, he proposed a bill expanding this ban to cover school buses and school-affiliated events.^[28]

In 2008, Bell proposed legislation to require school superintendents to screen job applicants for a history of child abuse convictions in Virginia and other states, as well as criminalize the misrepresentation of an applicant's offender status.^[29]

Property rights

Bell sponsored a legislatively referred constitutional amendment seeking to reform eminent domain in Virginia. The effort was initiated in part as a reaction to a 2005 US Supreme Court decision upholding the right of the government to seize property for economic development. The Virginia General Assembly approved the amendment in 2011, and then-Governor Bob McDonnell endorsed it. The proposed amendment was placed on the November 6, 2012, ballot as a statewide referendum, where it was approved.^[30][31]