Welcome to an Equal Future
The Virginia Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) is launching the Virginia Law Audit Project (VLAP), a nonpartisan, statewide law review designed to uncover and cure discrimination, identify gaps in law, and eliminate archaic language.
The mission of the Virginia Law Audit Project (VLAP) is to conduct a “modernization review” of state statutes, administrative code, and the Virginia Constitution to identify all forms of discrimination (e.g., racial, gender, age, religious, disability, housing, employment, etc.) ultimately ensuring the Commonwealth is a more just and fair place to live, work, play, and do business. According to both McKinsey & Company and the Peterson Institute for International Economics, gender and ethnic diversity is better for business and are correlated with increased profitability.
States across America are undergoing similar reviews to identify unnecessary distinctions made on the basis of sex, however we endeavor to do more! The initial step of the VLAP audit is to tease out language conveying unfair deference to one group over another, for example, where a statute may reflect terms that are not gender- or religion-neutral. Global law firm, Winston & Strawn, has been engaged and will identify terminology using Relativity, a legal software application used for data analytics.
The next step is for the VLAP Team, including supporting organizations and legal subject matter experts from across the Commonwealth, to develop recommendations and propose model language to the Virginia General Assembly to modernize code. State legislators, informed by constituents and jurisprudence, will determine whether current state laws are still appropriate or if they require updated language.
VLAP supporting organizations and experts are being regularly added and to date include:
- University of Virginia, School of Law
- George Mason University, Schar School of Policy and Government, Gender and Policy Center (GAP)
- Hollins University
- League of Women Voters (LWV) - Virginia
- The Purple Campaign
- Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN)
- Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children
- SafeSpot Children's Advocacy Center
- Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA)
- National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Virginia Chapters
- American Association of University Women (AAUW) - Virginia
- National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) - Virginia
- Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia
- Women Lawyers On Guard Action Network
- NAACP - Chesterfield Branch
- National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC) - Virginia
- The Geller Law Group
- Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities
- Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance
- Zonta Club of Fairfax
The Consulting Organization
Provides periodic feedback on VLAP objectives as needed.
The Legal Advisors
The Software
