Mark Cole

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My understanding -- I'm not a theologian -- but there's a prophecy in the Bible that says you'll have to receive a mark, or you can neither buy nor sell things in end times, some people think these computer chips might be that mark. [10]

Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State said of this on MSNBC that "the sort of paranoid strain of thinking among these folks just—it advances to meet the new technology that we have." [11] Despite MSNBC's crusade against Delegate Cole, calling him "Mark of the Beast Cole" his bill (similar to one passed in other states) passed the House on a bi-partisan vote 88 to 9. [12]

Bathroom bills

In 2016, Cole sponsored House Bill 663, a bathroom bill restricting public restroom use according to a person's "anatomical sex", defined as "the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person's anatomy", with violators liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $50. HB663 was introduced on January 11, 2016, and died in committee in February 2016. [13] It was widely reported that HB663 would require adults to inspect the genitals of children before they were allowed to enter the appropriate facilities, but this was dismissed by Snopes as a misleading interpretation of the bill's text, [14] which states that administrators "shall develop and implement policies that require every restroom ... that is designated for use by a specific gender to solely be used by individuals whose anatomical sex matches such gender designation." [13] Cole sponsored House Bill 781 one day later on January 12, 2016, which used the same wording but substituted "biological sex" for "anatomical sex". The use of "biological sex" allowed for an update via amended birth certificate. HB781 also died in committee in February. [15]

Voter registration

In 2017, Cole sponsored House Bill 1598, which would require those registering to vote after January 1, 2018, for state and local elections to provide proof of citizenship. [16] HB1598 passed the House of Delegates on a 64–37 party line vote in February 2017. [16] [17]

Redistricting reform

In 2019, Cole sponsored an amendment to Virginia's Constitution (HJ615) [18] to establish a bipartisan commission to redraw legislative and congressional district lines after the national decennial census. [19] After passing the General Assembly a second time in 2020, [20] the amendment was overwhelmingly approved by voters [21] and was in effect during Virginia's 2021 redistricting. [22]

Fornication laws

Cole voted against a bill to eliminate a law banning sexual intercourse before marriage in the 2020 legislative session. The bill passed 91–5 with bipartisan support in the house. [23]

Committee memberships

Cole served as chairman of the House Privileges and Elections Committee from 2008 until 2020, when Democrats took the majority in the House. [24] He also served on the House Finance, Education, General Laws, Science and Technology, and Counties, Cities and Towns committees during his tenure. [25]

2020–21 United States election protests

Cole was one of three GOP delegates in Virginia that sent a letter to Vice President Pence asking him to delay the certification of the state's election results, which gave President-elect Joe Biden the win and Virginia's 13 electoral votes, until an audit of the election could be completed. The letter included two co-signers, Del. Dave LaRock (R-Loudoun) and Del. Ronnie Campbell (R-Lexington), requesting “a stay of any designation of Presidential Electors from our state until such time as a comprehensive forensic audit of the November 3, 2020, election has taken place to determine the actual winner.” [26] On January 13, a Virginia Circuit Court issued a consent order agreeing with one of the major points of the letter, that the conduct of the 2020 election was contrary to Virginia law. [27] Cole played a role in Virginia's election policy in the past as a former chairman of the House Privileges and Elections Committee. [28]

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References

  1. ↑ "Spotsylvania Republican Del. Mark Cole won't seek re-election". The Free Lance-Star. fredericksburg.com. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cole, Mark. "About Mark Cole". Archived from the original on 6 March 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Information for Mark Cole". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  4. ↑ "Republican Del. Mark Cole named Spotsy's new deputy county administrator". The Free Lance-Star. fredericksburg.com. 11 December 2012. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  5. ↑ Cole, Mark. "Mark Cole On the Issues" . Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "House Bill 3202". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  7. ↑ "House Bill 2313". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  8. ↑ "HB5001". LIS Virginia. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  9. ↑ Cole, Mark L. (22 December 2009). "HB 53 Human tracking devices; unlawful use thereof by insurer or employer". Virginia General Assembly. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  10. ↑ Kunkle, Fredrick; Helderman, Rosalind S. (February 10, 2010). "Human microchips seen by some in Virginia House as device of antichrist". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  11. ↑ "'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for Wednesday, February 10th". NBC News. 10 February 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  12. ↑ Cole, Mark L. (22 December 2009). "HB 53 Human tracking devices; unlawful use thereof by insurer or employer". Virginia General Assembly. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  13. 1 2 Cole, Mark L. (11 January 2016). "HB 663 Restroom facilities; use of facilities in public buildings or schools". Virginia General Assembly. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  14. ↑ LaCapria, Kim (13 January 2016). "Cole's Law". Snopes. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  15. ↑ Cole, Mark L. (11 January 2016). "HB 781 Restroom facilities; use of facilities in public buildings or schools, definition of biological sex". Virginia General Assembly. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  16. 1 2 Cole, Mark L. (3 January 2017). "HB 1598 Voter registration; proof of citizenship required to register to vote in certain elections". Virginia General Assembly. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  17. ↑ Iannelli, Nick (2 February 2017). "Virginia House passes proof-of-citizenship voting bill". WTOP. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  18. ↑ Cole, Mark L. (1 January 2019). "HJ 615 Constitutional amendment; Virginia Redistricting Commission (first reference)". Virginia General Assembly. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  19. ↑ Brennan Center for Justice (28 March 2019). "Overview: Virginia Redistricting Reform Amendment (HJ615/SJ306)". Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  20. ↑ Arnold, Tyler (9 March 2020). "Virginia House passes redistricting amendment despite Democratic leadership disapproval". The Washington Examiner. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  21. ↑ Weiner, Rachel (4 November 2020). "Virginians approve turning redistricting over to bipartisan commission". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  22. ↑ Associated Press (28 December 2021). "Redistricting is complete: Virginia Supreme Court signs off on new legislative maps". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  23. ↑ "HB0425". LIS Virginia. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  24. ↑ Legislative Services (1 January 2019). "House Privileges and Elections". Virginia General Assembly. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  25. ↑ Legislative Services (1 January 2022). "Virginia House of Delegates Committees List". Virginia General Assembly. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  26. ↑ Mercury, Ariana Figueroa and Laura Olson/Virginia. "Dozens of GOP lawmakers, including at least two Virginians, will reject certifying Biden as president". Fauquier Times. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  27. ↑ "Judge bans Virginia's practice of accepting ballots without postmarks after Election Day". potomaclocal.com. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  28. ↑ "House of Delegates Committees". virginiageneralassembly.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
Mark Cole
Member of the VirginiaHouseofDelegates
from the 88th district
In office
January 9, 2002 –January 12, 2022
162nd General Assembly (2024−2026)
Speaker of the House
Don Scott (D)
Majority Leader
Charniele Herring (D)
Minority Leader
Todd Gilbert (R)
  1. ▌ Patrick Hope (D)
  2. ▌ Adele McClure (D)
  3. ▌ Alfonso Lopez (D)
  4. ▌ Charniele Herring (D)
  5. ▌ Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D)
  6. ▌ Rip Sullivan (D)
  7. ▌ Karen Keys-Gamarra (D)
  8. ▌ Irene Shin (D)
  9. ▌ Karrie Delaney (D)
  10. ▌ Dan Helmer (D)
  11. ▌ David Bulova (D)
  12. ▌ Holly Seibold (D)
  13. ▌ Marcus Simon (D)
  14. ▌ Vivian Watts (D)
  15. ▌ Laura Jane Cohen (D)
  16. ▌ Paul Krizek (D)
  17. ▌ Mark Sickles (D)
  18. ▌ Kathy Tran (D)
  19. ▌ Rozia Henson (D)
  20. ▌ Michelle Maldonado (D)
  21. ▌ Josh Thomas (D)
  22. ▌ Ian Lovejoy (R)
  23. ▌ Candi King (D)
  24. ▌ Luke Torian (D)
  25. ▌ Briana Sewell (D)
  26. ▌ Kannan Srinivasan (D)
  27. ▌ Atoosa Reaser (D)
  28. ▌ David Reid (D)
  29. ▌ Marty Martinez (D)
  30. ▌ Geary Higgins (R)
  31. ▌ Delores Riley Oates (R)
  32. ▌ Bill Wiley (R)
  33. ▌ Todd Gilbert (R)
  34. ▌ Tony Wilt (R)
  35. ▌ Chris Runion (R)
  36. ▌ Ellen Campbell (R)
  37. ▌ Terry Austin (R)
  38. ▌ Sam Rasoul (D)
  39. ▌ Will Davis (R)
  40. ▌ Joe McNamara (R)
  41. ▌ Chris Obenshain (R)
  42. ▌ Jason Ballard (R)
  43. ▌ Will Morefield (R)
  44. ▌ Israel O'Quinn (R)
  45. ▌ Terry Kilgore (R)
  46. ▌ Jed Arnold (R)
  47. ▌ Wren Williams (R)
  48. ▌ Eric Phillips (R)
  49. ▌ Danny Marshall (R)
  50. ▌ Tommy Wright (R)
  51. ▌ Eric Zehr (R)
  52. ▌ Wendell Walker (R)
  53. ▌ Tim Griffin (R)
  54. ▌ Katrina Callsen (D)
  55. ▌ Amy Laufer (D)
  56. ▌ Tom Garrett (R)
  57. ▌ David Owen (R)
  58. ▌ Rodney Willett (D)
  59. ▌ Buddy Fowler (R)
  60. ▌ Scott Wyatt (R)
  61. ▌ Michael Webert (R)
  62. ▌ Nick Freitas (R)
  63. ▌ Phillip Scott (R)
  64. ▌ Paul Milde (R)
  65. ▌ Joshua G. Cole (D)
  66. ▌ Bobby Orrock (R)
  67. ▌ Hillary Pugh Kent (R)
  68. ▌ Keith Hodges (R)
  69. ▌ Chad Green (R)
  70. ▌ Shelly Simonds (D)
  71. ▌ Amanda Batten (R)
  72. ▌ Lee Ware (R)
  73. ▌ Mark Earley Jr. (R)
  74. ▌ Mike Cherry (R)
  75. ▌ Carrie Coyner (R)
  76. ▌ Debra Gardner (D)
  77. ▌ Michael Jones (D)
  78. ▌ Betsy B. Carr (D)
  79. ▌ Rae Cousins (D)
  80. ▌ Destiny Levere Bolling (D)
  81. ▌ Delores McQuinn (D)
  82. ▌ Kim Taylor (R)
  83. ▌ Otto Wachsmann (R)
  84. ▌ Nadarius Clark (D)
  85. ▌ Marcia Price (D)
  86. ▌ A.C. Cordoza (R)
  87. ▌ Jeion Ward (D)
  88. ▌ Don Scott (D)
  89. ▌ Baxter Ennis (R)
  90. ▌ Jay Leftwich (R)
  91. ▌ Cliff Hayes (D)
  92. ▌ Bonita Anthony (D)
  93. ▌ Jackie Glass (D)
  94. ▌ Phil Hernandez (D)
  95. ▌ Alex Askew (D)
  96. ▌ Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D)
  97. ▌ Michael Feggans (D)
  98. ▌ Barry Knight (R)
  99. ▌ Anne Ferrell Tata (R)
  100. ▌ Robert Bloxom Jr. (R)
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