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General Assembly

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Nov 16, 2020

What a legalized marijuana market could look like for Va.

If Virginia legalizes marijuana, sales could generate up to $300 million in annual state tax revenue and create 11,000 jobs, according to a Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission (JLARC) report issued Monday. But legalizing the drug would not be without hurdles. While the marijuana use was decriminalized in Virginia this year and the state’s […]

Gov. Ralph Northam discussed the state's future plans for easing restrictions during an April 24 news conference.
Oct 21, 2020

Northam signs bills on COVID-19, criminal justice

Gov. Ralph Northam signed 16 bills from the General Assembly‘s fall special session into law on Wednesday, many of which were related to the COVID-19 pandemic and criminal justice reforms. Northam also proposed changes to five bills. “I am proud to sign new laws that strengthen our COVID-19 response efforts and make our criminal system […]

Virginia State Capitol. Courtesy Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
Oct 13, 2020

Delegate plans to reintroduce quarantine pay bill next session

RICHMOND, Va. — Del. Elizabeth Guzmán, D-Woodbridge, said she is no stranger to the struggles of low-paying jobs. Guzmán said she immigrated to the United States from Peru as a single mother and worked multiple minimum wage jobs just to be able to pay rent and care for her daughter. Guzmán has a mission to […]

Aug 29, 2020

Government | Politics

AMANDA CHASE SENATOR, SENATE OF VIRGINIA, CHESTERFIELD Chase is a proud, even defiant, conservative. She is an adamant backer of gun rights who has been known to pack heat on the statehouse floor, and she believes that abortion should be outlawed. A Virginia Tech graduate and former campaign manager for several conservative Virginia candidates, Chase […]

Democrats take control of General Assembly
Aug 13, 2020

UPDATE: House and Senate Democrats, governor roll out special session priorities

Updated, Aug. 14 House of Delegates Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn rolled out the House Democratic Caucus’ legislative priorities for the Aug. 18 special session, a slate of coronavirus-related measures and law enforcement reforms. Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, announced in a news release Thursday that the following COVID-19 legislation will be introduced next week: Requiring businesses to grant paid [...]

Aug 10, 2020

UPDATED: Sen. Chase refused to wear mask at Harrisonburg restaurant

Updated, Aug. 19 The owners of a Harrisonburg restaurant posted a message on Facebook saying that GOP gubernatorial candidate Amanda Chase refused to wear a mask in their restaurant Sunday and threatened to sue them for enforcing the policy. “Chase came into our restaurant,” wrote Katharine Nye Pellerito, co-owner of Vito’s Italian Kitchen with her […]

Aug 7, 2020

Virginia State Senate will return to Science Museum for Aug. session

A staff member for Virginia Senate Majority Leader Richard “Dick” Saslaw confirmed Friday that the Senate will meet at the Science Museum of Virginia for its special session Aug. 18. In April, for their veto session, senators gathered in a large room at the Richmond museum instead of their usual quarters to avoid spread of […]

Jul 17, 2020

General Assembly special session set for Aug. 18

Gov. Ralph Northam set the General Assembly‘s special session for Aug. 18 in a proclamation Friday. Lawmakers will adopt the biennial budget based on the revised revenue forecast, and they also plan to discuss policing measures in light of ongoing protests against police brutality. A finalized agenda has not yet been issued, but the House […]

Pictured from left: Cameron Bertrand, Marcus Calabrese, Marckel Bonds, Leigh Henderson, Valerie Gains, Frankie Edmondson, Pat Foster, Jason Miyares, Benny Zhang and Latoya Breckenridge. Photo courtesy Newport News Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue.
Jul 1, 2020

Va. Minority Business Commission starts Wednesday

With the initiation of a swath of bills passed during the most recent Virginia General Assembly session, the bill that creates the Minority Business Commission went into effective Wednesday, July 1. The Minority Business Commission will provide policy input and operational guidance to the General Assembly with a goal of addressing challenges facing minority business […]

Jul 1, 2020

Legislative Briefing

Virginia lawmakers considered an array of bills impacting businesses and the state economy. Here’s a look at some key actions taken during the 2020 session: Casinos Virginia lawmakers passed legislation opening the door for casinos but only in five localities: Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Richmond. A study by the Joint Legislative Audit & Review […]

Demonstrators flocked to the Virginia State Capitol Wednesday where legislators reconvened to tackle the governor's vetoes and amendments. Protestors with ReOpen Virginia maintain the state mandated quarantine needs to end. They also expressed frustration by driving around the Capitol and honking for almost three hours. Photo by Chip Lauterbach, Capital News Service
Apr 23, 2020

Protesters bring the noise, demand to reopen Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. — Horns blared and flags waved from vehicle windows as hundreds of Virginians converged Wednesday on Capitol Square to protest restrictions implemented by Gov. Ralph Northam during the COVID-19 pandemic. Protesters reiterated the message of similar demonstrations taking place in state capitals across the country. The groups hope to influence governors and lawmakers […]

House of Delegates Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, gavels the historic veto session to order in a tent outside the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Va., Wednesday, April 22, 2020. The House members were meeting outside in a tent instead of the House Chamber in order to practice social distancing due to the COVID-19 virus. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP, Pool)
Apr 22, 2020

Legislators reunite for surreal reconvened session

In a strange and often surreal day during which the speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates fainted at her podium and a state senator voted from inside a Plexiglas cubicle, state lawmakers reconvened for a pandemic-era veto session Wednesday in Richmond. Instead of meeting in their typical chambers in the Virginia State Capitol, delegates […]

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