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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 [...]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
