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Morrissey’s Petersburg casino bill fails in Senate Finance
Updated Friday, Feb. 3 With an 7-8 no vote Thursday evening, the Virginia Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee killed state Sen. Joe Morrissey’s measure to bring a casino referendum to Petersburg’s ballots this fall. A similar bill in the House of Delegates, however, is still alive. A few days after receiving support from the Senate […]
Members only
Credit unions in Virginia would like to grow their membership, but a rule change relaxing the state’s policy is not in the cards this spring. This year’s short General Assembly session — in an election year with a split legislature — makes it harder to pass bills with any controversial elements, and any major expansion […]
Va. bill aims to reduce mental health stigma for health care workers
This story has been updated to include the House of Delegates Health, Welfare and Institutions committee meeting on Tuesday. On April 1, 2020, Dr. Lorna Breen returned to work, with COVID but fever-free. It was the first wave of the U.S. pandemic, and New York was on its way to becoming an epicenter. Nearly 1,400 […]
Crowded out
Election years are not the time to make waves in Virginia’s legislature, says Greg Habeeb, a former Roanoke delegate who now advises clients pursuing legislation in the General Assembly. Big changes — the kind the state saw during the Democrats’ two years of full legislative control in 2020 and 2021 — are expected to be […]
Petersburg approves Cordish Cos. for possible casino
Petersburg City Council is taking a gamble on Maryland-based The Cordish Cos. to develop a casino there — even though Petersburg doesn’t yet have permission to build a casino, according to state law. Council members voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of Cordish,, a commercial real estate company that has developed casinos across the mid-Atlantic and […]
Newport News delegate plans to reintroduce bill to help tenants facing eviction
Amid rising evictions in Virginia, a state legislator plans to reintroduce an expired public health emergency law which could help tenants pay their rent, although invested parties debate its efficacy. Tenants, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, had a five-day period to get up to date on unpaid rent or vacate the property without having the […]
Hotel workers must complete anti-human trafficking training
RICHMOND, Va. — After a few lawmakers missed time during the session due to COVID-19, Del. Shelly A. Simonds, D-Newport News, said she was thrilled to see all 100 members of the House unanimously pass a bill requiring hotels to provide human trafficking training for employees. “It was really exciting for me to watch the […]
Legislators nipped Va.’s budding cannabis industry, advocates say
RICHMOND, Va. — Jacob Williamson grows, makes and sells hemp-based CBD products through his family’s Hens and Hemp farm. He went through the permitting process to be a hemp farmer when it became legal in 2019, but now he is leaving the industry. “We can’t keep up with the multimillion-dollar cannabis industry coming into the […]
College sports wagering bill wasn’t good bet
RICHMOND, Va. — Six Virginia men’s and women’s basketball teams made it into March Madness, but state law prevents fans and bettors from placing wagers on their favorite in-state college teams. Lawmakers attempted to change that law this session. Sen. Monty Mason, D-Williamsburg, introduced Senate Bill 576 that would allow Virginia sports bettors to bet […]
Youngkin signs bill to conform tax code
This year’s tax season may be a little less complicated for businesses that were granted Paycheck Protection Program loans and Rebuild Virginia grants during the pandemic. A bill that Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed into law Wednesday will ensure that the aid granted through those programs won’t be treated as taxable income. Because Virginia state and […]
GOP lawmakers push to protect workers who decline COVID vaccines
RICHMOND, Va. – Lawmakers narrowly passed a bill this month that would allow people fired for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine to receive unemployment benefits if no other misconduct took place. The measure advanced from the House of Delegates on a 51-48 party line vote and was assigned to a Senate committee on Feb. 10. The […]
Va. bills advance to halt minimum wage increases
RICHMOND, Va. – Two bills introduced by Republicans to halt future minimum wage increases have advanced to the House floor. Minimum wage in Virginia increased to $11 an hour on Jan. 1 and is set to increase to $12 next January. The House Commerce and Energy committee approved House Bill 320, introduced by Del. Nicholas […]
