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To support a more inclusive workforce, Va. lawmakers must unite around this bill
Virginia’s worker shortage is one of the commonwealth’s biggest barriers to economic growth and prosperity: According to data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there are just 60 available workers for every 100 open jobs statewide. But Virginia’s talent-starved labor market is hardly unique. Nationally, there are seven workers for every 10 available jobs. The mismatch betwee[...]
Why Alexandria’s new entertainment district is everyone’s business
As lawmakers negotiate the future of a $2 billion deal to build a new entertainment district in Alexandria, leaders across public and private sectors in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region are weighing the potential benefits. Without discounting concerns of local residents, I would like to present how this entertainment district will help Northern Virginia’s future growth and […]
Fairfax, Petersburg could hold casino referendums
Two pending Virginia State Senate bills would change the list of locations eligible to host a casino, adding Petersburg and Fairfax County to the mix and removing Richmond. On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology’s gaming subcommittee met to discuss these and other measures regarding skill games, sports betting and horse racing. […]
Back in the saddle again
The political version of musical chairs — aka the 2024 General Assembly session — begins again in Richmond this month, as legislative control shifts once again to Democrats, who won majorities in the House of Delegates and the state Senate in the November 2023 elections. Nevertheless, a 6-foot-5-inch Republican roadblock stands in the way of […]
Unfinished business
The tone of the 2023 General Assembly can be encapsulated in its approach to electricity rates. With dozens of lawmakers poised to retire, the General Assembly passed a major energy law, giving the State Corporation Commission added leeway over adjusting customer rates for utilities Dominion Energy Inc. and Appalachian Power. Yet, at the same time, […]
Governor would delay subminimum wage ban for disabled workers
RICHMOND, Va. ‒ Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently recommended the General Assembly accept an amended version of a bill that ends the practice of paying subminimum wage to certain Virginia workers with disabilities. A certificate exemption under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to determine pay for disabled workers based on a productivity calculation […]
Bills to ensure workers paid sick days failed in Va. House
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia General Assembly did not pass legislation this session to ensure paid sick days for employees, despite strong public support. A 2021 study by Christopher Newport University found almost 90% of people surveyed support paid sick leave. Both House and Senate versions of the bill updated the current law that state […]
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 […]
