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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 […]
Democratic lawmakers reflect on historic General Assembly session
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia lawmakers passed over 1,200 new laws in two months, a variety of them in the final days of the 2020 session, which expanded into Sunday evening to accommodate the backlog of legislation. This session has been the first time since 1994 that the Democrats have controlled both chambers of the General […]
Bill allows renters to make certain repairs if landlord doesn’t respond
CORRECTION: THIS WIRE STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED. The original version incorrectly stated the party affiliation of state Sen. John Bell. RICHMOND, Va. — A bill that gives tenants the power to make repairs on their property and deduct the costs from their rent, with conditions, recently passed the Virginia Senate and is expected to advance […]
Virginia students could get in-state tuition despite citizenship status
RICHMOND, Va. — The state Senate and the House have advanced bills to make students living in the U.S. without documentation eligible for in-state tuition. SB 935, introduced by Democratic Sens. Jennifer Boysko and Ghazala Hashmi, would require a student to provide proof of filed taxes to be eligible for in-state tuition. A student also […]
Bill banning holding cellphones while driving clears House, Senate
RICHMOND, Va. — The state Senate voted Tuesday in favor of a bill that would prohibit holding a phone while driving a motor vehicle on Virginia roadways and which implements a penalty for the traffic violation. House Bill 874 will head to the desk of Gov. Ralph Northam, who has voiced support for prohibiting the […]
Bill seeks to clarify workers’ rights for pregnant, lactating employees
For employees who are pregnant or lactating, their workers’ rights are sometimes viewed as vague and can be difficult to discern for them and business owners alike. In Virginia, Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, hopes to clear things up once and for all. Her bill, SB712, is designed to expand upon the federal law that protects […]
Analysis: 1,000+ Democrat-backed bills pass by crossover
RICHMOND, Va. — A record number of bills passed in the House of Delegates ahead of the “crossover” deadline, considered the halfway point in the session when a bill has to pass its chamber or it dies. Democrat-led efforts like marijuana decriminalization, removal of war memorials, and an assault weapons ban squeezed past in the […]
General Assembly snuffs marijuana legalization hopes for now
RICHMOND, Va. — Going into the 2020 legislative session, advocates say Democratic leaders had an ambitious marijuana reform agenda. By crossover day, several decriminalization bills passed their respective chambers, but hopes of legalization went up in smoke. Lawmakers, who say that the state isn’t ready for legalization yet, advanced decriminalization bills, incorporated a bulk of [&h[...]
LGBTQ Groups Celebrate Passage of ‘Historic’ Virginia Values Act
RICHMOND, Va. — Legislators wore rainbow, heart-shaped stickers Thursday as the House and Senate passed the Virginia Values Act. LGBTQ advocacy groups and lawmakers held a press conference in anticipation of what they called, “a historic moment after a years-long battle.” Senate Bill 868, patroned by Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, and House Bill 1663, patroned […]
Could Democratic General Assembly repeal Va.’s right-to-work laws?
Buoyed by the Virginia legislature’s new Democratic majority, bills to repeal Virginia’s right-to-work laws have the greatest chance of making it to the governor’s desk in a generation, predict political scientists. “I think it absolutely will [get repealed], but it will be a big fight,” says Elsie Harper-Anderson, director of the Ph.D. program in public […]
Liberty University slams Northam’s proposed cut to online tuition aid
Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposal to cut Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG) aid for online students would negatively impact more than 2,000 students per year at Liberty University alone, the state’s largest university by enrollment stated in a news release issued Friday. Currently being considered by the new Democratic-majority General Assembly, the governor’s proposed budget c[...]
Bill defining milk aims to give dairy farmers supermarket advantage
RICHMOND, Va. — As people drink less dairy milk and some turn to plant-based alternatives such as oat, soy and almond milk, dairy farmers say they’re struggling. That’s why Virginia is the latest state to advance legislation restricting the use of the word milk for marketing purposes. Del. Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, introduced House Bill […]
