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Virginia House advances paid leave bill for essential workers
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill on Thursday which would provide paid leave to essential workers. House Bill 2137, introduced by Del. Elizabeth Guzman, D-Woodbridge, would require essential businesses to offer paid leave to their workers, according to the bill. Employees must be offered a minim[...]
Northam calls General Assembly special session to start Feb. 10
In a proclamation Thursday, Gov. Ralph Northam said he will call the General Assembly back to work next Wednesday for a special session immediately following the end of the 30-day regular session. In effect, the order will expand the 2021 General Assembly session to its typical length of 46 days. The reason behind the proclamation […]
Health Wagon says it hasn’t received COVID-19 vaccine doses
The head of The Health Wagon, the Wise County-based free clinic system that serves more than 5,600 patients in Southwest Virginia, many with medical vulnerabilities, said in a Thursday interview on “CBS This Morning” that the clinic has not received any COVID-19 vaccine doses from the state government. According to t[...]
Va. initial jobless claims remain high
Initial jobless claims filed last week were essentially unchanged compared with the previous week, but remain high compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to figures released Thursday by the Virginia Employment Commission. During the week ending Jan. 30, 18,177 Virginians filed initial unemployment claims (compared to 18,31[...]
Va. House kills bill requiring hazard pay for essential employees
RICHMOND, Va. — Lawmakers unanimously shot down legislation this week that would have required employers to provide hazard pay to essential employees and provide protective equipment in the event of a stay-at-home order. Del. Hala S. Ayala, D-Woodbridge, said she introduced House Bill 2015 to help protect and further compe[...]
Northam named Appalachian Regional Commission states’ co-chair
The Appalachian Regional Commission announced Wednesday its 13 governors have elected Gov. Ralph Northam to serve as ARC’s states’ co-chair for 2021. As co-chair, Northam will work with the federal co-chair to invest in economic growth and development across the 13-state Appalachian region. In fiscal year 2020, ARC, a fede[...]
COVID roundup: Va. to receive more weekly vaccine doses immediately
Virginia expects to receive about 18,000 more weekly COVID-19 vaccine doses starting immediately, as the federal government’s pledge to increase distribution by about 16% kicks in Monday. That will raise the commonwealth’s vaccine supply from 118,000 doses to 128,000 doses per week, said Dr. Danny Avula, the state’s vaccine coordinator. Meanwhile, the number of virus-related […][...]
Chase sues Senate over censure, claims civil rights violation
A week after being censured by the state Senate, Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield County, is suing the legislative body and its clerk for violating Chase’s civil rights, including her First Amendment right to freedom of speech, she announced Monday. Virginia Beach attorney Tim Anderson said Monday he has filed a lawsuit o[...]
Delegate tries again to advance paid sick leave bill
RICHMOND,Va. — A Virginia House of Delegates committee advanced a measure into appropriations that would provide some essential workers with paid sick leave. House Bill 2137, introduced by Del. Elizabeth Guzman, D-Woodbridge, reported out of the House Labor and Commerce committee Thursday in a 13-8 vote along party lines. This is Guzman’s latest effort to […]
Bill would allocate 23% of state contracts to woman- and minority-owned businesses
With the release of a study that shows only 13.4% of all state contracts were awarded to woman- and minority-owned businesses in Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday threw support behind a reframed state bill that would raise that percentage to at least 23.1% of state contracts. The bill would set a similar goal for […]
Disrupting racism
In the months after a blackface scandal threatened his governorship, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that he would appoint a chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer who would report directly to him — the first Cabinet-level position of its kind in any state in the nation. In September 2019, Janice Underwood took on the chal[...]
VDH will begin texting people who test positive for COVID-19
Starting Thursday, the Virginia Department of Health will begin sending a text to anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 if their mobile phone number is registered in the state’s system. The texts will automatically be sent to anyone with a positive lab test who has a valid mobile number, providing faster notification of r[...]
