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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[...]
State commissions firm to conduct disparity study in procurement
The state will commission a Denver-based firm to conduct the first disparity study on procurement opportunities for women- and minority-owned businesses since 2011, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. The report is expected to be completed in December. The Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) selected market research company BBC Research and Consulting to […]
Lawmakers advance bills regulating consumer lending
RICHMOND, Va. — Del. Mark Levine recalls receiving a $1,000 loan offer from a company with a 299% interest rate buried deep in the fine print. “As the company compounds daily at this interest rate, this loan would cost anyone desperate enough to accept this offer more than $20,000 in interest and fees if they […]
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[...]
“Port host communities” receive revitalization funds
The General Assembly allocated $1 million in grants to redevelop port-related properties in Virginia’s “port host communities,” including Newport News, Norfolk and Portsmouth, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The goal of the funding is to enable timely redevelopment of port structures for economic development and employment growth, according to the Department of Housing and Community […][...]
Virginia ABC breaks ground on $91M HQ in Hanover County
Gov. Ralph Northam led a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority’s $91 million state headquarters complex in Hanover County, expected to open next year. Virginia ABC’s existing warehouse in Richmond is just more than 295,000 square feet, but is operating at 100% capacity [...]
Committee to consider bill establishing passenger rail authority
A House committee decided Wednesday to temporarily postpone action on a comprehensive transportation bill that, in part, establishes a governing body to purchase and manage railways, something supporters said the state has gone too long without. The House Finance Committee, citing time constraints and the bill’s complexity, will act Monday on House Bill 1414, introduced […]
Nonprofit urges lawmakers to protect domestic worker rights
After a 15-hour work day, Lenka Mendoza is tired but she prepares to do it all over again the next day. Mendoza spoke Tuesday at a Care in Action press conference in support of several General Assembly bills, dubbed the Virginia Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. The nonprofit advocates for fairness and dignity for U.S. […]
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, dir[...]
More than 30 Va. employers send letter to lawmakers asking for LGBTQ protections
More than 30 Virginia employers — including Altria Group Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Capital One Financial Corp. and Dominion Energy — on Monday sent a letter to Virginia lawmakers asking for comprehensive lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) nondiscrimination protections. The letter addressed to House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, and Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw, […][...]
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 Democr[...]
Subcommittee advances bill prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination
RICHMOND — A General Assembly subcommittee advanced a bill Thursday that would prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in housing, public accommodations, employment and credit applications. Lawmakers suggested expanding the focus of a bill introduced by Del. Delores McQuinn, D-Richmond,[...]
