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State Senate talks on background checks continue
RICHMOND Reminders that Monday was gun lobby day at the General Assembly were plentiful on the sun-soaked state Capitol grounds, even as fragile compromise talks on background check legislation continued behind the scenes.
Nonpartisan redistricting plan fails in Va. House panel
RICHMOND It’s clear Virginia’s partisan system for redrawing legislative district lines is unlikely to change soon. A proposed constitutional amendment (HJ663) setting up a nonpartisan commission to prepare redistricting plans after each 10-year census was tabled unanimously today in a House of Delegates subcommittee, meaning it is unlikely to advance further.
Proposal seeks oversight for third-party voter sign-ups
NORFOLK Thousands of voter registration applications were submitted in the fall, but many did not yield a voter registration card for South Hampton Roads residents.
Proposal tackles third-party voter sign-up issues
NORFOLK Thousands of voter registration applications were submitted in the fall, but many did not yield a voter registration card for South Hampton Roads residents.
Two-term governor proposal fails in Va. House panel
RICHMOND For years, Virginia has been the only state that sends its governor packing after a single four-year term in office, and it appears that won’t change this year. A bipartisan proposal (HJ549, HJ679) to amend the state Constitution allowing the governor to run for a second term was sidelined again in a House of Delegates subcommittee Monday.
Cuccinelli asked to give up position while running
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is bucking tradition by remaining in office while running for governor and some Democrats are giving him an earful about it. A dozen legislators in the House of Delegates and state Senate recently wrote Cuccinelli, a Republican, urging him to step down as the previous six attorneys general did to pursue another elected office.
Dragas one step closer to keeping U.Va. rector job
RICHMOND Overcoming opposition from students, faculty and alumni, Helen Dragas won a decisive vote of confidence Monday from the state Senate, 29-9, in her bid to keep her post on the University of Virginia's governing board.
Dragas one step closer to keeping U.Va. rector post
RICHMOND Overcoming opposition from students, faculty and alumni, Helen Dragas won a decisive vote of confidence Monday from the state Senate, 29-9, in her bid to keep her post on the University of Virginia's governing board.
New state Senate districts pass by a slim margin
RICHMOND Wounds from past fights on redistricting and political control in the Virginia Senate were reopened Monday when Republicans revised Senate districts, a move that benefits the GOP but threatens to mar the legislative process going forward.
Chesapeake’s jail buildings closer to being used
RICHMOND Del. John Cosgrove came bearing a mea culpa on behalf of his city, he told a House subcommittee Monday. The Chesapeake Republican conceded that city officials made a mistake when they spent $8 million on temporary steel buildings to ease overcrowding in the city jail without getting the required authorization from the state Department of Corrections.
Decision delayed on Hampton Roads casinos bill
RICHMOND A hearing for a bill seeking to replace tolls with casinos as a way to fund transportation projects in Hampton Roads is delayed a week. SB714 by Sen. Louis Lucas, D-Portsmouth, was scheduled for a hearing in the Senate General Laws Committee this afternoon, but Lucas asked the panel to take it up at their meeting next Tuesday instead.
Va. Senate committee passes nondiscrimination bill
RICHMOND A Senate committee this evening passed a bill expanding the state’s nondiscrimination law to include protections for workers who are pregnant, homosexual or have served in the military. SB701 prohibits discrimination against state employees and applicants for state jobs based on sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy or childbirth. It also adds veterans to the list.
