Democrats and Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly were divided along party lines this session, but came together over some key issues. Out of nearly 2,400 bills introduced, 376 bills passed unanimously, according to the Virginia Public Access Project....
A former Black community newspaper will be commemorated in a special license plate if Virginia House lawmakers give the bill its final stamp of approval. Sen. Joseph D. Morrissey, D-Richmond, introduced Senate Bill 753, which will authorize the issuance of a special license plate celebrating The Richmond Planet newspaper. Lawmakers in the Senate...
A bill that seeks to limit the use of isolated — or solitary — confinement in Virginia’s correctional facilities now faces the Republican-controlled House, who voted down a similar measure earlier in the session. Sen. Joseph Morrissey, D-Richmond, proposed Senate Bill 108, which passed out of the Senate along partisan lines. Sen. Jill Holtzman...
Lawmakers last month killed legislation which would give localities the option to ban the use of coal tar pavement sealant, a product which environmental and health agencies say can negatively impact aquatic and human life. A House of Delegates subcommittee voted 5-4 to table House Bill 949, sponsored by Del. Kathy K. L. Tran, D-Fairfax....
A Senate committee could debate a bill that would reverse a policing law intended to reduce racial profiling. The General Assembly in 2020 passed a law along party lines to end pretextual policing, or the practice of stopping someone for a minor traffic violation. Such traffic stops are made for broken tail lights, tinted windows, or objects...
A proposed constitutional amendment making headway in the Virginia General Assembly would grant former felons the right to vote. Senate Bill 21, introduced by Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, also removes a prohibition preventing people from voting who were declared by the court as mentally incompetent. The legislation instead prohibits people from...
Lawmakers narrowly passed a bill this month that would allow people fired for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine to receive unemployment benefits if no other misconduct took place. The measure advanced from the House of Delegates on a 51-48 party line vote and was assigned to a Senate committee on Feb. 10. The bill was one of several introduced by...
The House of Delegates passed a bill Tuesday that adds additional parts of the James River to a statewide conservation program. Del. C. Matthew Fariss, R-Campbell, introduced House Bill 49, which designates 37 additional miles of the James River in Nelson and Appomattox counties as the James State Scenic River, part of the Virginia Scenic Rivers...
The Senate will consider a bill that could extend the amount of time it takes for public school teachers to receive long-term contracts. Del. Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, introduced House Bill 9, which advanced on a 52-47 vote. The companion bill introduced by Sen. Mark J. Peake, R-Lynchburg, was passed by indefinitely in a Senate subcommittee this...
Two bills introduced by Republicans to halt future minimum wage increases have advanced to the House floor. Minimum wage in Virginia increased to $11 an hour on Jan. 1 and is set to increase to $12 next January. The House Commerce and Energy committee approved House Bill 320, introduced by Del. Nicholas J. Freitas, R-Culpeper, and HB 296,...
