General Assembly 2024
Virginia prepares for special elections as McGuire, Subramanyam head to Congress
Following Tuesday’s general election, in which Virginians sent two state senators to Congress, the commonwealth is preparing for special elections to fill the seats vacated by John McGuire, R-Goochland, and Suhas Subramanyam, D-Loudoun. McGuire, who is set to succeed U.S. Rep Bob Good, R-Farmville, in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, and Subramanyam, who was elected in […]
JLARC review of VMSDEP: No evidence of peak or decline in participation levels
A review of the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP) by the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission found no evidence that participation in the program has peaked or will decline anytime soon. In fact, the study, which was presented to the commission at its meeting in Richmond Monday, found that the initiative, which […]
Virginia’s largest natural gas producer moves regional headquarters in Tazewell County
Virginia’s largest producer of natural gas is expanding its regional headquarters in the Southwest region of the state. Natural gas can be derived from coal bed methane, a potent greenhouse gas driving climate change which, in Virginia, is emitted through mining in the state’s coalfields. On Friday, CNX Resources held a ribbon cutting to celebrate […]
New skill game machines don’t violate the state’s ban, two former Virginia attorneys general say
A new version of slots-like machines that one of the biggest skill game companies in Virginia has begun introducing in the commonwealth does not violate the state’s ban on the electronic betting machines, according to a joint legal opinion by two former state attorneys general and two regulatory attorneys with substantial gaming experience. Dubbed Queen […]
Virginia’s top elections official warns of possible delays in mail-in voting this year
Commissioner of Elections Susan Beals on Wednesday expressed concerns with the operational performance of the U.S. Postal Service ahead of the 2024 presidential election in Virginia, warning that mail-in ballots may not be processed in time to be counted. “Election officials depend on the U.S. mail service to deliver ballots to voters and to return […]
Virginia’s sales tax holiday is this weekend. Here are the products that qualify.
Virginia’s sales and use tax holiday for school supplies, clothing and energy-efficient goods begins on Friday, Aug. 2 at 12:01 a.m. and runs through Sunday, Aug. 4 at 11:59 p.m. Typically, consumers pay a 4.3% state tax on qualifying products, whether they purchase them in-store or online. During the holiday, the state tax or any […]
Youngkin administration denies FOIA request from member of own task force
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has called for more transparency as the state looks for new ways to handle the growing costs of a program that provides tuition-free college to spouses and children of military veterans killed or disabled as a result of their service. However, Youngkin’s administration isn’t practicing full transparency itself. Kayla Owen — a […]
Va. Senate again fails to pass bill on tuition benefit for military families
For the second time this summer, the Virginia Senate returned to Richmond and failed to pass a bill most General Assembly members and many military families want to see advance. Another five hours at the Capitol Monday produced no breakthroughs in the slow-burning controversy over the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP), which […]
Text messages reveal behind-the-scenes details of Petersburg casino process
On the mid-April day when the Virginia General Assembly was voting on whether to give the city of Petersburg permission to pursue a casino, Sen. Lashrecse Aird sent a text message to a top city official saying she needed a document sooner rather than later. City Manager March Altman texted Aird on the morning of […]
Virginia Senate returns to Richmond but fails to pass any bills
Democratic leaders in the Virginia Senate thought they could go their own way on the scheduling and policy agenda for a rare June special session. But things didn’t go according to plan Tuesday as the Senate spent a whole day in Richmond without taking up a single bill. Supporters of bills to legalize skill games […]
Virginia Senate set to take up military tuition program, skill games
The Virginia Senate will reconvene in Richmond today with major uncertainty looming over both of the two main topics on its agenda: changes to a tuition benefit program for military families and a possible end to the ban on skill games. The Senate is scheduled to gavel in at 1 p.m. to take up the […]
Virginia’s state budget will fund OB-GYN medical residencies amid obstetrics closures
Julia Resil is leaving Virginia. At this stage in her career, the chapter of being a medical resident is naturally coming to a close and she will move on to become an attending physician in Rhode Island. Resil has spent the past three years at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, in Southwest Virginia. She’s excited […]