The Democratic National Committee launched a new campaign against voter ID laws last Tuesday. While the campaign focused on North Carolina, Florida and Pennsylvania, Democratic officials expressed concern with Virginia’s 2013 voter ID law. Northam, however, does not think the state legislature will pass changes to the law before the Fall 2014 elections.
The fight about Medicaid expansion in Virginia got more heated on Wednesday. Republicans and several local leaders called on Democrats to pass a budget and consider Medicaid expansion afterward, while Democrats said Republicans were ignoring a good business case for giving more Virginians health insurance.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed into law last week a repeal of the $64 tax on hybrid cars in Virginia, first enacted last year. McAuliffe repealed the bill during an appearance on WTOP radio’s “Ask the Governor” program. The revised mandate will go into effect July 1, 2014 and affect approximately 75,000 hybrid vehicle owners in the state.
Republican Robert S. Bloxom Jr. defeated Democrat Willie Randall with 60.3% of the vote in a special election for the 100th House District on Tuesday night.
A bill drafted by a group of University students that would require schools to better disclose mental health resources passed the Virginia House of Delegates with unanimous consent earlier in the month.
The Virginia House of Delegates voted Thursday to pass a budget for fiscal years 2015 and 2016. The budget, outlined in House Bills 29 and 30 was passed, by a 74 to 25 vote.
A Virginia House of Delegates committee voted against a bill Thursday which would have raised the state minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.25 by 2015. Initially proposed by Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Centreville, the legislation cleared the state Senate the previous Tuesday.
Federal Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen ruled the Virginia prohibition of same-sex marriage was unconstitutional Thursday evening. The case, Bostic v. Rainey, challenged the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.
The Higher Education Equity Act, HB 747, would grant eligibility for alien children if he or she has attended a high school in Virginia for at least three years, graduated from a Virginia high school or received a General Education Development certificate in Virginia, enrolled in a Virginia college or University, has been approved for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals by the U.S.
The Virginia House of Delegates passed two bills on Monday changing current laws regarding human trafficking.
The Virginia State Senate passed a bill Tuesday to repeal a law requiring women seeking an abortion to receive a transabdominal ultrasound before undergoing the procedure. The bill is expected to fail in the House of Delegates.
The Virginia Senate passed an ethics reform bill in a 39-1 vote Monday. The bill will limit donations and increase oversight of lobbyists and special interest groups. The bill comes in the wake of a national scandal surrounding former Gov. Bob McDonnell, who was indicted on federal corruption charges Jan. 21.
The Virginia Senate unanimously passed a bill titled SB 260 Monday which will reform the mental health system in Virginia. The bill was introduced last month by Senator Creigh Deeds following the tragic incident in which his son, Gus Deeds, attacked and stabbed the senator, before taking his own life.
Third-year College student Elizabeth Minneman, the former chair of the University College Republicans, was elected state chair of the College Republican Federation of Virginia at a convention last Saturday.
The Virginia state senate voted 21 to 19 this week to table a bill allowing electrocution to be used for executions in the event that lethal injection is not available.
Several pieces of legislation aimed at scaling back Standards of Learning test requirements for Virginia public schools have been gaining traction in Richmond recently.
The Governor’s Task Force on Improving Mental Health Services and Crisis Response recommended new regulations Tuesday regarding the treatment of emergency mental health patients in Virginia.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, Virginia lawmakers voiced opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed controls on coal power plants in a letter to President Barack Obama.
Attorney General Mark Herring announced last Thursday he does not intend to defend the state’s current ban on same-sex marriage in federal court. Herring is pushing to have the ban declared unconstitutional.
Democratic candidate Jennifer Wexton claimed victory in a special election Tuesday for the 33rd Virginia Senate district in Northern Virginia, which was vacated in December when Attorney General Mark Herring won statewide office.
