Legislative Topic: State Government

The Virginia Senate Education and Health Committee considered legislation legalizing assisted suicide, SB 688, earlier in February. Thankfully, with a vote of 7-7-1, this legislation failed. Modeled after similar bills across the country, SB 688 would have allowed a patient with a six-month terminal diagnosis to request and ingest medication for the explicit purpose of ending their … Continued

House Republicans took over six hours on Friday to pass several bills confirming low-level appointments made by former Governor Ralph Northam, a reaction to the Senate’s vote earlier this week to block Governor Glenn Youngkin’s appointment of former Trump EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler as Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources. Republican leaders in the House … Continued

Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears cast her first tie-breaking vote in the Senate on Thursday. Senator Jeremy McPike (D-Prince William) voted with Republicans against SB 137, a bill that would allow defendants in most felony cases to appeal a judge’s discretionary sentence if the judge does not provide a “written explanation that adequately explains the sentence imposed[.]” … Continued

Governor Glenn Youngkin today released the following statement after the passage of Senate Bill 656, introduced by Senator Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, on a vote of 20-18. The bill requires the Department of Education to develop model policies for school districts to and make available to each school board model policies for ensuring parental notification of … Continued

Governor Glenn Youngkin today released the following statement after the House of Delegates on a vote of 59-40, voted to advance HB 833. The bill introduced by Delegate Tony Wilt (R-Rockingham), creates a grant fund to support Group Violence Intervention programs around the Commonwealth modeled on the successful, evidence-based “Operation Ceasefire.” “I ran for governor … Continued

Two Democratic senators voted with Republicans in committee to advance Senator Siobhan Dunnavant’s (R-Henrico) SB 656 requiring Virginia public schools to notify parents about sexually explicit instructional material, allow parental review, and provide non-explicit alternatives. The bill instructs the Department of Education to create model policies; if passed, school boards would be required to pass similar policies. … Continued

Virginia’s Attorney General Jason Miyares joined radio host Jeff Katz of The Jeff Katz Show on WRVA, where he expressed his dismay about Loudoun County Public Schools’ (LCPS) current mask mandate policy. “I’ve gotta admit, that was pretty astonishing even coming from the Loudoun County administrators,” Miyares said. He was referencing the news that an assistant principal of a … Continued

Gov. Glenn Youngkin visited an Alexandria grocery store Thursday to discuss his proposal to eliminate Virginia’s grocery tax. Groceries have a sales tax rate of 2.5 percent in Virginia, which includes a 1.5 percent state tax and 1 percent local option. During his campaign, Youngkin promised to eliminate the grocery tax in Virginia, which is … Continued