Author: Dick Hall-Sizemore
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The Governor Knows How to Throw Some Sharp Elbows
by Dick Hall-Sizemore All governors have ceremonial “signing” events for legislation that has already been officially signed into law. The purpose is to highlight both the legislation and its patrons. On June 16, Gov. Spanberger had a ceremony in Richmond in which she signed a batch of bills relating to gun violence. As she signed…
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The Budget “Talks” Are Heating UP
by Dick Hall-Sizemore As reported by the Virginia Political Newsletter, Sen. Lucas and Gov. Spanberger have been engaging in public responses to the House budget conference proposal and to each other. Neither is backing down, although Lucas seems to have dropped her demand that the sales tax exemption for data center equipment be repealed. Instead,…
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House Takes Initiative in Budget Battle
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The House of Delegates Appropriations Committee has taken the offensive in the budget impasse in the General Assembly. The committee has released its version of a budget conference bill. Based on the new revenue forecasts, the committee has proposed significant appropriation increases for education, social services, and other priorities of the legislature. …
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Now the Lawyers Enter the Assault Weapons Battle
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The legal maneuvering over legislation recently passed by the General Assembly prohibiting the sale of assault weapons has begun in earnest. Shortly after Gov. Spanberger signed the legislation, which will become effective July 1, opponents filed suits in four Virginia circuit courts, Washington, Lancaster, Spotsylvania, and Fauquier counties, challenging the law under various…
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Lucas Stymies Budget Talks, Trashes Other Democrats
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Sen. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) has taken a page out of Donald Trump’s playbook. She is resorting to assigning insulting nicknames to those who will not go along with her and trying to negotiate by social media using all capitals in her complaints. As recently reported by the Virginia Political Newsletter, the budget…
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Another Look at Those Crime Numbers
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Virginians for Safe Communities needs to broaden its outlook. In a recent article on this blog, the organization pointed out that the number of offenses against persons in Arlington/Falls Church and Fairfax Co/Fairfax City had increased significantly from 2019 to 2025. It linked those increases to the policies of the Commonwealth’s attorneys…
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An Unbecoming Reaction
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Justice Arthur Kelsey of the Virginia Supreme Court was the author of the recent decision in which the Court struck down the recently approved constitutional amendment regarding redistricting. Justice Kelsey’s current 12-term on the Court will expire next January. To continue on the Court, he would have to be re-elected by the General Assembly…
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The Budget Clock is Ticking and It is not Getting Any Easier
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Due to economic development announcements and actions by Governor Spanberger, the job of the General Assembly negotiators on the biennial budget just got harder. The Governor has vetoed two pieces of legislation which would have produced revenue that each house had built into its budget. =For the Senate, it was SB 542…
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The Governor Strikes Back
by Dick Hall-Sizemore In addition to previously announced vetoes of high-profile bills with Democrat sponsors (Fairfax casino, skill games, and public employee collective bargaining), Gov. Spanberger has announced her veto of 13 more pieces of legislation. All of these bills were ones for which she returned with requested amendments that the Democrats in the General…
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Good News for Medical Research in Virginia
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Remember that edict by the Trump administration capping the indirect costs portion of grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at 15 percent? There was vigorous discussion of that announcement on this blog, with many commentators supporting the move. Well, the Trump administration has given up on that effort. As soon as…
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Who is Making the Money?
by Dick Hall-Sizemore President Trump recently declared, “The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.” I am not sure who “we” is. I filled up the tank on my pickup a couple of days ago. It has a…
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The Governor Flexes Her Muscles
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Governor Spanberger has issued her first veto. To add some drama, it was of a high-priority bill sponsored by one of the top Democrats in the Senate. Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax), the Senate Majority Leader, introduced legislation that would have authorized a referendum in Fairfax County on the establishment of a casino at…
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Mailing It In
by Dick Hall-Sizemore In Virginia, there is “no-excuse” absentee voting by mail. Any registered vote can cast a ballot by mail. Furthermore, if a voter chooses to mail the absentee ballot to the registrar, it will be counted as long as it is received by the general registrar’s office by noon on the third day following…
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A Total Lack of Credibility
Why should anyone believe anything that comes out of Trump’s press office when a spokesman says that Trump has “the most talented cabinet and team in American history”? For starters, I would refer him to George Washington’s first cabinet, which included Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and Henry Knox.