Category: General Assembly
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Senate Dems Administer Severe Butt-Kicking
by James A. Bacon Yesterday the Virginia Senate passed the “Right to Contraception Act,” guaranteeing Virginians “the right to obtain contraceptives and to engage in contraception,” in a party-line vote with Republicans in opposition. In the run-up to passage of the bill, Senate Democrats engineered a vote that put Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, the likely…
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Tax-Free Tips Bill Fails First Vote, Standard Deduction May Grow
By Steve Haner If it were my job to pass the bill to eliminate income tax on tips, my first move would be to fill the room where a committee was voting with men and women who depend on tips and who would benefit from the bill. I’d have the legislators considering a no vote…
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I’ve Got It! Let’s Just Change the Rules!
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Because it could not legally stop the establishment of a historical horse racing facility within its boundaries, Henrico County is asking the General Assembly to change the rules. This issue was covered before in Bacon’s Rebellion. In summary, Henrico voters approved the establishment of off-track-betting facilities in the county. In 2018, the…
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The Nationalization of Virginia Politics Is Now Complete
by James A. Bacon On Friday the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee discussed Governor Glenn Youngkin’s slate of appointees to state boards and commissions listed in multiple bills. Senate Democrats had amended the bills to strike the names of nine nominees, including four to George Mason University, two to the Virginia Military Institute, and three…
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The Real Cost of the RPS Mandate? $609 Million, Money for Nothing
by Steve Haner In a recent debate at the Virginia General Assembly over the growing consumer cost of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, a senior Democratic delegate dismissed concerns over the renewable energy requirement as only involving perhaps $2 per month on a residential customer. The actual amount is $4.69, or about $56 per year,…
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Youngkin Takes Off Gloves, Puts on Brass Knuckles
by James A. Bacon Governor Glenn Youngkin, not known for his political pugilism, punched back today against Senate Democrats who nixed six of his nominees for the boards of George Mason University, the Virginia Military Institute and the state School Board. For his first three years in office, Youngkin eschewed contentious rhetoric — at least…
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Dems Delete Six Youngkin Appointees
by James A. Bacon Last August, Governor Glenn Youngkin submitted the names of hundreds of appointees to state government boards and commissions for confirmation by the General Assembly. Traditionally, legislators accommodate the wishes of the chief executive, but occasionally they flex their political muscles by nixing someone they especially dislike. This year the Democrat-controlled Senate…
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Virginia’s New Jersey Problem
Updated Jan 27 @ 16:30 by James C. Sherlock New-found evidence points to New Jersey-operated business plans that may result in severe threats to patient health and safety in up to 56 Virginia nursing homes. At least one person has already died. Current government allegations in the wrongful death scandal surrounding Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing…
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A Commonsense Bill for Math SOL Exams in Spanish
by Todd Truitt The Senate Public Education Subcommittee advanced a commonsense bill negotiated Thursday by Senator Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, and the Youngkin administration, providing for math Standards of Learning (SOL) exams in Spanish for beginning English Learners, as most states provide. The bill addresses the alignment of Virginia’s new school ratings system with federal law,…
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Bacon Bits: The Irresistible Impulse to Regulate
If it moves, regulate it… Democrats and civil libertarians are gearing up to restrict the use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) by law enforcement. A bill submitted by House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, would restrict police use of the readers to specific instances such as missing person cases, outstanding warrants, human trafficking or…
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Yes, Deficiency Payments May Happen, Dominion Reports to SCC
By Steve Haner Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) in his State of the Commonwealth Address last week described the Virginia Clean Economy Act as a “quagmire.” Later that same day, the director of his Department of Energy warned that the state’s premier electric utility might soon begin making “deficiency payments,” in effect paying fines for failing…
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Right to Choose Natural Gas Law Proposed Again at Assembly
By Steve Haner Virginia’s General Assembly is being asked again to protect the use of natural gas and prohibit local government efforts to restrict or ban it in homes and businesses. A Senate bill pending at the 2025 session is backed by a large coalition which includes the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy and…
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Legislators Kill Bill to Modify Certificate of Public Need
by Hans Bader Legislators in a subcommittee killed a bill in the Virginia legislature would reform the state’s obsolete and costly certificate-of-need laws, which require state permission for healthcare facilities even in badly underserved areas. Cardinal News reports: Legislation put forth by state Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, to reduce regulations in accessing machinery, equipment…
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Black Caucus Wants Fines on 30 Years of Hydrocarbon Use
By Steve Haner Virginia’s Legislative Black Caucus has endorsed legislation that demands oil, natural gas or coal companies that operated in Virginia at any time since 1995 pay a fine (to be determined) for presumed damage to the climate and for extreme weather. Before dismissing this out of hand, know that the State of…
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A Horrible Death in Colonial Heights – Part Three. Who Is Responsible?
by James C. Sherlock The government alleges that a woman patient helpless with cerebral palsy and diabetes was so badly neglected at Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (CHRNC) that: It is important for justice to be fully served to peel back the onion — to address the system in which they worked. CHNRC is…