Category: General Assembly
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Spanberger Pushes Back
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Gov. Abigail Spanberger is pushing back against the elimination of a sales tax break for data centers being proposed by Senate Democrats in their budget recommendations. (For background on the sales tax exemption, see Steve Haner’s discussion here.) There is a tradition in which the governor meets with the budget bill conferees (those…
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With Friends Like This…
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Virginia Republicans seem to be very frustrated with their party’s attempts to thwart the redistricting changes being pushed by Virginia Democrats. A lot of their frustration has been directed at former Gov. Youngkin. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the incumbent Republican members of Congress,whose seats are in jeopardy, met with…
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Public Union Bills Causing Angst Among Local Democratic Officials
by Steve Haner Legislation to expand the potential for union contracts to cover most local and state employees is on the verge of approval if Democrats in the House of Delegates and Senate can reconcile two versions of the bill. They might also have to reconcile with locally elected Democratic officials. Many of them have…
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ERIC is Back
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Despite professing concern for election integrity, former Gov. Youngkin pulled Virginia out of Electronic Registration Information Center, Inc., (ERIC), an organization developed to enable states to share data in order to clean up their election rolls and identify people who might try to vote in different states. The General Assembly has passed,…
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Why Do Dems Bother?
Assembly majority poised to appoint a judge who hates us. by Joe Fitzgerald Will Democrats in the General Assembly find a way to piss away their majority? Historically, yes. Then they’ll begin looking for a woman to blame it on. (See Filler-Corn, Eileen.) Ranking Democrats are currently defending being on the verge of appointing Todd…
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A Dangerous Bill
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The General Assembly has passed, and has sent to the governor for her review, legislation that would require that any “program of instruction on or relating to the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the United States Capitol” shall: “1. Not describe, portray, or present as credible a description or portrayal of the…
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The $4 to $5 Billion in Tax Hikes the Assembly is Approving
by Steve Haner The tax increase proposals still pending at the 2026 General Assembly will extract another $4 to $5 billion annually from Virginians if enacted, shared between the state and the local governments. The Democrats in political control have taken a bow for producing competing budget proposals that are not dependent on major…
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Extended Teacher Leave Entitlement Could Hit Schools Hard
by Derrick A. Max The Richmond Times-Dispatch ran my guest column this morning that warns of the significant learning loss that will likely occur from the Paid Family and Medical Leave bill (SB2) that is quickly winding its way to the Governor’s desk for her promised signature. As I have written previously, the Virginia General Assembly is…
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Expanded PIPP Pulls $360 Million from Power Bill Piggy Bank
by Steve Haner The expansion of an existing state electricity-bill subsidy program under legislation pending at the 2026 General Assembly could add up to $360 million to the annual cost during its first full year of implementation. The Department of Planning and Budget (DPB) has produced a detailed fiscal impact analysis for House Bill 884,…
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A Plea to Save Capitol Square Statues
Delegate Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, delivered the following speech on the floor of the House of Delegates yesterday. — JAB Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to a bill that will shortly come before us. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, please allow me to meditate with you as a student of history and, for over…
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A Portrait of Suicidal Empathy
by the Liberty Unyielding Staff “In 1996, Travis Lewis broke into the Snowden family home in Arkansas during a burglary and murdered 75-year-old Sally Snowden McKay and her cousin. He was convicted and imprisoned. Years later, Sally’s daughter Martha McKay chose radical forgiveness. She visited Lewis in prison, advocated for his parole, and after his…
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Cost of Undergrounding Program is Mostly Profit to Lenders, Stockholders
by Steve Haner Dominion Energy Virginia’s ongoing program to place selected neighborhood service lines underground, spreading the bill for the upgrades onto all its 2.7 million customers, will cost another $3.8 billion if the General Assembly blesses its extension for another ten years. Of that, about $1.6 billion is the cost of the construction work…
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The Data Center Scapegoat Led to Two Different Sacrificial Altars
by Steve Haner Virginia’s world-leading data center industry, once a source of economic pride to our Commonwealth, has become the scapegoat of the 2026 General Assembly. The State Senate and House of Delegates have built different altars for its sacrifice. The Senate is about to vote to strip away the major sales and use tax…
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April 21: Not Really What Virginia Needs Now
by Gordon C. Morse Want a political version of blunt force trauma? Then welcome to Virginia’s April 21 referendum on congressional redistricting. Look at the map and behold the winners. No one has to be fair about “fairness.” It’s “temporary,” they keep saying. Temporary — as in, it won’t last long. You could say as…
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The General Assembly’s 22.5% “Labor Tax” Gamble
by Derrick A. Max As the Virginia General Assembly enters the final weeks of its 2026 session, a wave of new labor mandates is about to reach the Governor’s desk, two of which she has promised to sign, and one she seems inclined to support as well. House Bill 5 (Paid Sick Leave), Senate Bill 2 (Paid Family…