by Dick Hall-Sizemore
One fascinating aspect of the General Assembly is legislation that does not make headlines but is important to a fervent group of Virginians and that could have an impact on the state as a whole.
In recent years, the problem of invasive plants has gained the attention of legislators. In 2009, the General Assembly defined an invasive plant as one “that is not native to the ecosystem and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic harm or harm to human health.”
The requirement that an introduced plant must cause harm in order for it to be considered invasive is the key to the definition. That means the daffodils that 
are now adding some cheer to my backyard in the middle of winter are not invasive. On the other 
hand, the English ivy in my yard is invasive.
That statutory definition does not identify the specific plants that should be considered invasive. Consequently, there could be disagreements among “plant people” and confusion in the general public. Last year, the General Assembly directed the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to “create a list of invasive plant species” by January 1, 2024. It also prohibited any state agency from planting, selling, or propagating any plant on that list, except under narrowly defined situations. (The Virginia Mercury has described this years-long history in detail.) (more…)
from the Liberty Unyielding blog
by Martin Caplan, MD, and Kenneth Lipstock, MD
by Hans Bader
by Joe Fitzgerald
