Gov. Glenn Youngkin joined Virginia education leaders and Google executives in announcing a new cybersecurity training program with Northern Virginia Community College.
The announcement was made at an event Thursday at the NOVA campus in Alexandria. The new program will offer a Google Career Certificate in cybersecurity, which is proponents say is an emerging technical field.
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Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has announced Virginians affected by the alleged “tricks” from TurboTax owner Intuit will receive more than $3.6 million as part of a nationwide settlement.
Miyares says more than 119,000 Virginia consumers were “tricked into paying to file their federal tax return.” The commonwealth’s restitution is part of a nationwide settlement of $141 million to be distributed to millions of lower-income Americans.
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Virginia U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine has joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in introducing the College Transparency Act, which would give students and their families access to make more informed decisions about colleges and areas of study to best fit their needs.
Kaine and his colleagues hope the legislation will help students and their families make better, more transparent decisions looking at the larger picture when determining the best path in higher education, ultimately leading to successful careers.
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin praised the new integrated plan released by Dominion Energy, touting his administration’s energy plan in comparison.
The energy company released its 2023 Integrated Resource Plan, which outlines “strategic pathways” to ensure the energy provider can consistently deliver power to residents and Virginia businesses.
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has ended months of speculation he will make a run for the White House in 2024.
Youngkin was asked by Wall Street Journal editor-at-large Gerard Baker at the Milken Institute’s “Governing America” discussion if he was planning on “dusting off” his fleece jacket to hit the campaign trail this year. Youngkin didn’t mince any words with a simple, “no.”
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin met with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck Soo during his final stop on an Asian tour to promote economic, education and trade relations.
Youngkin and the prime minister met Friday in Seoul to expand on bilateral trade relation opportunities between the commonwealth and South Korea. Youngkin also highlighted the education partnership between the commonwealth and South Korea and how he hopes it will lead to more business opportunities.
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo to discuss trade and business investments between the commonwealth and Japan.
Japan is the second stop on Youngkin’s Asian tour, concluding with a visit to South Korea. The governor highlighted mutual economic interests, which they hope will strengthen relations.
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Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares held a press conference in Lynchburg to provide an update on Operation Ceasefire, which was initiated late last year in an effort to reduce gun violence and violent crime through a “multifaced approach.”
Joining Miyares at the press conference were several prosecutors and law enforcement officers to discuss their ongoing plan for tackling rising crime.
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Virginia has shattered a record with more than 4.5 million people in the commonwealth’s workforce, Gov. Glenn Youngkin says.
The workforce was recorded at 65.9 percent in March, which is over 1 percent higher than it was before the beginning of the pandemic. Virginia eclipsed the national average by 3 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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On Saturday, 264 congregations part of the United Methodists of the Holston Conference had their requests processed to leave the denomination, citing “issues around human sexuality and other matters.”
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin took historic steps by signing an executive order establishing a foreign trade office while meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan in Taipei earlier today, kicking off his Asian tour.
This will be the commonwealth’s fourth international office; others are in Japan, South Korea and Germany. Youngkin is scheduled to visit Japan and South Korea during his Asian trip.
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Virginia has been crowned No. 1 for best highways in the country for performance and cost-effectiveness, according to a new report.
The commonwealth’s highway system moved up one spot from last year, according to The Reason Foundation’s 27th annual Highway Report. Within the report’s key metrics, Virginia also ranked No. 1 overall and in the “capital-bridge disbursements ratio” category.
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Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced $1.5 million in grants to support revitalization projects in the Virginia port communities of Newport News, Norfolk and Portsmouth before his trade mission trips to Asia later this month.
The grants come from Port Host Community Revitalization Fund, which supports redeveloping dilapidated structures, improving maritime operations, expanding business opportunities, creating jobs and preventing environmental hazards.
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Nearly 19,000 voters will be removed from the voter rolls in Virginia after the Department of Elections discovered death records had not been previously shared.
The Virginia Department of Elections has announced it has begun instituting improvements to cull its voter rolls of voters “who are known to be deceased.” General registrars made a request to allow more ways to confirm the death of registered voters.
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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed the dismissal of a lawsuit made by Loudoun County, Virginia, parents against their public school system over a bias reporting system, which they argue could chill their children’s freedom of speech.
The appeals court overturned a lower court decision to dismiss the lawsuit Friday, saying that the case against Loudoun County Public Schools’ based on student’s First Amendment rights could continue in federal court.
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Amazon applied for economic development incentives from Virginia for its new HQ2 campus in Arlington, requesting the state pay $152 million to the company by 2026.
Arlington was chosen as the site for Amazon’s second quarters four years ago – a move the company said would bring 25,000 jobs to the area by 2030. The tech giant has roughly 8,400 employees assigned to HQ2, and the average wage of these jobs must meet or exceed $156,800, according to Amazon spokesperson Rachael Lightly.
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Maryland is advancing discussions on potential plans to expand MARC commuter rail service into Delaware and Virginia – a move officials hope will expand access for transit riders across state lines.
The Maryland Department of Transportation has signed framework agreements with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority and Delaware Transit Corp. for potential MARC Train Service expansions, Gov. Wes Moore announced Thursday. The possible future expansions could extend MARC service to Newark, Delaware, and to Alexandria, Virginia.
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Negotiations on adjustments to Virginia’s two-year budget could stretch into the summer as budget wranglers in the General Assembly wait for a clearer picture of the state’s revenues, according to leading lawmakers.
Lawmakers adjourned the legislative session in February without a final agreement on amendments to the state’s budget that passed last summer. Instead, legislators agreed to pass a “skinny” budget that addressed a few key priorities – including funding to address a $200 million shortfall for school funding due to a calculation error.
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Virginia lawmakers approved amendments proposed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to a pair of bills establishing regulations on hemp-derived products in the commonwealth, which includes a provision allowing some products containing both THC and CBD that are used therapeutically to remain on store shelves.
The politically-divided General Assembly flocked to Richmond Wednesday to reconvene for a one-day session to consider the governor’s proposed amendments to 78 bills and three vetoes. Some of the governor’s amendments proposed technical changes to measures, while others proposed entire substitute bills.
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Virginia’s agricultural and forestry exports soared to a value of more than $5.1 billion in 2022, according to new data released this week by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
China is the state’s top export destination by far, purchasing $1.45 billion in agricultural and forestry products in 2022. Egypt, Taiwan, Venezuela and Canada are also in the top five destinations for Virginia’s agricultural exports. Soybeans and soybean meal are the state’s top exports, followed by pork, poultry and tobacco, according to data from VDACS.
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The Biden Administration’s Education Department (ED) announced its intention to investigate the controversial Loudoun County Public School (LCPS) district over its mishandling of two sexual assault cases by the same culprit at two different schools.
According to the Daily Caller, the investigation will be led by the ED’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR). The case revolves around a male student who used the school’s extremely loose “transgender” policy to identify as a girl by wearing a skirt, and thus was allowed to use the women’s restrooms without hindrance. He then went into a restroom at the Stone Bridge High School in May of 2021 and raped a female freshman.
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An expanding list of lawmakers in the politically-divided Virginia General Assembly have announced they will not seek re-election or will seek another office under new district lines this election cycle.
Come this November, all 140 seats in the General Assembly will be on the ballot. The upcoming election cycle will be the first one under new maps drawn via the independent redistricting process in 2021.
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Legislation recently introduced in Congress aims to bolster further research and development of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), including drone integration research taking place at Virginia Tech.
The legislation, introduced last month by U.S. Sens. Mark Warner, D-VA, and John Hoeven, R-ND, seek to extend the authorization for the Federal Aviation Administration’s UAS test sites for an additional five years. There are currently seven FAA UAS test sites across the nation involved in drone research, one of which is located at Virginia Tech.
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Gov. Glenn Youngkin is recommending amendments to a bill that seeks to phase out subminimum wage employment for people with disabilities in Virginia in the coming years.
Employers who hold a “14(c)” certificate under the Fair Labor Standards Act do not have to follow federal minimum wage laws when it comes to employing individuals with disabilities. As of April, 10 providers in Virginia either held or applied for these certificates – seven of which are actively paying employees with disabilities a subminimum wage, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. In total, 310 individuals are reported as being paid subminimum wage in Virginia as of April.
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A prestigious high school will now be marking honors courses on students’ official transcripts used for college admissions after an education organization revealed the school was failing to do so, according to a school newsletter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
In January, Parents Defending Education (PDE) reported that Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology (TJHSST) was failing to note on students’ transcripts which classes were honors classes and carry an additional Grade Point Average weight of 0.5. TJHSST notified parents that transcripts would be altered in the fall to reflect honors and Advanced Placement courses, according to a Wednesday Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) newsletter.
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Amid speculation that he could be weighing a potential presidential run in 2024, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will travel to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea as part of his first intentional trade mission as governor later this month, his office announced Tuesday.
While overseas, the governor is slated to meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, as well as other government officials, business associations, company executives and global industry leaders, according to Youngkin’s office. The trip is scheduled for April 24 through April 29.
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Virginia lawmakers will return to Richmond next week to consider Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed amendments and recommendations to 78 bills sent to his desk during the legislative session.
Last week, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed more than 700 bills into law, vetoed three bills and submitted recommendations for 78 others. The legislature is set to reconvene for a one-day session in Richmond April 12 to consider the governor’s proposed recommendations and take votes on whether to accept or reject the governor’s amendments.
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Liberty University, the largest Christian college in the United States, just announced the appointment of a new president and a new chancellor.
The board of trustees voted earlier this week to appoint Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Dondi E. Costin to be the university’s sixth president and Pastor Jonathan Falwell to be chancellor.
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is requesting changes to a pair of bills dealing with the regulation of hemp-derived products in the commonwealth, proposing an exemption that would allow some CBD products with THC to remain on store shelves.
After weeks of debate and several amendments, lawmakers in the General Assembly voted to pass a pair of bills that limits the amount of THC – a chemical found in the marijuana plant that can be intoxicating to consumers – included in a hemp product to a concentration of 0.3% and two milligrams per package. The bills also establish labeling, testing and packaging requirements for hemp-derived products.
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A third-party investigation into delays by a Northern Virginia school district in notifying some students of National Merit recognition found there was no evidence to suggest the school district deliberately withheld notifications, school administrators announced this week.
In a letter to the community this week, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid wrote that after hours of interviews as part of a law firm’s independent investigation, investigators found “no evidence to suggest that FCPS deliberately withheld notification of Commended Student status from any student.” Reid added the investigation also revealed “no evidence of any inequity or racial bias in the actions taken by these schools regarding notifications or distribution of these certificates.”
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As Virginia resumes the Medicaid renewal process that was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Glenn Youngkin is asking the General Assembly to amend the “skinny” budget passed during the legislative session to include millions in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to support the process.
The General Assembly adjourned at the end of February without a finalized budget. Instead, lawmakers approved a “stopgap” budget bill that included just a few items, including funding to address a calculation error that overstated the amount of state aid Virginia schools could expect to receive.
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed more than 700 bills sent to his desk by the General Assembly by Monday’s action deadline, approving a slew of new laws that will take effect by July 1.
The governor approved 738 bills by Monday’s action deadline and vetoed three as of Tuesday at 3 p.m., according to the state’s bill tracking system. The governor has also issued recommendations and amendments to 78 other measures, which the General Assembly will consider when it reconvenes in Richmond April 12.
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed into law a pair of bills Monday aimed at providing greater financial flexibility for individuals with developmental disabilities who receive waiver services – a move supporters say will translate to greater “buying power” for people with disabilities to invest in technology that allows them to live independently.
Virginia currently offers several kinds of Disability Waivers – including Community Living, Family and Individual Supports, and Building Independence waivers – for individuals diagnosed with a developmental disability. The waivers offer long-term support for people with developmental disabilities and include access to services, including assistive technology and electronic home-based services.
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Facing a Monday deadline to act on bills passed by the Virginia General Assembly, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed hundreds of bills into law this week.
Lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly sent hundreds of bills to the governor’s desk during this legislative session.
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Virginia will offer a tax credit for the purchase of a firearm safety device, including gun safes and lock boxes, under a bill signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week.
Under the tax credit, which takes effect in July and applies to taxable years 2023 through 2027, Virginians who purchase a gun safe, lock box or other device that can be used to store a firearm can be eligible for a tax credit of up to $300. The credits will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis in an aggregate amount of $5 million per taxable year.
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The majority of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors formally voted to give members of the board salary increases of up to 38%, while residents of the county, located just outside of Washington, D.C., grapple with rising real estate and vehicle personal property tax assessments, resulting in higher tax bills.
The county is also dealing with a shortage of about 200 police officers in the midst of a crime surge. According to WJLA, a Washington, D.C. area local ABC station, there has been an increase of major crime incidents throughout the county.
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Virginia lawmakers and advocates are raising concern about new policy changes regarding the state’s restoration of rights process, and arguing Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration has lacked transparency by not disclosing the criteria by which a person convicted of a felony has their civil rights restored.
Youngkin’s administration has made changes to state policy pertaining to how someone convicted of a felony in Virginia has their rights restored. Specifically, Youngkin’s administration is moving away from policy followed by previous administrations of automatically reviewing and restoring the rights of some formerly incarcerated felons.
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Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has announced the appointment of Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) Chief Academic Officer Lisa Coons as Virginia’s 27th superintendent of public instruction. The move comes as Coons was recently named a finalist for the job of Nebraska’s State Superintendent of Schools. Coons’ appointment is effective April 17, with Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera touting her as a welcome addition to the team.
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For the tens of thousands of Virginians whose guardianship case is served by a private guardian, existing law dictating how often their guardian is required to visit them is vague.
A bill that passed the General Assembly on a bipartisan basis this session aims to change that.
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A suburban Virginia county near Washington, D.C. is retroactively hiding diversity, equity and inclusion-related materials from the public as a Republican elected official calls attention to its activities.
Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega, who lost a closely watched House race in November, posted the “creepy and intrusive” DEI survey sent to county employees after the Office of Equity and Inclusion removed the link she had shared with constituents Feb. 26.
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Virginia revenue collections are running hundreds of millions of dollars above budget projections by state finance officials, according to a new revenue report published Friday.
It’s a sign Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin says confirms the state is correct in its projection of a “multi-billion dollar budget surplus.”
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As thousands of Virginia families grapple with food insecurity, the state could soon renew and expand tax credits for farmers who donate surplus crops to nonprofit food banks under a bill sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk this session.
Before the close of this year’s legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill that would allow farmers who donate food crops or “wholesome food” to a nonprofit food bank in the commonwealth to claim a tax credit equal to 50% of the fair market value of such donation. In total, each farmer could claim a maximum of $10,000 in tax credits for donations starting in the 2023 tax year. The bill has a sunset date of Jan. 1, 2028.
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Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera directed a top public high school in the United States to stop accepting financial contributions from entities with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Grassroots parental advocacy organization Parents Defending Education (PDE) reported that, on March 9, Guidera wrote to Dr. Michelle Reid, superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), following PDE’s report that Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) and the school’s Partnership Fund (Fund) had “received over $1,000,000 worth of donations from Chinese interests since 2014.”
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Virginia GOP Congressman Ben Cline says that in order for the country to get back on track in terms of finances, the federal bureaucracy needs to shrink and power must go back to the people.
“We’re going to keep working to make sure that we shrink the bureaucracy and the administrative state by balancing the budget,” Cline said on the Tuesday edition of the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “The RSC is going to put forward a balanced budget here in the next few weeks that counters the Biden administration’s budget.”
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The Virginia Board of Education this week is beginning a series of public hearings on the most recent draft of the state’s history and social science standards – the latest step in a process to revise the state’s history standards, versions of which have faced criticism in recent months.
The first of six public hearings on the state’s new history and social science standards will take place Monday at 7pm in Williamsburg. Throughout this week and early next week, officials will host a slate of hearings in Mount Vernon, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Abingdon and Farmville.
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The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development is distributing more than $93 million in housing loans to support housing projects across the commonwealth that are estimated to create nearly 4,000 units for low-income and extremely low-income households, according to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office.
The $93 million in Affordable and Special Needs Housing loans administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development will support 57 projects in various parts of the state. In total, the projects are estimated to create 3,936 units for low-income and extremely low-income households, including 298 permanent supportive housing units, 3,825 rental units and 111 units for homeownership opportunities, according to the governor’s office.
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Gov. Glenn Youngkin and members of the Virginia congressional delegation made their case Thursday for why the Federal Bureau of Investigation should build their new headquarters in the commonwealth, arguing the location is a better fit than either of the sites under consideration in Maryland.
Virginia officials made presentations to members of the General Services Administration and the FBI in Washington D.C. Thursday regarding a site in Springfield, Virginia, that is one of three locations under consideration for the FBI’s new headquarters. The other two locations under consideration are both located in Prince George’s County in Maryland.
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When asked directly Thursday night whether he is considering running for higher office, Gov. Glenn Youngkin did not officially rule out a presidential run in 2024, but said he is focused on Virginia.
“I have a big job, I love my job,” Youngkin said during a CNN Town Hall Thursday night. “Thank you for hiring me, thank you for letting me come to work every day and go to work for 8.7 million Virginians. That’s what my focus is right now, and I believe there is an enormous about of work yet to do in Virginia.”
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) delivered a straightforward response to a 17-year-old girl identifying as a boy who asked the governor about school restrooms and sports policies that place biological sex above gender identity.
During a CNN Townhall, Nico, a 17-year-old girl who identifies as a boy, asked Youngkin about his school policies requiring students to use the bathrooms and play on the athletic teams consistent with their biological sex.
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Temporary benefits enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic attached to medical coverage and food assistance programs are set to end soon due to recent federal action, raising concerns from advocates about the impact the loss of additional support will have on Virginians.
The recent passing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 and the approaching May 11 end date for the federal COVID-19 public health emergency means the expiration of temporary benefits associated with several Virginia assistance programs, according to the Virginia Department of Social Services and the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services.
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