Virginia Archives - Page 12 of 63

Virginia County Board Members Advance Plan to Hike Their Pay 45 Percent amid Police Shortage, Crime Surge

March 9, 2023March 8, 2023 Just the News

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to move forward with consideration of a proposal to give themselves salary increases of up to 45 percent, even as the county, located just outside of Washington, D.C., faces a shortage of police in the midst of a crime surge.

With inflation still high, county residents are facing real estate taxes that have risen 7 percent on average. In addition, Virginia counties assess the value of personal vehicles and send “personal property tax” bills that residents must pay each year. These bills are at record levels due to the high values of used vehicles.

Top Virginia High School Received More than $1 Million from Groups Tied to China

March 9, 2023March 9, 2023 Just the News

A prestigious U.S. high school reportedly received more than $1 million in donations from Chinese-linked organizations, a report from watchdog group Parents Defending Education indicates.

Thomas Jefferson High School, situated in Fairfax County, Va., focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education and ranks among the nation’s best high schools.

Bill Sent to Virginia Gov. Youngkin Would Reward Oyster Shell Recycling

March 8, 2023March 7, 2023 The Center Square

A bill sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin this legislative session would reward individuals that recycle oyster shells – a measure supporters say could benefit several sectors across Virginia.

In the final days of the legislative session, lawmakers in the General Assembly voted to advance a bill to the governor’s desk that would provide grants to anyone who donates oyster shells to nonprofits for use in restoration projects. The grants awarded would total $4 per bushel of oyster shells and be capped at $1,500 per person in a year.

More Than 80 Percent of Fairfax County Parents Reject Gender-Inclusive Sex Ed for Middle School-Age Kids: Poll

March 7, 2023March 6, 2023 Admin

In a Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) poll, more than 84 percent of parents are not in favor of a gender-inclusive sexual education curriculum for children in grades four through eight, according to ABC 7 News.

Parents were asked about the proposed “Family Life Education Instructional Materials” (FLE), a sexual education curriculum which focuses on making lessons “gender inclusive,” stating that puberty is not gender-specific, according to ABC 7 News. FCPS, the school board and the FLE Curriculum Advisory Committee allegedly withheld the survey results from the community, drawing backlash from parents.

Bill Sent to Gov. Youngkin Would Phase Out Subminimum Wage in Virginia

March 6, 2023March 5, 2023 The Center Square

Among the stack of bills the Virginia General Assembly sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin this session is a measure that would align the commonwealth with a small batch of states moving to phase out subminimum wage employment for people with disabilities – a bill supporters say would eventually eliminate an “archaic” model dating back to the 1930’s.

The measure, which passed by the General Assembly last month, aims to phase-out the practice of paying people with disabilities less than the state’s minimum wage. House Bill 1924 by Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington, sets increased wage rates starting this summer that employers who currently pay a subminimum wage to workers with disabilities would be required to pay.

Virginia to Receive Federal Funding for Affordable Housing

March 5, 2023March 4, 2023 The Center Square

More than two dozen cities and counties across Virginia are slated to receive a portion of nearly $100 million in federal funding for affordable housing and homelessness, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, D-VA, announced this week.

Localities across the Commonwealth are expected to receive a portion of more than $98.3 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Poll: Virginia Gov. Youngkin’s Approval Rating at 57 Percent

March 4, 2023March 3, 2023 The Center Square

Fifty-seven percent of Virginians say they approve of the way Gov. Glenn Youngkin is handling his job as governor – an increase of five points since November – according to a new poll published Thursday from Roanoke College.

The new poll also revealed Youngkin’s disapproval rating is down six points from November, standing at 35%. According to pollsters, the numbers “mark Youngkin’s highest approval rating and lowest unfavorable rating recorded by the Roanoke College Poll during his time in office.”

Growing List of Virginia Lawmakers Not Seeking Re-Election

March 3, 2023March 2, 2023 The Center Square

More than a dozen Virginia lawmakers have announced the 2023 legislative session will be their last, revealing they do not plan to seek re-election this fall.

As of Wednesday, 16 lawmakers in the House of Delegates and state Senate had announced they would not be seeking re-election when all 140 General Assembly seats are on the ballot. Lawmaker retirements and the upcoming election mean the General Assembly will likely see some new faces next session.

Virginia Lawmakers Pass Solitary Confinement Bills, Advocates’ Concerns Remain

March 1, 2023February 28, 2023 The Center Square

In the final hours of the legislative session, Virginia lawmakers sent a pair of bills to Gov. Glenn Youngkin that would prohibit the use of solitary confinement in prisons without mandatory out-of-cell time, and stricter reporting requirements.

While the bills received bipartisan support as they advanced out of the General Assembly, the measures as-passed do not contain a key component advocates had pushed for – a 15-day limit on the use of solitary confinement. Without that provision, advocates fear the bill will allow the Virginia Department of Corrections to place people into isolated confinement for extended periods of time, so long as there is a review and daily out-of-cell time.

Virginia Military Institute Alumni Work to Disrupt Donations to Force School to End DEI Programs

February 28, 2023February 27, 2023 Admin

The Virginia Military Institute continues to face intense pushback from an alumni group that opposes the military school’s ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

The activists in recent months upped their efforts by seeking to redirect the institute’s alumni fundraising in an effort to persuade campus leaders to pull back on critical race theory policies and programs.

Virginia General Assembly Adjourns after Passing ‘Stopgap’ Budget, No Final Deal

February 27, 2023February 26, 2023 The Center Square

The politically-divided Virginia General Assembly agreed on a “stopgap” budget bill before lawmakers adjourned the legislative session Saturday, with lawmakers indicating work remains to reach a final deal on amendments to the state’s two-year state spending plan.

Without an agreement reached on key aspects of proposed amendments to the state’s budget – including $1 billion in tax cuts proposed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin – the legislature agreed to pass what House Appropriations Committee Chair Del. Barry Knight described as a “stopgap” budget with just a few items.

Bill to Classify Fentanyl as ‘Weapon of Terrorism’ Approved in Virginia House and Senate

February 26, 2023February 25, 2023 The Center Square

With drug overdose deaths on the rise in Virginia in recent years, lawmakers in both the House and Senate Friday agreed to a measure designating fentanyl as a “weapon of terrorism” and increasing penalties on those who knowingly and intentionally distribute or manufacture it.

Lawmakers in both the House and Senate voted in favor of advancing Senate Bill 1188 Friday – a measure that defines any mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl as a “weapon of terrorism.”

Lawmakers Approve Income Tax Subtraction Increase for National Guard

February 25, 2023February 24, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia could soon increase the income tax subtraction for certain members of the National Guard under a proposal passed by lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly this week.

The proposal, contained in HB 2373, would increase from $3,000 to $5,500 the income tax subtraction for certain members of the Virginia National Guard. The income tax subtraction would apply starting in the 2023 taxable year, and would be eligible to O-6 and below – a rank designation that is a Colonel in the Army, Air Force and Marines, and Captain in the Navy.

Thousands of Virginia Children at Risk of Insurance Gap

February 24, 2023February 23, 2023 The Center Square

As Virginia prepares to resume the Medicaid renewal process that was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, advocates and researchers have raised concern thousands of Virginia children could be at risk of experiencing a gap in insurance coverage due to challenges in the process.

Virginia General Assembly Passes ‘Affordable Energy Act’

February 23, 2023February 22, 2023 The Center Square

The Virginia General Assembly advanced two bills Tuesday lawmakers say could help lower electric costs for commonwealth residents and restore the ability of the state’s utility regulation agency to adjust rates when utilities bring in revenues above their authorized profit.

Two identical measures dubbed the “Affordable Energy Act” – Senate Bill 1321 and House Bill 1604 – gives the State Corporation Commission the ability to order reductions of base rates when it determines utilities are earning above their authorized rate of return. The bill also specifies the SCC can increase base rates if they produce revenues below the utility’s authorized rate of return, ensuring the resulting base rates are “just and responsible,” and give the utility the ability to recover costs and earn a “fair rate of return.”

Youngkin Joins Growing Number of Governors Calling for Review of Controversial AP Course

February 22, 2023February 21, 2023 Admin

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is the latest governor to call for a review of a controversial Advanced Placement (AP) course that was recently revised to remove tenets of Critical Race Theory and queer studies, Youngkin spokeswoman Macaulay Porter told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Youngkin asked the state education department to conduct a review of AP African American Studies to ensure the course, which was revised on Feb. 1, complies with state law prohibiting the use of “divisive concepts,” including CRT, in K-12 schools, according to WTOP News. College Board, which manages advanced placement courses, removed several concepts from the course after Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration rejected the framework, but maintains that it did so without political pressure.

Dem’s McClellan Projected to Win Virginia Special Election: AP

February 22, 2023February 21, 2023 Just the News

by Ben Whedon Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan on Tuesday won election to Congress, becoming the state’s first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress from the state. McClellan defeated Republican Leon Benjamin in the race to fill the seat of late Democratic Rep. A. Donald McEachin, who represented…

Virginia Voters to Elect New Member of Congress in Special Election Tuesday

February 21, 2023February 20, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, will face Republican challenger Leon Benjamin in a special election Tuesday to fill the 4th Congressional District seat left vacant by the death of Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin.

The 4th congressional district, which stretches from Richmond to the North Carolina border, has had a Democratic representative since 2016 when McEachin was first elected to Congress. Leading up to the November election in 2022 when McEachin won reelection just weeks before his death, Cook Political Report designated the seat “solid Democrat.”

Virginia Senate Panel Advances Bill to Ease Lease Terminations of Uninhabitable Units

February 19, 2023February 18, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia could soon clarify the process for tenants to terminate leases when moving into an apartment that does not meet certain habitability standards under a bill receiving bipartisan support by lawmakers in the General Assembly.

Lawmakers on a Senate committee voted 14-1 Wednesday to advance HB 1635, which allows a tenant to terminate a rental agreement within 7 days of moving into a unit if certain habitability standards are not met. The bill specifies a tenant can terminate the lease and receive a refund of their full security deposit and any rent paid if the condition of the unit “constitutes a fire hazard or serious threat to the life, health, or safety of tenants or occupants of the premise.”

Virginia Senate Democrats Move Against Babies Who Survive Abortion and Women’s Need for Informed Consent

February 18, 2023February 17, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Senate Democrats in Virginia joined to block two bills Thursday, one that would protect babies who survive botched abortions, and another that would require abortion facilities to provide women in the state with informed consent in writing prior to undergoing an abortion.

Democrats voted against HB 1795, a bill that would require medical care to be provided infants who survive an abortion – in the same way it would be rendered “to any other child born alive at the same gestational age,” and that abortion providers would “take all reasonable steps to ensure the immediate transfer of the infant who has been born alive to a hospital for further medical care.”

Virginia’s Loudon County School Board Won’t Release Report on 2021 High-Profile Bathroom Assaults

February 17, 2023February 16, 2023 Just the News

The Loudoun County School Board in northern Virginia has decided not to release the findings of an independent report on the 2021 sexual-assault cases at two high schools that attracted national attention and was a focal point in parents’ quest during the height of the pandemic for more transparency in public schools.

The board voted 6-3 on Tuesday night, citing attorney-client privilege, which can protect the identify of the accused and victims, despite a grand jury report that concluded school officials mishandled the situation.

Soros-Backed Virginia Prosecutor Allegedly Targeted Her Political Foes with Taxpayer Funds

February 16, 2023February 15, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

A George Soros-backed commonwealth attorney allegedly used taxpayer funds to investigate her political rivals, submitting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to view correspondences between county officials and local reporters, according to Fox News.

Loudoun County, Virginia, Democratic Commonwealth Attorney Buta Biberaj, who received funding from a Soros-backed PAC in 2019, allegedly targeted political opponents and reporters by submitting FOIA requests with her government email, claiming that she was investigating numerous information leaks over the years, according to Fox News. After the FOIA requests were discovered, Democratic Loudoun County Supervisor Kristen Umstattd called on Biberaj to return the funds, as “the requests, at least, appear to be personal or political, and are not clearly related to your official duties as Commonwealth’s Attorney.”

Virginia May Form Work Group to Examine Teacher Pay

February 15, 2023February 14, 2023 The Center Square

The Virginia Department of Education could soon form a work group to consider competitive teacher pay in the commonwealth under a bill receiving bipartisan support in the General Assembly.

A substitute version of Senate Bill 1215 directs the Department of Education to convene a work group of school board representatives, division superintendents, school teachers, school staff and parents to make recommendations related to “competitive” teacher compensation in the commonwealth.

‘Democrats Should Be Ashamed:’ Youngkin Condemns Removal of Parent from Virginia Education Board

February 12, 2023February 11, 2023 Admin

Virginia Democrats who voted to remove concerned parent Suparna Dutta from the state’s Board of Education on Tuesday should be “ashamed,” according to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office.

“In an appalling show of partisanship, Senate Democrats said the quiet part out loud: Parents aren’t qualified to advise on education in Virginia,” Youngkin spokeswoman Macaulay Porter told The Daily Signal. “Suparna Dutta immigrated from India, exemplifies the American dream, and is a Fairfax County public school parent, who has continually advocated for parents and students to have a voice in their education.”

Virginia House and Senate Advance Differing Budget Amendments

February 11, 2023February 10, 2023 The Center Square

Lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly passed differing amendments to the state’s two-year spending plan out of the House of Delegates and state Senate chambers Thursday, opening the door for budget wrangling and negotiations in the coming weeks.

The budget amendments proposed in each chamber seek to make updates to the state’s two-year spending plan, which was passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin last summer.

Gov. Youngkin Condemns Black Lives Matter at School Push in Virginia Ed Union: ‘This Will Not Be Tolerated’

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office said the Black Lives Matter at School toolkit released by a Virginia teacher’s union “will not be tolerated.”

The Virginia Education Association’s Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action toolkit champions BLM’s 13 principles in the classroom. It uses kindergarten through 12th grade lesson plans made by the education branch of the Southern Poverty Law Center to teach students principles including “transgender affirming,” “queer affirming,” “restorative justice,” and “globalism.”

Virginia Lawmakers Support Banning ‘Foreign Adversaries’ from Buying Farmland

February 9, 2023February 8, 2023 The Center Square

A proposal backed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to prevent “foreign adversaries” from acquiring farmland in Virginia won support in the House and Senate this week when similar measures were passed in both chambers.

Two bills in the House and Senate – Senate Bill 1438 and House Bill 2325 – would prohibit “foreign adversaries” from purchasing agricultural land in the commonwealth starting this year. The bill defines “foreign adversaries” as any foreign government or “nongovernment person” determined by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to have engaged in “a long-term pattern” of conduct threatening national security.

Virginia Lawmakers Divided over Gov. Youngkin’s Tax Cuts, Spending Plans

February 7, 2023February 6, 2023 The Center Square

With just a few weeks left in the legislative session, Virginia lawmakers in the House and Senate disagree on whether or not a key piece of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed budget amendments – $1 billion in tax cuts – should be included in the state’s amended spending plan.

Proposed amendments to the biennial budget presented by both the House and Senate money committees Sunday, reveals disagreement between the two chambers over the inclusion of Youngkin’s proposed $1 billion in tax reductions.

Bannon: Biden Must Be Impeached ‘As Soon As Possible’ for Lying About Chinese Spy Balloon

February 6, 2023 Julie Carr

Live from Virginia Monday morning on The John Fredericks Show, host Fredericks welcomed Stephen K. Bannon to comment on the cover-up of the Chinese spy balloon that traversed the entire continental United States and the corruption of the Biden regime.

Virginia Senate Advances Bill to Increase Prescription Drug Price Oversight

February 6, 2023February 5, 2023 The Center Square

Lawmakers in the Virginia Senate voted Friday to advance a bill that would create a state board to conduct affordability reviews of prescription drugs – a measure that faces an uncertain future in the House.

Lawmakers voted 26-13 to advance Senate Bill 957 out of the Senate chamber and on to the House of Delegates. The bill could face an uphill battle in the House of Delegates, where Republican lawmakers voted to kill a companion measure last month.

Virginia House Panel Advances Key Energy Bills

February 5, 2023February 4, 2023 The Center Square

A Virginia House of Delegates panel advanced bipartisan legislation Thursday allowing a state agency to reduce utility rates when it determines utility providers are bringing in excess revenues, a move supporters say will help protect ratepayers from soaring energy bills.

A panel of lawmakers on the House Commerce and Energy Committee voted unanimously Thursday to advance a bipartisan proposal giving the State Corporation Commission authority to order reductions to utility base rates – meaning rates for generation and distribution services – “produce revenues in excess of the utility’s authorized rate of return.”

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin Has 56 Percent Approval Rating, New Survey

February 4, 2023February 3, 2023 Just the News

Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin has a 56% approval rating among state voters, according to a recently released survey.

The Mason Dixon survey released Thursday shows Youngkin’s approval rating his highest since taking office last year.

Virginia Lawmakers Asked to Amend Spending to Address Education Funding Shortfall

February 3, 2023February 2, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia lawmakers are being asked to amend their proposed spending plans to address an error with a state calculation tool, that will result in schools across the state receiving millions less in state aid than they initially expected.

The Virginia Department of Education confirmed this week a calculation tool estimating the amount of state funding each school division will receive had an error. The tool did not account for funding changes after the state cut the grocery sales tax on Jan. 1, according to Charles Pyle, director of communications for the Virginia Department of Education.

Virginia House of Delegates Passes Bill Eliminating Age Restriction for Military Benefit Tax Relief

February 2, 2023February 1, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia may soon make younger veterans eligible for an income tax subtraction on military retirement pay under a bill that received bipartisan support in the House of Delegates Tuesday.

House Bill 1436 received broad bipartisan support during a floor vote in the House Tuesday, passing out of the chamber in a 98-0 vote. The bill, authored by Del. John McGuire, R-Goochland, would remove the existing 55 and older age restriction for individuals eligible for a military benefits income tax subtraction.

Panel of Virginia Lawmakers Advance Stillborn Tax Credit Proposal

February 1, 2023January 31, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia could move to create a tax credit for the loss of a stillborn child under a measure advanced by lawmakers in a House of Delegates committee Monday.

House Bill 1915 by Del. Angelia Williams Graves, D-Norfolk, would establish a refundable income tax credit for individual filers or married couples filing jointly of $2,000 for the loss of a stillborn child. The tax credit would be available from 2023 to 2027, and the bill specifies the credit could only be claimed in the taxable year in which the stillbirth occurred.

Gun Control Measures Pass Senate, Future Uncertain in House of Delegates

January 31, 2023January 31, 2023 The Center Square

An unloaded handgun sitting on the center console of a vehicle with the magazine clip next to it

Virginia Senate lawmakers passed a range of gun control measures in a floor vote Monday, including bills to crack down on ghost guns, place prohibitions on where assault firearms can be carried and clarify Virginia’s “Red Flag Law.”

Lawmakers in the Democrat-majority state Senate largely voted along party lines to pass three gun control measures Monday, forwarding them on to be heard in the House of Delegates. The bills will likely face an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled chamber, where lawmakers have already struck down a bill seeking restrictions of firearms on college campuses and a proposed assault-style weapons ban.

Framework for Retail Marijuana Market in Virginia One Step Closer

January 31, 2023January 31, 2023 The Center Square

A committee of Virginia lawmakers advanced a bill Friday that seeks to establish a retail market for sales of recreational marijuana beginning next year – a measure lawmakers are mulling almost two years after the state legalized the substance.

Former Teachers Union President in Virginia Charged with Embezzling $400,000

January 30, 2023January 29, 2023 Admin

The former president of a Virginia teachers union was arrested and charged with embezzlement from the organization on Monday, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Ingrid Gant, former president of the Arlington Education Association (AEA), was arrested after police conducted a six-month audit that showed she embezzled $410,782.10 from the union, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

Virginia Senate Committee Rejects ‘Education Savings Accounts’

January 29, 2023January 28, 2023 The Center Square

The Senate Committee on Education and Health voted to “pass by indefinitely” on three school choice bills by Republican lawmakers Thursday – a signal other school choice bills in the Virginia House of Delegates could face obstacles moving forward.

One of the measures defeated Thursday sought to create a “Parental Choice Education Savings Account” program, which parents could apply for and use toward certain expenses, including private school tuition.

Virginia Senate Panel Defeats Abortion Bans

January 28, 2023January 27, 2023 The Center Square

A panel of Virginia Senate lawmakers voted down Republican-backed bills seeking to enact bans on abortion in the commonwealth Thursday, including a 15-week ban backed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

The Senate Education and Health Committee voted to defeat a bill making it unlawful for physicians to perform an abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy unless the life of the mother is at risk, or the pregnancy is as a result of rape or incest.

Attorney General’s Report: Virginia Parole Board Broke the Law, Abused Power in March 2020 Parole Board Releases

January 27, 2023January 26, 2023 Eric Burk

A report from the Attorney General Jason Miyares’ office says the Virginia Parole Board violated state law governing victim and prosecutor notifications and had a “culture of ignoring the Virginia Code, Parole Board policies, and administrative procedures,” while accelerating the rate of releases in March 2020. Senate Minority Leader Thomas Norment, Jr. (R-James City) responded to the report by requesting Judge Adrianne Bennett, who was Parole Board chair, to resign.

“Under Chair Adrianne Bennett, the Virginia Parole Board endangered public safety and abused its power by releasing dozens of violent felons against Parole Board policies, and frequently in clear violation of a court order or Virginia law,” Attorney General Miyares said in a press release announcing the report. “Judge Bennett’s brazen abuse of her power put Virginians’ safety at risk so that she could promote a criminal-first, victim-last agenda without regard for victims or their safety.”

Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School Found Not Denoting Honors Class Designation on Student Transcripts

January 26, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Administrators at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology (TJ) in Fairfax County, Virginia, failed to make Honors classes notations on the official school transcripts of their students, Parents Defending Education (PDE) has discovered.

Bill to Establish Permanent Daylight Saving Time Defeated in Virginia Senate

January 26, 2023January 25, 2023 The Center Square

After discussing the measure at length, lawmakers in the state Senate voted to kill a bill seeking to establish permanent Daylight Saving Time in Virginia.

Following debate and discussion that at times prompted laughter in the chamber, lawmakers ultimately voted down Senate Bill 1017, which proposed ending the practice of changing the clocks twice a year, and would keep Virginia on daylight saving time.

Youngkin’s Business, Personal Tax Cuts Pass Out of House

January 25, 2023January 24, 2023 Eric Burk

The Virginia House of Delegates passed Governor Glenn Youngkin’s bills to cut the business tax rate from six to five percent and the top individual income tax bracket from 5.75 to 5.5 percent. The two bills would also increase individual and business income tax deductions.

“Virginians are still overtaxed, they deserve to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks and today’s significant move by the House of Delegates means Virginians are one step closer to additional relief,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a release after the bills passed out of the House on Wednesday.

Pioneering Law Professor Offers Legal Strategy for Virginia Students Denied National Merit Award Notices

January 24, 2023January 23, 2023 Just the News

As Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares investigates potential civil rights violations in the widespread withholding of timely National Merit Scholar award notifications to students in suburban Washington, D.C., possibly on “equity” grounds, a local law professor known for public health crusades is floating a novel legal strategy for aggrieved students. George Washington University’s John Banzhaf says Virginia courts this century have recognized a “somewhat obscure” class of legal claims known as “prima facie torts” that don’t depend on difficult-to-prove allegations such as intentional infliction of emotional distress or racial discrimination.

Youngkin Pitches His $1 Billion Tax Cut Package to Supporters at Rally

January 24, 2023January 23, 2023 Eric Burk

Governor Glenn Youngkin spoke at a rally on Monday where he shot hoops with children and called for his supporters to pressure their legislators to support the tax relief package included in his budget amendment proposal.

Economic Experts Weigh Youngkin’s Decision to Halt Virginia Ford Plant

January 24, 2023January 23, 2023 The Center Square

Growth in plants connected to electric vehicles has roared across the country. Not everyone, however, is quickly jumping in. When Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said last week that he stopped efforts to establish a Ford Motors battery plant at a megasite in the state due to its Chinese partner, it was the first time University of Texas professor Nathan Jensen could recall a state rejecting an economic incentive deal for a battery plant.

Virginia Senate Subcommittee Recommends Against Legislation to Provide Medically-Assisted Death for Terminally Ill Patients

January 23, 2023January 22, 2023 Eric Burk

A Virginia Senate subcommittee recommended against a bill that would have allowed terminally ill people to request a medically-assisted death after Senator John Edwards (D-Roanoke City) joined with Republicans in opposition; the bill will still go before the full Senate Education and Health Committee for consideration.

Benefactor’s Family Demands Refund After University of Richmond Removes Name from Law School

January 22, 2023January 21, 2023 Admin

The University of Richmond recently removed the name of T.C. Williams, an early benefactor, from its law school because of his alleged ownership of slaves in the 19th century.

But his descendants say Williams contributed to the demise of slavery and now argue the university should refund Williams’ previously donated money to the institution.

Bill to Repay Loans of Mental Health Professionals Clears Virginia House Committee

January 21, 2023January 20, 2023 The Center Square

A bill to create a loan repayment program for Virginia mental health professionals sailed through a House of Delegates subcommittee Thursday, receiving bipartisan approval from a panel of lawmakers.

House Bill 1534, authored by Del. Nadarius Clark, D-Portsmouth, and supported by other Democratic lawmakers, proposes the creation of a Mental Health Professional Loan Repayment Program for professionals who have worked in the mental health field in Virginia for at least five years.