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House clerk blocks three Youngkin vetoes of budget items
The clerk of the House of Delegates exercised his rarely used power to reject gubernatorial budget vetoes on Wednesday by declining to recognize Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s attempts to veto three items in the revised two-year budget he signed early this month. House Clerk Paul Nardo, acting in his capacity as keeper of the rolls, informed Youngkin that he cannot publish three of the governor’s vetoes because they are unconstitutional under the Virginia Constitution.
Big bills, tough choices: Proposed federal cuts threaten Va.
Virginia would face big bills and tough choices if the Congress adopts federal spending cuts GOP committees proposed this week that would shift the cost of food assistance to states, make it harder for people to get health care through Medicaid and cost them more to buy health insurance. A pair of Republican-controlled committees in the House of Representatives released proposed budget cuts that could cost Virginia hundreds of millions of dollars each year and force the state to increase its share of spending or reduce services to people who need help the most.
Hotline between military and air traffic controllers in Washington hasn’t worked for more than three years
A hotline between military and civilian air traffic controllers in Washington, D.C., that hasn’t worked for more than three years may have contributed to another near miss shortly after the U.S. Army resumed flying helicopters in the area for the first time since January’s deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, Sen. Ted Cruz said at a hearing Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration official in charge of air traffic controllers, Frank McIntosh, confirmed the agency didn’t even know the hotline hadn’t been working since March 2022 until after the latest near miss.
Commonwealth’s attorney revokes Norfolk city attorney’s authority to prosecute shoplifting charges
While Norfolk City Council made good on Mayor Kenny Alexander’s pledge during his State of the City address to allow the city attorney to prosecute shoplifting cases, Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi quickly nixed the plan, revoking the city attorney’s authority to do so. Fatehi sent a letter to City Attorney Bernard Pishko Wednesday saying he planned to revoke Pishko’s ability to prosecute criminal cases in Norfolk Circuit Court as of 5 p.m. Friday, and put into place added oversight of General District Court charges being pursued there.
4 things Virginians need to know about Medicaid decisions made by the U.S. House
At the Bradley Free Clinic, patients fill exam rooms for medical, dental, and behavioral health care. For 50 years, this safety-net clinic has served some of the region’s most acutely ill and vulnerable residents. Now, as the federal government moves forward with Medicaid cuts, clinic leaders like Janine Underwood are bracing for fallout. ... The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees funding for Medicaid, voted along party lines Wednesday to move forward with a spending bill that would enact work requirements for people seeking Medicaid coverage.
Youngkin defies House on vetoes, but court fight unlikely
Gov. Glenn Youngkin is defying the House of Delegates over his vetoes of three provisions in the state budget, but a battle is unlikely in state courts over the limits of his constitutional authority. After House Clerk Paul Nardo declined to recognize three of the governor's 37 line-item budget vetoes, Youngkin made clear on Thursday that he will not abide by the clerk's decision. He said his administration will not carry out the General Assembly directives, including proposals to help nursing homes hire more staff and expand access to weight loss drugs under the state's Medicaid program.
With egg prices at a record high, backyard chickens get the OK in Frederick County
It's official, people who live in certain residential areas in Frederick County finally have the ability to make omelettes with the main ingredient coming from their own backyards. On Wednesday night, the Frederick County Board of Supervisors voted 5-1 to approve an ordinance amendment to county code allowing residents in two zoning districts to have backyard chickens. ... Even though chickens have always been allowed in the county's rural areas, efforts to make them permissible in residential areas failed to gain approval from the supervisors three times over the past seven years. But recent record-high egg prices revived interest in allowing backyard chickens, eliciting support from multiple supervisors.
State Secretary of Transportation: Amtrak service to Bristol a ‘heavy lift’
Attracting Amtrak passenger rail service to the Twin City is an expensive, long-term proposition that still remains possible, state transportation leaders said Tuesday. Speaking during a public session about the state’s six-year transportation plan at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Secretary of Transportation B. Sheppard Miller III urged proponents to keep working.
Youngkin calls for transformation of child welfare system
Until she was 18, Katie Jones got to see her mom only once a week, for a one-hour session with her five brothers and sisters, monitored by a social worker. “Every week I used to say ‘when do I get to see my mom,’” she said Thursday at an event where Gov. Glenn Youngkin launched a push to transform the state's foster care system. Those hours were always filled with tears, and they always ended the same way: “I’d have to say ‘Bye mom,’ and go back to my foster family,” said Jones, who grew up in Chesapeake. “I love my mom unconditionally and she loves me unconditionally.”
Del. Hope touts experience for 1st District House seat, but challenger says that’s not enough
The familiar political conflict of experience and new blood dominated a debate between Democratic contenders for the 1st District House of Delegates seat. Incumbent Del. Patrick Hope worked to fend off criticisms by challenger Arjoon Srikanth in the Tuesday (May 13) forum, sponsored by the Arlington County Civic Federation. The third contender in the June 17 Democratic primary, Sean Epstein, was unable to attend, federation president John Ford said.